467: Bentley Christie on Worm Composting.
Having WAY too much fun with worms!
In This Podcast:
Watching his coworker throw her lunch scraps into a large bin under her desk was just too exciting for Bentley Christie and soon he was on his way to becoming the Compost Guy with a popular blog and website about worm composting. He shares his excitement and admiration for the legless wonders that produce a valued garden soil amendment. Not stopping there, he explains a new method of composting that transformed his garden into a bountiful wonder.
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Our Guest:
Bentley, also known as “Compost Guy”, earned an Honors Bachelor of Science in Biology with undergrad and grad studies in: plant pathology, microbiology, soil and compost science. He has been working with worms for over 20 years, is the author of the blog Red Worm Composting and is currently teaching about trench vermicomposting.
Listen in and learn about:
-
- A coworker with a worm bin under her desk
- Why worm poop is called ‘Gardener’s Gold’
- There is something special in it
- What vermicomposting is and why it is different from worm composting
- Specialized worms are the ones that do the composting
- The microbes in worm composting
- Worm composting is easy to adjust to meet scale
- Starting worm bins – as easy as under your desk
- Different worms and their preferences
- What to put in the worm bin
- How frozen foods can work in the bins and what to consider
- Temperature control and working in extremes
- TRENCH vermicomposting and how excited he is
- Above ground and below ground aspects in trench vermicomposting
- Using the food waste scraps from a restaurant and squirreling the food into the system
As well as:
His failure – Over filling his trenches with food and getting the system overwhelmed
His success – Watching the trench vermicomposting work and realizing how his trenches affected his gardens
His drive – Curiosity first! Then sharing what he has learned, and connecting with so many people
His advice – Focus on the habit while you learn during this fun experiment – keep it simple, have fun with it
Bentley’s Book recommendations:
Worms Eat My Garbage, 35th Anniversary Edition: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System
The Worm Farmer’s Handbook: Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting for Farms, Businesses, Municipalities, Schools, and Institutions
Producer’s Note:
Episode 405: Rhonda Sherman on Worm Farming
How to reach Bentley:
Website: redwormcomposting.com
UrbanFarm.org/compostguy
