I could handle the non-stop talk about pumpkins.
I survived all the summer evenings that Jamie spent at his parent's house nurturing his orange monstrosity.
I proudly displayed the many newspaper clippings of him and The Great Pumpkin (he was featured six weeks in a row).
I even accepted the concoction of bat guano he had gurgling on our front porch all summer.
But this, THIS my friends has sent me over the edge. It is an email I discovered him typing the other day. And at this, I am putting my foot WAAAAAAAY down.
Carol,
I've never raised worms before but have read more than one study on the
value of worm castings to many plants. I grow giant pumpkins (the 1,000
pound variety) and have given my planting beds a healthy portion or worm
castings in the past but have recently learned that almost all store bought
worm castings are sterilized (which defeats at least 50% of the purpose of
the castings).
My questions for you is how often and how much would I need to feed the
worms? How often and how much water would I give them? How much space is required? Come spring time I would love 50 lbs of worm castings to mix into the soil. What would I need to do to do this? And lastly, my plan would be to keep them in a storage room that is typically around 65 degrees. Would I need to be concerned about any smells and what types of foods would you give them to keep the smell down?
Jamie
Jamie says I am overreacting. How would YOU react to having your basement converted into a worm garden?????!!
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51 Comments:
I think that would officially start World War 3 in my house. sick sick sick.
I know people who do this, but I thought the worms were part of a compost and lived outside. At least from what the lady I visit teach, this is how it is done. And before I met her, I had never heard of it!
People, people, people. This is a GREEN project. This about protecting mother earth. What better way to teach the children responsability than to teach them how to protect their enviroment. How I ask you!? Okay. The truth is I just want to grow a massive pumpkin and I don't care about the earth. The worms would be in a small bin in the storage room. You wouldn't even know it was there. I woudn't feed them anythig that would give off odour. It would simple be a bin with a lid with holes in it.
My foot wouldn't just actually go down but through the floor!! I would not want worms in my house!! What if they escaped from the container?!! I shudder at the thought.
I'm sure Jamie will have it all under control... :) I mean, we are talking giant pumpkins here and after all, isn't that what is most important? :)
I saw a program about growing giant pumpkins on PBS but my kids would not let me watch it all. I thought of you the whole time.
Any way not that I am taking sides or anything... but I have to say that worm bins are actually quite smell free. I made one for a science fair project in Jr High and we kept it indoors with out a problem. They can't be outside or they will freeze during the winter.
um- Not in this lifetime or the next. There are certain things that were NEVER meant to be inside and worms are in the top three-
It.Would.Not.Happen.In.My.House.
The end.
You're a good woman. I would have drawn the line at the bat guano. Best of luck in keeping the worms outside!
Bwhahahahaha!!
Jamie is my hero. Way to go all green! And give Amber ample amounts of blogging stories!
Still laughing...
(but I still love you, too, Amber Stay strong!)
Well, since it isn't my house that will have worms in it then I'm all for it because I just know it's going to create lots and lots of great blogs that will make me laugh out loud. Sorry Amber, go worms!!!
Um... ick! I love Tonya's comment though :) It will make for intersting blogging... but if it were me? I'd veto this project!!
I think it's never going to end. I say throw him in the crazy house now before it's too late. Amber- it won't ever, ever end. Be strong my sister.
Jamie, Jamie, Jamie,
You are crazy!!!!!
EEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW no way!!!
Wow! That sorta makes the skinned squirrels and the whole duck (yes feathers and all) in my freezer seem not so bad. I'm beginning to think being a hunter's widow might be better than being a pumpkin widow.
Have your basement checked for radon first. You wouldn't want any teenage mutant ninja worms squirming down there.
Jamie, for the love of G*d, give this woman a break!
Amber honey? My basement -is- a worm garden. We have two rubbermaid totes with a bit of mesh to give them air and Neil mixes our composty stuff into them every once in awhile.
Once there was some chicken mixed in with the veggies and I'm worried the worms now have a taste for flesh.
We keep the tubs outside during the warmer months and (apparently) inside during the winter.
The smell isn't too bad.
Sympathies.
Oh no! Where will it end? If you say yes to the worms, what's next? I'm afraid to even guess.
Then again, think of how many points you'd have in your favor!
If my husband wanted to raise worms in our basement, he'd have to prove to me that he could grow a pumpkin big enough for him to live in it. ;)
Thanks goodness we don't have a basement. It would be the end.
I don't even want to have worms in our composter, and it's outside! Not well, that's how I would react. Not well at all.
I tried commenting earlier, but Blogger crapped out on me...
But what I said was...
Worms, ew! That makes me glad my husband's hobby is following college football like it is a soap opera.
Worms wouldn't bug me-as a kid I used to catch 'em all the time.
Bat guano, on the other hand, would not be something I'd live with.
One of the other 1st grade teachers at our school has a small worm compost bin in her classroom. (Our two classes are planting a garden on the school property. Each day after lunch the kids collect their banana peels and other "organic waste".) It's really not as gross as you might think, but I'm not sure how large a unit might be required to make 50 POUNDS of worm castings!
The pumpkin thing is crazy but worms rock. You're all down with the green effort right? Worms are your friend. They won't stink unless he's doing something really wrong. You can feed them pretty much any of your organic kitchen waste. Embrace the worms!
sorry jamie, but i don't think i could have worms in my home. so my foot would firmly hit the floor... even if it's the basement floor.
Well. We'd have to move the baby's room out of the basement first, then seal off the staircase, and pretend that the basement didn't exist anymore. But sure, sure I'd be fine with worms in my basement.
How about a shed. A nice shed. The worms would like it.
Just think of all the great blogging material you'll get from a basement full of worms! I say GO. FOR. IT. Sorry.... :)
Sick, sick ,sick. Jamie..Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery!
Amber~ I think this is grounds for sex withholding for sure if he brings worms into the basement! Tony tries putting his fishing worms next to the milk in the fridge and I go a little postal everytime!
Oh my freakin word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You literally just made me snort while LOLing!
Amber, you make me laugh every time I dare to come and peek into your life. Thank you, I really need that.
Hmm. . .the sight of worms in our compost bin gives me a great sense of satisfaction. The idea of growing worms purposefully under my roof, err, floor, is just awfully creepy. I never put my foot down, but I would either move them outside or just say "no" altogether. Hilarious stuff! (as long as they're not in your house!)
Nope. Not overreacting.
The worms can go to the parents house just like the pumpkin did.
I'm sure they'd love to have them.
Amber,
I've seen worm composting before done in nice little black containers, and that didn't stink at all. If you buy paper goods without chlorine you can compost those too. Eco-Cycle may have one of their nice black worm composters for sale. You could check their site--ecocycle.org.
I love coming to your site--it's so much fun.
so gross! no way jose!
YIKES YIKES YIKES!
:--) Nell
Oh goodness, I don't know how I would handle all those worms and mess in my basement... I vote no worms. Then again, I don't know if I'd have your good humor about the pumpkin growing in the first place. :)
Thanks to Jamie, DH is all gungho about The Great Pumpkin Project slated for '09. I will be the first to say, this information will NOT be passed on to him NOWAYNOHOW.
*shiver*
I am feeling very sorry for you!
Since you're sleeping separately anyway (haha), just send him down to sleep in the bed of worms with them and then let him decide if it's a good idea.
Oh, honey!! You are wise to put your foot down!!! Be careful where you put your foot down around there, though....ew....
Jamie...I just read your comment...what is the probablility of worms crawling out of the aforementioned holes?
*shudder*
Poor Amber!!!
Worms.... not in this life time or the next and next and next....
Fabiola
I think worms would be taking it a little too far! Especially if they would be IN your house!
Oy. Jamie- I take back that proposal. You're off your freakin' rocker.
Amber- I'll be traveling through Canada in a couple months...wanna come? Nothing like the Yukon Territory in January! lol.
NO WORMS!!!lol.
Hubby attempted to raise worms a couple of summers ago and it's a little harder than you might think. He didn't have much success and I didn't have to worry about the worms moving in during the cold Ohio winters. Yes, they would have to be somewhere warm and, yes, they can escape. I'm feeling your pain Amber. Stay strong. I'm behind you 200%.
Snort. Chuckle. And puke. Worms in your basement? In the name of "going green" Jamie? That truly made me laugh.
No way. I am with Amber on this. Keep to your guns girl. That is just a wee bit overboard. I am thinking though that perhaps this is a plea for help?
Been there. Done that. It was a HUGE FAILURE! My house was covered in thousands of gnats for about two months.
With that said, we did it wrong. Just make sure he reads the directions and puts a pan under the compost bin to catch the juice (and make sure you have holes in the bottom of the box--something I didn't have). Have fun!! :-)
You had me at "gurgling bat guano." Anything that smells? Outta the house!
I am no help. Worm casings are great for gardening. I have plans for my own worms but they will be outside, not inside.
Just think of it this way. When the worm thing works, you will have a great source of fishing bait for use while Pumpkin Head is at the office.
You do know how to thread a worm on a hook, don't you?
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