One of the techniques I learned in my permaculture class is the “chicken chart”. This is basically of a list of the inputs (needs) and outputs (products) of a component in a system. If you can match up the outputs of one system with the inputs of another, you end up doing less work; the systems support themselves.
Here’s my chicken chart for redworms.
Inputs
controlled temperature
food (nitrogen source)
protection from predators
moisture
bedding (carbon source)
harvesting effort
grit
oxygen
other beasties (bacteria to break down food)
Here’s the outputs worms give
castings
surplus worms
vermicompost
educational opportunity
soil
carbon dioxide
Did I miss anything? Is there more that we need to give redworms, or that they can give us?
Youtube is fantastic; what a great way to share knowledge across the world. Here’s a video that explains how to build a worm tower in your yard:
Basically, the idea is to provide a safe place for worms to eat food scraps, while at the same time letting the worms move around your garden. When the worms move, they will distribute castings and aerate the soil Even red wrigglers and other epigeic species will move earth around to some extent.
I think this is a fantastic idea. It fits with the permaculture idea of using biosystems to minimize work. It enriches soil. If you make more than one worm tower, it creates redundant sources of worms. Depending on climate, it may make worm keeping outside a possibility.
However, there are some downsides as well. The PVC pipes recommended in the video are made of fossil fuels. Any substitute that will be durable probably has a high embedded energy. Depending on location and your type of worm, you may be introducing an exotic species. And obviously, a worm tower is not useful in an apartment or on a balcony.
With all that said, I’m grateful to the person who put the video on YouTube for introducing me to a new idea in such a pleasant manner.
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