How a hobby grew into the region ’ s largest vermiculture operation .
Nancy Warner is a reluctant worm wrangler . Back in the 1990s , when she lived
in Maryland , Warner was all about Angora rabbits : the fluffy kind raised for their wool , which she sheared and spun into fiber art .
“ But I found that the flies coming after the manure were just too bad ,” she says . After a bit of research , she learned worms could solve the stench problem . They ’ d consume the bacteria in the manure , which creates the smell and attracts flies . And , bottom-side bonus , the worm castings ( read : poop ) were great for her plants .
Warner stuck a bucket-full of worms beneath her rabbit cages and considered her problem solved , that is until she moved with her rabbits and husband to Charlestown , reconnected with a long-lost friend and — a gesture only old chums could pull off — gifted her a bucketful of red wigglers .
“ She thought they were wonderful ,” says Warner . Shortly thereafter , a local community-supported agriculture program asked the friends to write a newsletter article about their hobby . Worm orders began slinking in and the women decided to go into business . Almost immediately , the Worm Ladies were backordered .
“ Then it just started to get to be too much , so we decided to get incorporated ,” says Warner .
Her partner left the business in 2009 — when it was still operating out of their backyards — but the interest never ceased . So one worm lady assumed the work of two , growing the business to what it is today : a bona fide vermiculture operation out of a hoop house at Schartner Farms in Exeter . There , Warner introduced a sifter that separates compost from “ the most beautiful castings ” for sale for gardeners , she says . She also maintains a brewer for worm tea — a favorite amongst the region ’ s marijuana growers . Warner says the coronavirus pandemic only increased the demand .
“ The virus has made such a difference because people were getting into food and gardening and composting and worms ,” she says . “ And getting | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 95
Vermicomposting 101
The worm lady gives us the scoop :
● Start off with a small two-by-three-foot tote — the kind you get from Walmart . Drill some holes on all four sides of the bin .
● Put in some shredded coconut for bedding along with shredded paper , dryer lint and a bit of dirt . The bedding should about six inches deep .
● Add your bucket of worms . ( Worm Ladies ’ buckets are packed with up to 1,000 worms !)
● Whenever you have them , top with fruit or vegetable remnants , coffee grounds , egg shells and other compostable materials . No meat or dairy and not too much citrus . Worms can eat through a half a pound of compost a day .
● Make sure it stays wet like a sponge .
● When you ’ re ready to source your castings , separate the worms out ( her website , worm ladies . com , has three techniques ), remembering to remove the threads , or babies , with the worms .
Weird Things You Should Definitely Compost
Fruits , veggies , eggshells , coffee grinds , even paper towels and cardboard : Got it . Here are a few more household items to chuck in your compost pile :
Human and pet hair , dryer lint , old leather , tissues , saw dust , natural tobacco , dust bunnies , natural fabric ( like wool and cotton ), soap remnants and dead bugs
( TOP ) COURTESY OF ECO RI NEWS / KEVIN PROFT ; ( BOTTOM ) THE WORM LADIES / INSTAGRAM ; ( LEFT AND OPPOSITE TOP ): GETTY IMAGES / ANSYVANYCH AND CJP .
48 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MARCH 2021