DIRT & BUGS IN THE BACKYARD

COMPOSTING & WORMS:  Really?  Why?

By Emily S.

Okay, this article is dedicated to my brother, Bradley.

  Like most boys, he likes bugs and dirt and hanging out in the backyard and enjoying both of them.  I like the backyard, too but for different reasons.  I like the swings, the trampoline, riding my bike – but bugs? No, thanks.

Hello guys.  Meet "Afro". 

So, a few days ago Bradley brought home a bean plant, that he named Afro, in a newspaper pot. Okay?? He told my mom that he needed to put it in soil and put earthworms in it so that the worms could eat through the newspaper. The worms would provide important food for the plant to grow and one day we could enjoy the beans for dinner.  It was this conversation that started an entire family plan for composting.  Worms make me about as excited as I am about bugs.  Yay. *shaking my head*

I understood a little about composting, but thanks to Bradley, Afro and the earthworms, I understand even more now.

Soil is another wonderful treasure that we have on the earth.  Soil gives life.  It gives plants what they need to grow. Those plants provide food for humans and animals.  Soil also provides a place for bugs to live. Yay. Soil is very important in supporting a lot of lives. Including mine.  

We can turn the food we eat back into soil by composting and earthworms are a big help in that process.  Worms eat the waste and then excrete waste which is really important in making rich soil.  Plants grow well in rich soil.

Watch this video to learn more about composting and how important worms are to the process.

Every year, each of us tosses out nearly 1,200 pounds of organic garbage.  Organic garbage is garbage that was once alive, like food scraps, grass clippings and leaves.  If we compost this garbage instead of throwing it away, we can make new dirt and then grow new plants in it! 

I now have a new love for dirt and worms and bugs.  I don’t plan to join my brother for playing with them in the backyard, but I am glad that we have them.  This is such a great world that we live in.

Check back for updates on our composting project!

Much fun in the backyard,

Emily