Worms at Work: Harnessing the Awesome Power of Worms with Vermiculture and Vermicomposting

by Crystal Stevens

Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural , nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield. In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage Whether you're tending to a small backyard garden or managing a large farm, Worms at Work can show you how to start vermicomposting today in order to grow healthy plants in healthy, happy soil. Crystal Stevens is the author of Grow Create Inspire and has been co-manager of La Vista CSA Farm for the past 7 years. She teaches regular Vermiculture 101 workshops.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Sustainability

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2017

Reviews

[A. J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love worms.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

My husband and I bought a worm bin! Hooray!!! And then we bought worms! And then we tried to figure out how the whole thing works (which is a little backwards) so we got a bunch of books to help us learn quickly. I have to say, I read this entire book and did not learn one new thing. The book is a series of quotes, basically, from information that other people have written. Sometimes the information even contradicts itself. If you'd like to bring worms into your classroom, and have some lesson plans already thought up, then maybe this would be a good book for you, but I'm already on to book two (Worms Eat My Garbage) and hopeful that I'll find the info that I need!

[coldtofu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some interesting info but a lot of it (like a stunningly large portion of the book) was quotes from other people, so it read like someone’s blog

[Wendy Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm so freaking excited!!!!

[Laurla2]

-not sure how to rate this. i didn't like this book but i struggle to explain why. it had a lot of info in it, but most of it was information i wasn't interested in. i felt like i had to wade thru a lot of text. and i didn't need the chapter about sharing worms in the classroom and community.
-it was small print with huge 3" margins along the page edges.
-at one point it says don't put onions or garlic in the worm compost, then two pages later says to compost all food scraps.
-it advises to use newspapers in the compost despite their increasing rarity.
-p. 39 has links on where to buy worms.

[Scott Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good information of vermiculture and vermicomposting. It is a little more on the academic side than anecdotal containing lots of quotes from other sources. But that works for me. Good lists of what to compost vs. what not to compost. Some nice examples and illustrations for worm bin designs including the Midwest Worm Tower that I might try this season with some extra worms.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could come across as a pretty good FIRST read about worm composting. If you've never picked up another book or read an article, this is a good place to start. It offers some decent general advice on composting and worm composting but if you done some homework already, this book is a waste of time. Very basic information.

[Angela]

Skimmed. Black & white photos, huge chunks of grey background (which I believe are indicative of the huge chunks of text they're quoting from other sources), poorly-formatted and poorly-edited. It tried to cover more than just worm bins, but in doing so, I felt like it left out important info on worm bins. Definitely not my favorite resource on the topic.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. Lots of quote blocks, which I didn't really like. I was hoping for more of an instructional guide about vermiculture, since we just started our first worm bin. There is a section about that, but not as much info as I was hoping for.

[Stephanie Weima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great inspiring resource with lots of practical advise, not too precious or perfect. Would like to re-read at some point.

[Grumpybear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a Pinterest board leading to better blogs than an actual book. Items mentioned as being incorrect like "Worm Tea" were then widely praised throughout the book.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic and as others said it's written like a blog and is just blocks of direct quotes and white space. If it's your first read ever about worms then it might be fine but I found it lacking.

[Sharon Laverty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview

A good reference book for starting vermiculture projects. I think the tables will be revisited over the years. I wish the author would have “dug deeper” into composting & vermiculture.