14
The Communicator - July 2005
Worm Castings by Matt Peters
Deep in the green
rolling hills of South-
east Ohio, a farm in
Amesville offers a
unique product: worm
castings. Farmer and
composter Matt Peters
raises red earthworms,
harvests their rich
composted manure
(called "castings"), and
offers it to gardeners,
horticulturalists, and homeowners who want the most lush plants
Nature can provide. The product, called Kind Castings, is
marketed under the trade name Full Circle Soil.
Worm castings give your houseplants and outdoor plantings an
array of micronutrients and minerals that plants need for healthy
growth, resulting in up to 20% higher bloom set, fruit yield, and
overall growth*. Use of worm castings also increases your
plant's ability to resist certain soil-borne diseases, such as
bacterial wilts. Plants benefit from worm castings in other ways
too, such as increased moisture retention of the soil and im-
proved nutrient cycling. Unlike chemical fertilizers, which can
`burn' the tender roots of your plants, worm castings are
completely safe and stable. Plants have evolved for millennia in
harmony with earthworms, and worm castings offer an array of
nutrients, minerals, and other important compounds in the form
that plants are adapted to recognize and utilize most effectively.
The worms, a species called aesemina foetida and known to
anglers as the "red wiggler" or the "bluegill worm," are raised on
a special diet consisting of horse manure, certified organic and
fair-trade coffee grinds from Donkey Coffee, and the spent grains
from O'Hooley's Brewpub in Athens, Ohio. Hardwood ash is
used to balance the pH. This blend of ingredients ensures a
nutrient-rich compost of the highest quality, totally safe for food
production and indoor houseplant use.
Full Circle Soil is committed to the principles of sustainability and
environmental stewardship. By recycling the waste from these
local businesses, we are reducing landfill waste volume as we
create meaningful on-farm income. In the interest of maintaining
good labor relations with our hardest workers, FCS does not offer
our worms as bait.
Contact Info: Matt Peters, Full Circle Soil
12788 New England Road
Amesville, Ohio 45711
(740) 448-4894
matt@buckeyeforestcouncil.org
*research from Ohio State University Agricultural Extension field
research conducted 2000-2001
5701 North High St. Suite 106
Worthington, Ohio 43085
614.430.9041
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