From Eucalyptus Logs to Worm Beds

Our outdoor worm-bed project goes back to a load of free eucalyptus logs a couple of years ago. Those logs became the sides of large beds filled with wood chips, with the idea of letting worms and other decomposers gradually turn that material into something useful around the farm. Getting from a pile of logs to working beds has been a “one foot in front of the next” process. Along the way, I removed the old IBC worm bins from the barn this summer. As of mid-October, there was still a trailer full of pieces and a couple more dump trips between us and a completely finished cleanup.

The next experiment on the list is to plant fava beans in one of the beds for the winter. The main goal is biomass: growing material that can go back into the beds as part of the composting process. I also hope to save enough seed to repeat the planting without buying more. Starting with one bed gives us a manageable place to observe how the plants do as the plants, worms, and decomposing wood share the same space.

Log-sided worm beds filled with wood chips beside a trench.
Smokey sitting in the grass.
Smokey in the grass.

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