Modern Worm Company, Essex, ON (2025)

06/18/2021

It’s feeding day! A few big bowls of chopped food scraps headed out to feed my little worm friends 🪱

06/16/2021

Do you find the deeper you look into nature, the more you understand yourself, others and the world around you?

You’re probably thinking what could worms possibly help me understand? Well they could… help you realize how little or how much food you’re wasting, what it takes to care for and nurture another living being, your actions and their environmental impact, the importance of healthy soil and all its critters, and maybe that leads you to growing your own food, giving you a sense of fulfillment you never thought you needed. The possibilities are endless!

06/15/2021

Growth. There have been many seeds to have germinated inside of my worm bins and while I do my best to keep the seeds out, sometimes I miss them and then find little sprouts growing. This one was intentional. Anyone else struggle to get every last bit of mango and end up with so much mango flesh stuck between their teeth you then have to reach for floss? No? Just me? Now I place them in my bins and in come the worms to finish them off because, why waste them?

In many ways a worm bin can encourage growth; creating a hospital environment to allow for unintentional seed germination, the by-product of the worms’ hard work being used to amend the soil or the personal growth one might experience when caring, tending and learning from these miraculous creatures. Earthworms will help you grow in more ways than one and I’m happy all of you are here and open to this growth, regardless of which one you stick around for.

And if you made it this far, the question is - do I attempt to plant this mango seed to see if it will continue to grow?🤔🌳

06/14/2021

Why should I keep my food scraps out of the landfill? Short answer, for the health and future of our environment 🌎!

Most people think because food scraps naturally decompose, that they will do so in a landfill when in reality, they don't. Landfills contain various items, layered one on top of one another in an anaerobic environment - one lacking oxygen. It is then during the anaerobic decomposition where greenhouse gases are formed.

Gases such as Carbon Dioxide and Methane are created from the decomposition of the landfill contents and from the two, Methane is found to be 28-36 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere (over a 100 year period). Landfills also render where they reside and nearby land, unusable; often times contaminating groundwater, air and soil.

06/09/2021

Well folks, summer weather is here and it’s hot 🥵
If your worm bin is in an area that gets warm - exceeding 30°C (86°F) (outdoor, garage, shed, etc.), introducing frozen food scraps can offer temporary relief from the heat by creating cooler areas in the bin.

It’s important to know that when freezing food scraps, it breaks the cell structure and when thawing, releases the water content quicker than non-frozen. If you’re not careful it can create an overly wet bin, leading to problems.

Quick fixes: When thawing, squeeze out excess water to be discarded or mix dry bedding with thawed food scraps to soak up excess moisture before placing in the bin.

06/07/2021

Modern Worm Term: Vermicast

Essentially, it’s worm manure or worm castings; a diverse soil amendment created by feeding compost worms inputs rich and carbon and nitrogen. When kept moist, vermicast is known to also contain beneficial microbial life.

Vermicast is quite versatile in the sense that you can use it as a component when creating soil(less) mixes, to topdress around plants for its soil amendment benefits, create a soil drench or foliar spray (worm tea), or to simply add life back to the earth around you!

Our online store has yet to open but when it does, we look forward to keeping your plants happy and healthy via our Modern Worms’ vermicast!

06/05/2021

In nature, if you blink, you’ll miss it. You might be wondering what on earth is this iridescent blob on leaf litter? It’s one of natures miracle - a worm cocoon.

I just so happened to pick up this leaf and see a freshly deposited cocoon; iridescent, still soft and somewhat gooey. I was in awe as I’ve only ever seen a couple others before. Fast forward a few minutes (photo 2) and its firmed up and changed to the commonly seen amber-like colour.

I’m hoping next time I see something like this, I can do a time-lapse so I can show you all another reason why these wriggly creatures are amazing.

06/04/2021

I recently had the privilege of being on the Let’s Talk Sustainability podcast where the host, Mikael from VermifyFarm and I talked about some of my greenhouse experience and how worms came into the mix as I ventured into organic growing. Here’s a quick snippet of the episode we recorded.

The episode will be released Sunday, June 6, 2021 on all major streaming platforms. For more info, visit https://www.buzzsprout.com/1766746

Tune in and listen to me chit-chat about my time in the greenhouse industry, our thoughts on worm pricing and the debate on composting vs. vermicomposting.

06/02/2021

🔊For the full experience 🔊

If you have a worm bin and have yet to put an avocado in, I urge you to give it a whirl. This is an up close view (and 👂) of the party that goes on within one. Check out the shine on the worms’ skin. I’m sure lots of cocoons will come from this shabby 🥑 shindig!

Cue Barry White’s - Can’t get enough of your love, Babe.

05/31/2021

It’s been nearly a month since the “official” launch of our website and we are getting close to rolling out our Modern Worm Mail content.

Have you subscribed?
Head to www.modernworm.com and sign-up to get news, helpful tips and all things vermi, delivered straight to your inbox.

05/28/2021

Isn’t nature fascinating?

A side by side of what a piece of corn would look like after spending some time in a worm bin. Timing will vary and it’s unlikely it will look that way a day or even a week later but eventually you’ll be left with a bare cob of corn. And to go even further, if you have patience even the cob will eventually fully break down (over many months).

Because the bottom piece of corn hadn’t been touched, prior to placing it in the bin I took a knife and sliced the corn kernels to make it a bit more accessible to life within the bin. It’s hard to tell but in the middle of that piece of corn, there is a worm full on inside.

05/26/2021

What are some of the things you do to take care of our environment? Let us know in the comments ⬇️

Maybe you vermicompost, compost, collect rain water, use reusable bags/water bottle, reuse/recycle, walk to work/store, line-dry your clothes, use solar/wind/water power, and so much more.

05/24/2021

Who here enjoyed a BBQ or two and had some yummy 🌽? You know who else enjoys corn? Worms 🪱!

Here are a few tips when putting corn on the cob in your worm bin.

🌽 The cob will take months to break down and you may need to return it to the bin if you’re harvesting your castings and it’s still intact.

🌽 If the corn is heavily seasoned or buttered, I’d give it a rinse before putting it in your bin.

🌽 I wouldn’t fill the bin with cobs. I personally only put a few smaller pieces in my bins. They make great hiding places for your worms and a place for them to rub off cocoons. If you decide to toss out a cob after the corn is gone, check for stragglers 🪱

🌽 If you’re using a CFT (Continuous flow through) type system, I don’t recommend you put whole cobs in as it could get stuck and/or damage the system. Unless you know that the time from introduction to casting harvest, the cob will be consumed, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

05/22/2021

What is vermicomposting you ask?

Simply put, it’s the process of using earthworms to break down a mixture of food waste (fruits & vegetables) and/or manures, and bedding material (paper, corrugated cardboard, coco coir, etc.) and converting them into a humus-like substance called vermicast/castings.

These however, aren’t your standard ground dwelling earthworms. They are specifically those that thrive in decomposing organic matter and are epigeic; living at or near the soil surface.

05/20/2021

Here’s a container of food scraps which will soon be chopped and given to my wriggly wormies. It might not seem like anything fancy but it fills my ♥️ with joy.

I am far beyond being able to keep my worms fed on my food scraps alone and all jokes aside, my family AND neighbours (along with their parents) come to the rescue by saving their scraps. I am forever GRATEFUL of everyone who has encouraged and nurtured my journey thus far. The follows, likes, shares, messages, emails, texts, etc. it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

From the bottom of my 🪱♥️, thank you!

05/19/2021

Modern Worm Term: Eisenia Fetida

Known under various common names such as red wiggler worm, manure worm, compost worm, red worm, etc. is an earthworm species adapted to decaying organic material. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure.

The small but mighty E. Fetida is what we will be offering when our shop opens.

We know you’re eager to begin your vermicompost journey and we can’t wait for you to join the but our population isn’t quite ready. Thank you for your continued patience as we focus on increasing our worm family 🪱

05/17/2021

Along with shredded newsprint, paper egg cartons are great to use as bedding for your worm bin. They are a great source of carbon which is needed to keep your worms happy and healthy. Another perk, they serve as great hiding places from things like Mondays 🪱

Any guesses as to what else might be good to use as bedding for your worm bin?

05/14/2021

Time for an introduction. I’m Stephanie, the owner and worm-mom extraordinaire behind this 🪱 business.

How did I end up with worms you ask? Well, it all began one day when my friend and I were casually talking over lunch. Through conversation, it became obvious we were both serious about joining the world of worming and the rest was history. Modern Worm Company was born.

Read more about me and my one-of-a-kind coworkers by visiting my website (www.modernworm.com/about)

Modern Worm Company