The Worm Ambassador - Cathy Nesbitt, looks for garbage solution
By Wendy Soloduik
Worms have already seen
the dinosaurs come and go,
and will probably be around
long enough to see humans
extinguish their own light as
well. They are amazing creatures
- not insect, or animal,
but annelids - and are often
misunderstood, as are most
things we're afraid of. Meet
the "Worm Ambassador,"
Cathy Nesbitt (and her husband
Rick) who intend to
change our opinion on those
wiggly worms, and offer a
solution to our garbage crisis
at the same time.
Nesbitt's breeds Red
Wiggler worms in two locations.
One right here in
Beeton, and the other in
Bradford. She does this for
two main purposes: to educate
the populace on the
value of vermicomposting
(Vermi- meaning worm in
Latin), and to provide the
worms themselves, which
has proven to be a difficult
task in our area.
Nesbitt's interest in vermicomposting started small. While working in a halfway home, after finishing a degree in Psychology, she realized that the institution she was working for was not composting its organic table scraps. An already avid outdoor composter, Nesbitt began to take the waste home with her.
"I was bringing home about 30 to 40 pounds of scrapes a week," Nesbitt tells the Times. "Eventually, I discovered Red Wigglers had found their way into my own outdoor compost. The soil I was getting was amazing and that's when I decided that the worms were the secret. Eventually those worms became my first breeding batch."
An unlikely business idea started to form with the woman who had once declared herself "terrified of worms."
"Eventually, I discovered Red Wigglers had found their way into my
own outdoor compost."
"One night I had a vision," Nesbitt began. "I was handling worms, and I wasn't wearing gloves. The next day, I recalled the vision while I was tending to the
compost, and I was no longer
afraid. I knew then that it
would be my job to become
the ambassador for these
worms. I really do feel that
these worms are transformative."
While guest speaking at
the Valentine's Day Beeton
Horticultural Society meeting,
she met John and Barb
Northwood, a retired couple
from Beeton. They were so
moved by Nesbitt's story,
that they offered her a place
in their barn to raise her
worms.
"The space we offered
them had been used in the
winter for sapling storage,"
John Northwood, a retired
arbourist recalls. "It's frost
free, and therefore perfect
for Cathy's worms. Two
days after I heard Cathy
speak, I was so moved that I
just had to call her, I wanted
to help."
The Northwood family is
originally from Michigan -
or for the purpose of this
story, the place Ontario ships
our garbage.
'Worms Without Borders'
"It makes me feel closer to the problem that the Northwood's are from the very place we ship our garbage," Nesbitt said. "I have joined forces with other educators in vermicomposting in Michigan, and together we are starting 'Worms Without Borders,' an in classroom educational program to teach kids about the value of composting organic waste. The best part about the work we are doing here is spreading the word that, like in most cases, the solution was provided before the problem appeared."
Some facts about worms:
Worms have five hearts
(so in a pound of worms, or
800-1000 Red Wigglers,
there are about 4000-5000
hearts, "Just more to love,"
adds Nesbitt. Worms have no
teeth and rely on microorganisms
found in soil to help
them breakdown food for
consumption. Each worm
egg contains: about 20
babies. Worm poo, or castings,
are the best quality fertilizer you can buy. "It's
because the castings contain
no sodium, so your plants
won't burn," Nesbitt
explained. "Just add them on
top of your plants, indoors or
outside, and the castings,
which are called that because
each one is contained in its
own gel-like capsule, so it is
not only a top quality fertilizer
- that's all natural - but
it's also time-released as you
water."
Worms consume about
half of their own body
weight in a day. They can
also consume their own castings
up to seven times if necessary
for survival. Worms
prefer to live in an environment
balanced in carbons
and nitrogen. Worms breathe
through their skin, and can
therefore be "burned," by a
heavily acidic soil. When
this happens, they will try to
escape by crawling to the
surface (egg shells can help
this). Finally, worms live up
to 10 years, and although
they are 90 percent water,
they cannot swim. (We hope
that that bit of information
helps you feel closer to your
friendly neighbourhood wiggler!)
Rick Nesbitt, once a website
designer, has now
joined his wife Cathy in the
full-time care of their two
Red Wiggler breeding locations.
The pair raises the
worms for sale to indoor vermicomposting
bins (which
they also sell complete themselves),
and for the castings
they provide as well.
"It's a fabulous business,"
Cathy Nesbitt says smiling.
"Because everything is salable.
The soil, the worms,
everything!"
The Nesbitt worms have earned celebrity status...
Cathy Nesbitt teaches
vermicomposting workshops
in a hands-on, and inspirational
way. She is available
to work with students, as
well as other environmentally
friendly or interested
groups. During her course
she will show how to setup
and maintain a worm bin,
explore the basics of worm '
biology, speak on environmental
issues, and provide
follow-up activities. So far,
the Nesbitt worms have
earned celebrity status after
appearing on The Zone on
YTV, The Indoor Gardener
on HGTV, Town and
Country Ontario and CBC
Radio and Breakfast Television.
"Vermicomposting
reduces garbage going to the
landfill by up to 1/3. The
average Canadian produces
one tonne of waste each year.
My worm castings will
enhance your plants, stop
your garbage from smelling
and give the kids an indoor
winter project."
Here's how it works:
When you purchase one of
Cathy's bins you will get one
pound of worms (800-1000
worms), some regular garden
soil, shredded paper bedding, egg shells to maintain
a pH balance of seven and the bin itself.
The bin is kept inside, and
any organic food waste -
including pasta, rice, fruit
and vegetable scraps, egg
shells, tea and coffee
grounds, etc. are buried
inside the box.
"When I first started vermicomposting, I was still afraid of the worms..."
"When I first started vermicomposting,
I was still
afraid of the worms, so I
would just place my organic
waste ,on the top of the bin,"
Nesbitt said. "I started getting'
fruit flies, so I discovered
that burying it was better.
I also recommend that
you wash your fruit, like
bananas and oranges when
you first bring them into
your home. The eggs are
already on the peels."
In about three to five months, your bin, which arrived with shredded paper, will have magically become top quality soil.
"I recommend that you
keep a two litre carton by
your sink, and feed the
worms in a measured way. A
pound of worms will eat the
contents of the entire container
in one day. This way
you are not over feeding."
When you are ready to
separate the soil from the
worms, the Nesbitt's recommend
the "dump and sort method."
"Since worms are photosensitive,
they will sink to
the bottom of the soil if you
take them outside. Simply
take your bin and dump it
onto a plastic sheet, then
scoop off the top layer, and
you'll have great fertilizer
for your .garden. Then you
are ready to start the process
again."
Interested in learning
more, purchasing a bin or
booking a seminar? Contact
Cathy at 905 775-9495, or
visit her on the web at
www.cathyscomposters.com
"Compost is more than a
fertilizer, more than a soil
conditioner. It is a symbol of
continuing life. Worms are
the angels of the earth."
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