Dear Ellen,

Hi, Ellen,

How much worm juice do you advise giving young transplants? Veggies like tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc. We are interested in fertilizing the veggies this year with your worm juice.

How much do we need?

Thank you very much. Happy Spring!

Kristi and Lisa, Solon Springs, WI

Dear Kristi and Lisa,

Many people's worm bins do not produce worm juice, and I can't predict whose bins will or will not make juice. Juice production is affected by the temperature the bin is in, the quantities of food being fed, how much and what kind of bedding is being used. You can, of course, choose a nice, clean section of the bin that has just finished worm compost in it, no uncomposted food waste, make a bit of a hole, and pour some water in the hole, in order to get some juice!

If you use a forty-to-one dilution rate, you can probably get away with watering with it every time, as long as you are watering heavy feeders. Mediterranean herbs, of course, don't need as much! If you are using a very, very sterile potting mix, the worm juice will probably work better if you sprinkle a little rock dust or volcanic ash or something on the surface of the soil, so the worm juice has something to enliven.

Environmentally yours,

Ellen