Got a Minute with Diane Rhoades

Freelance writer, worm rancher finds the two vocations fit together

Published: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:30 a.m.

How did you get into worm ranching, a.k.a vermiculture?


Age: 60
Occupation: Worm rancher
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Rhoades moved to Hendersonville in 1988 with her young daughter, Casey. Their 6-acre farm expanded to include their two French Alpine goats, Rose and Sugar Magnolia; Lucy the dog; Moses the cat; Amos the pig; Sweet Pea the turkey; and millions, maybe billions, of worms.
A freelance writer, Rhoades is the author of the 1995 "Garden Crafts For Kids." She also facilitates guided autobiography classes, sings in the choir at First Congregational Church, plays table tennis and presents workshops in worm composting through Transition Hendersonville.
Her daughter, Casey, is now married and a clinical social workeR.

I was a city kid, and they didn't consider worms as pets. I was curious about their really unusual bodies, lives and abilities. I'm still thrilled about worms.

You raise red wigglers, which are popular with both composters and fishermen. Do you sell worms to bait shops or other composters?

I get people excited about growing their own energy (minerals and vitamins) by composting with worms. Then I sell them the worms. I sell most of my worms to a man who raises heritage turkeys. I present "Global Worming" about the remarkable abilities and virtues of worms to libraries and school systems. Kids run into me in the grocery store, and I hear "Mom! That's the worm lady!"

What about the compost itself; what do you do with it?

I amend my gardens with it, dose my houseplants with it, wrap it as gifts for friends, look at it under a microscope, smell it, and I save money by not buying so many vitamins and minerals.

How much maintenance goes into worm ranching, in terms of feeding, watering and otherwise keeping conditions ideal for your worm workers?

Talk about low maintenance; worms are ideal if you have a place to keep them where the temperatures are not too cold or too hot. We dug a root cellar for our worms for the winter. They eat leaves, manure, apple cores, leftovers and scraps that you would throw out. You can go away for weeks and no one has to come over to look after them.

How many worm bins do you maintain, and did you make your own or buy one?

I use plastic containers that farmers use to feed calves. With holes drilled in the bottom, these "worm condos" drain, are easy to handle, stack and have held up well. I have about 20 condos and the bed of a pick-up truck full of worms with chicken manure. I have an urban hen villa, which is compatible with raising worms. The nitrogen from the chicken poop heats things up and gets the compost cooking.

There are several things that are verboten in vermiculture. What are the biggest worm ranching no-nos?

Meat, dairy and oil. It's not that the hens can't compost this stuff. It's that this stuff attracts insects, bacteria, and complicates the process.

How is the compost produced by worms any better or worse than regular compost?

Worms are alchemists. They neutralize heavy metals, mercury, and toxins in soil. This is significant. They ingest toxins and excrete fertilizer. I know of no other composting method that does this.

You also lead writing workshops in guided autobiography. Does worm ranching lend itself to introspection and autobiography?

Great segue. The farmers, the teachers, the stay-at-home moms (and dads), the caretakers, the garbage men, the "common" man/woman; these people are the salt of the earth. They nurture and nourish, but we probably wouldn't see their story in a movie or book.

I unearth the "story" of the worms, and I am in awe of their beauty and contribution. I share stories with the writers in my class, and I am in awe of their often unseen beauty and contribution.

Who is the best candidate for taking up worm ranching and who should stick to standard composting?

Everyone who hates to waste food, who gardens, who is curious, who likes to support the "little guys," who lives in the city, the country or the suburbs, and who wants to grow their own vitamins and minerals.


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