Organic is becoming a big word in our society today. This year, is my year, to becoming closer to that possibility. Thanks to Sue Schimanski, ‘The Worm Lady’, for educating me on all of the amazing benefits and organic properties worm castings have to offer. You won’t want to miss out on this great information shared by, Sue, throughout our interview!

I pulled up to a charming property that was just full of character. There was a sweet blue farm house, a big red barn and dozens of flower beds just looking to explode with color on that beautiful Spring day. I arrived at SueSki’s Worm Farm. As soon as I got there, I was greeted by, Sue Schimanski. Sue is the owner and operator of SueSki’s Worm Farm. She immediately started showing me around her property, which is filled with so much character.

Now, I have known Sue for years. She is one of my mom’s friends. My mom would have a couple of friends over, Sue being one of them, for tea and talk at the kitchen table. I’d find myself occasionally joining them for tea, and listening to them talk. Their conversations were always interesting, but I’d probably appreciate those talks a lot more now that I’m a little older and willing to learn from someone as knowledgeable as Sue. Not only is Sue ‘The Worm Lady’, but she is also, what I consider, a master gardener. We can learn about so much more from Sue, but we will save that for future articles.

For as long as I’ve known Sue, I have never been to her worm farm. This was my first time visiting. I don’t know about you guys, but I am a sucker for big barns. This barn just stood as though it has seen it all. As soon as I walked inside, the old wood and beams were just shouting out history. Sue plans on utilizing this barn in the near future as her store to sell her worm castings out of. There was even talk about the possibility of other great items for future purchase as well, such as, bulbs, seeds and other novelty garden supplies. Next to the barn is a smaller shed. Which, isn’t small at all, but next to the historic barn, that’s the impression you get. At least, until you walk into the shed and see row after row of black pails. It was a whole worm community! Then there’s a whole other section to this shed where Sue creates her worm castings. The process is amazing. The work is really hard, but that doesn’t stop Sue. She is hard working and determined to continue growing her business and expanding over time.

Below I have listed my 7 favorite benefits of using worm castings in your gardens or containers. This useful information is straight from ’The Worm Lady’ herself. Whether you are a vegetable gardener, or a flower gardener, this knowledge will give your garden a boost this year!

1. Worm Castings are a natural ORGANIC fertilizer/soil conditioner for your gardens or planters. When using worm castings, remember, a little goes a long way. When you purchase your castings from SueSki’s Worm Farm, you get a direction sheet on how to use your worm castings. That way, you will be using your worm castings like a pro, instantly! (Sue sells her worm castings at her place of business, SueSki’s Worm Farm, Address included at the bottom of this article. You will also find it at Wayne’s Daughter’s Greenhouses. If you aren’t local, look for someone in your area.
2.  Worm Castings will not burn your plants. What a relief, right? We all have stressed at least once, over how much fertilizer to add to our gardens, and if it’s too much. You never want to add too much fertilizer because it can burn your plants and kill them. Well, with worm castings, now you no longer have to worry about that!
3. Worm Castings have no odor. Can I get an AMEN! Not only is there no odor, but worm manure has no pathogens or weed seeds that you would find in other manures used in garden beds.
4. Worm Castings actually improve the structure of your soil and help keep it aerated. So stop adding just top soil in your gardens and just regular fertilizer. By using just top soil, it is so wet and heavy with no aeration, you will lose your plants to root rot if you have a wet rainy spell. Using just regular fertilizer is fine, but what is aerating your soil and helping oxygen get down low into that root zone? Nothing. That’s where Worm Castings come in and save the day! You get two for the price of one with worm castings. It acts as a fertilizer and as a soil conditioner.
   

   Sue maintains a constant warm temperature of 70 degrees for her community of worms.

5. Worm Castings can fight off plant diseases. It extracts toxins and harmful bacteria from the soil due to having fungicidal and insecticidal properties.
6. Worm castings help your plants grow faster and bigger. Alright guys, go big, or go home! They contain natural growth hormones, and are packed with minerals that make your plants go va-va-voom!
7. Worm Castings prevent pH levels from making it impossible for plants to absorb nutrients from the soil, by acting as a barrier in soil that has too high or too low of a pH level.

After reading my 7 Favorite Worm Casting benefits, why would you use anything else other than SueSki’s Worm Castings? They are created, bagged and sealed directly by Sue, herself!

In the video above, Sue demonstrates the steps she takes to provide worm castings to her customers. Her dedication and hard work is put into every bag of worm castings, that she personally seals herself. I have never seen the process at which worm castings were created. Now that I have witnessed it in person, I am thoroughly impressed! You too, can witness this process in person when you visit SueSki’s Worm Farm. She gives tours to anyone who comes to purchase her worm castings. I feel this is great for families. It’s time to teach our kids the value of hard work, and what it takes to grow your own food again. For so many years the gift of growing your own food, had been lost. It has finally been found again. Growing your own food, has become a popular tradition once again, by families all over. Now you too, can teach your kids, how to grow organically so they can pass it on from generation to generation.

If you are interested in visiting SueSki’s Worm Farm, below you will find the address, hours of operation and Sue’s contact information. Happy Planting Y’all!

SueSki’s Worm Farm
12620 Bell Road
Caledonia, WI 53108

262.835.4235
sue23ski@yahoo.com

Hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10am-6pm

SueSki’s Worm Castings are also available at:

*Wayne’s Daughters Farm & Greenhouses (Farm & City Locations)
*The Brookfield Farmers Market, Starts the first Saturday in May, through the last Saturday in October.

1 lb. Bag $1.00 each
5 lb. Bag $4.00 each
15 lb. Bag $10.00 each
30 lb. Bag $20.00 each
1-75 lb. Bag $40.00 each
2-75 lb. Bags $35.00 each
3-75 lb. Bags $33.00 each
4 or more 75 lb. Bags $30.00 each