How many residents of Lake Highlands, aside from the gardening variety, are aware we have our very own rancher living among us?

That's right, we have a ranch right here in our neighborhood, but you won't find any horses, cows or sprawling acres.

Heather Rinaldi is a worm rancher. She has struck gardening gold with a product made by her tiny Red Wiggler composting worms.

Come to find out, these are not the garden variety earthworms you might find in the backyard.

I recently spent some time with Heather to find out exactly what worm ranching is all about.

LH Today: How did you first hear about "worm ranching"?

Heather: After the LH Community Gardens began, I investigated affordable means to maintain my increased organic garden space. Of all the options, I was most impressed with vermicompost and vermicompost teas, which are highly regarded by organic gardeners for boosting health and production of plants while maintaining healthy soil. Several years ago I read an article in a local paper about someone in Lake Highlands who was vermicomposting. I approached the LHCG founder, A.L. Nickerson, about the article and my ideas. Come to find out, it was A.L. who was featured in that very article! He encouraged me to go forth and "grow worms" and has shared his knowledge along the way.

LH Today: What are the environmental benefits of worm ranching?

Heather: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each U.S. resident throws away 7.2 ounces of food waste each day. Dallas County had an estimated 2008 Census Population of 2,412,827 people. That population would produce 1,085,772 lbs. of food waste a day! Families or individuals who vermicompost remove that waste stream from the landfill. On top of all the food waste, leaves can also be vermicomposted. This is not only important as a space benefit, but it also removes the danger of harmful methane gas being produced by the food and leaf waste in the landfills, which is then released into our air for decades to come. Worm composting does not produce methane. The best benefit, to me, is that this waste is converted into a wonderful organic amendment that's beneficial for gardens, houseplants, and landscaping.

LH Today: What do you enjoy most about your job with the worms?

Heather: I enjoy the full cycle of using the worms. I love seeing my gardens and my customers’ gardens flourish after applying Worm Wine ™ or vermicompost. I enjoy serving meals that have fresh, local and organic ingredients from our family gardens. It makes it worthwhile to take one simple step to save peels, cores, and scraps for the worms. It also is a great opportunity to share important lessons with my children, including everything from biology, ecology, making healthy choices, a strong work ethic, and simple business and money management.

LH Today: What is your least favorite part of your work?

Heather: Harvesting the worms and vermicompost can be tedious. My 5 year-old, Kyra, loves to help find the worms, which makes the job longer, but more enjoyable. She not only talks to the worms, but asks the most insightful questions along the way.

LH Today: Why should everyone love and appreciate worm ranching?

Heather: Vermicomposting is really very easy. It's also practical and fun. Not only can you take a simple step to reduce the city’s landfill use and methane production while creating organic soil enhancements, but you would also have a ready source for all your children’s science projects!

To learn more about Heather and her work, visit her website or blog at http://www.txwormranch.com and http://blog.txwormranch.com/.

You can also reach her at .