Composting With Worms - Everything You Wanted to Know

Written by Sharon McLachlan

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Everything you wanted to know about composting with worms, but were afraid to ask:

Worm composting systems are neat, easy, fun and odorless. They work well for people living in apartments, condo’s or just about anywhere. This method of composting is also practical for people whose physical activity is limited or impaired. This is a great family project and works well in classrooms. Busy redworms turn food scrapes into some of the best organic fertilizer on earth, called worm castings. Composting with worms is called vermiculture and is relatively effortless.Setting up the bin the first time and periodically harvesting the castings is all that is required. 

Worms eat fruit and vegetable scrapes, pasta, bread, cooked beans and other kitchen leftovers. Worms love coffee grounds and filters, tea bags with the staple removed, paper towels and napkins. Egg shells are a real favorite and the hard particles help them digest their food. Be sure to grind up the egg shells. And speaking of grinding. Worms to not have teeth. So, if you would like your vermicomposting to go quickly, I suggest that you use your blender or food processor to grind up the food the worms. Once you have prepared the food for the worms, go to one of the corners of your container and gently pull back some of the bedding and make a pocket for the food. Then just pour the food into the pocket and then gently put the bedding back over the food. You will alternate corners every time that you feed. If you have a really large container, just go about 8" inches away and make a pocket. Before you feed again, make sure the worms have consumed what you have already given them. It helps to cover the bedding with a folded newspaper and then cover the bin. If a lid did not come with your container, just make one up. By using a lid over your container, you are discouraging other critters from eating the food.

You must keep your worms moist, not flooded, but moist like a wrung out sponge. Worms are almost 80% water and they need the moisture to survive. Always keep your worms in a cool spot and never in the sun in a container.  

The best way to harvest is to use another bin the same size with holes drilled in the bottom. You place the new bin inside the old bin and place the new bedding and food in it. Please make sure and have holes drilled in the bottom of the bin that you place on top. The redworms will migrate from the bottom bin into the top bin with the new bedding and food. I suggest using shredded newspaper or computer paper for your new bedding. The worms are grown in composted horse manure.

You can use your harvested worm castings on your plants inside or out. You can also make a worm tea for your plants. Just soak 1 cup of worm castings in a gallon container overnight and pour on your plants, it may also be sprayed on the leaves.

If all this is too much for you, we sell the worm bin already set up with worms, bedding and directions for $50.00. Please feel free to call with any questions or problems you might have.

TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE FOR WORM COMPOSTING

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written by Roz, July 08, 2009

Wow, This IS all I need to know about worm farming. I do think that I need more worms than I started with, so I will be calling you shortly! Thanks for so much into!

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