What is Vermicomposting?
Vermicomposting involves using worms to create compost. The result of vermicomposting is not only a rich, black organic compost for use in your garden, but thousands of worms also. These excess worms can be used to expand your system or may be sold by the pound. The worm of choice for the composter is Eisenia foetida, more commonly known as the red wiggler. Red wigglers not only have an incredible appetite (eating as much as 50% to 100% of their own weight each day), but double their population every two months! As you will see, it takes virtually no effort to maintain a worm bin, since the worms do all the work. Oh, did I mention that they eat your garbage? That's right. Most of the food scraps that you are currently throwing away you can now feed to your worms! So, what d'ya say? Let's get started.
Making a Worm Bin
If you don't have the time or inclination to build your own worm bin, that's not a problem. Uncle Jim's Worm Farm has exactly what you need--they're the best in the business and they are a member of the BBB, so you can buy with confidence. If, on the other hand, you have about a half an hour and prefer to build your own then here is what you need...
- 2 Rubbermaid (or similar) tubs with lids
- 2 bricks or similar size blocks of wood
- A drill with a 3/16"-1/2" bit
- A combination of the following materials: newspaper or similar type paper, corrigated cardboard, brown leaves
- Distilled water (I use rain water)
- A handful of dirt
- 1 or 2 pounds of red wigglers (Eisenia foetida)
- Your garbage
Starting your own worm bin is simple. Although vermicomposting can be done on any scale from a small bin in your kitchen, basement or backyard, to a large commercial operation; we will start with a basic worm bin. As we learned earlier, red wigglers are so prolific that you can easily expand your operation or simply sell your extra worms for a profit. Regardless of the size of your bin(s), it must be shallow (no more than 18" deep). A variety of materials may be used, such as wood, plastic, or sheet metal. The most important feature is that it be opaque. Worms love a dark environnment. If you are setting up a large bin in your backyard, you may want to build it with wood. However, if you want a small bin that can be setup indoors; a plastic tub is ideal.
Take one of the tubs and drill holes(3/16"-1/2") about 3" apart around the top edge. Turn it over and drill the same size holes approximately 6" apart in the bottom of the tub. Take the other tub, which will be used for catching any leachate and place it in your selected area. Position the bricks in the botttom of this tub a few inches from either end. Place the tub with the holes on top of the bricks inside the other tub. You may use only one tub providing you have a tray beneath the bricks to catch any leachate that may drip from the bottom. Actually, when the system has the proper moisture content, there should be little, if any, leachate.
Tear the paper and cardboard into strips (1/4" is ideal). Newspaper and old phone books work great. Avoid colored inks and anything glossy or waxy. Wet paper, cardboard, and brown leaves to approximately 90% moisture content with distilled water or rain water. If you squeeze it in your hand, you should only get about a drop of water. Line the bottom of the bin with The wet leaves or cardboard. Place the wet paper strips about 9"-12" deep on top Keep it loose and fluffy: worms like the air spaces.
Sprinkle a handful of dirt on top. Worms need a little dirt in their diet so that their gizzards can grind up the food. Now place your worms on top of the bedding. They will quickly burrow down into their new home. To speed up the process even more, you can shine a bright light on them.
You may begin feeding them immediately; although, you will want to start slowly until they become acoustomed to their new surroundings. They will soon be eating at a remarkable pace. To feed them, simply lift the top couple of inches of the bedding in one corner and bury their food. Each time you feed them, place the food in the next corner. Your worm bin can handle about one pound of food per square foot of area each week. But, what do worms eat?
What Worms Eat
While worms will eat most of your garbage, some foods should definitely be avoided. Citrus should be used sparingly or not at all; because it can create an acidic environment, which is toxic to worms. Do not feed your worms meat, dairy, or oils. These are slow to decompose and may attract unwanted pests such as flies or rodents. Never feed your red wigglers salt, vinegar, or acidic foods. These are definitely toxic.
Maintaining Your Compost Bin
Bedding temperatures between 54-78 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for Eisenia foetida. Since worms are cold-blooded creatures, they will become less active in colder temeratures. A deadly environment results when the mercury rises to between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Worms breathe through their skin, which must be kept moist; so, proper moisture content is critical to their survival. A 90% moisture content of their bedding is recommended. If you can squeeze about a drop of water out of a handful of bedding, you're in the correct range. Lightly water or spray with a mist regularly to maintain proper moisture. Feeding time is a good time to add water.
Do not let your bin get too acidic, as this can be dangerous to your worms. If you are feeding them citrus fruits (not recommended), or if you are getting sour odors, you probably have an acidic environment. Pulverized eggshells contain calcium and can keep the pH of your bin at a
neutral level if regularly added to their diet but, if this condition is severe enough, you may add lime (calcium carbonate) to neutralize your worms environment.
Keeping your bin properly aerated will allow your worms to breathe. The holes that you drilled in the bin earlier allows airflow through the system. Keeping the bedding fluffed up will also help with aeration.
Harvesting
One method is to push all the compost to one side of the bin, put fresh bedding and food in the other side. Once they have migrated to the new side, the finished compost can be removed. This method allows you to harvest the compost, but not the worms.
Since your worm population is now probably 4 times what you started with, It's probably a good idea to harvest some worms to prevent overcrowding. These excess worms can be used to start a new bin or be sold for cash. This is why I prefer using light to seperate the compost from the worms. This can be done outdoors in the sun or indoors under bright lights. Dump the contents of your bin into a pile on a piece of plastic sheeting. The bright light will cause the worms to burrow deeper into the compost. As they do, you simply skim off the outer layers of pure compost and put it in another pile, which forces the worms to burrow deeper. Eventually, you are left with one pile of pure black compost and one pile of red wigglers. The compost is the most nutritious organic fertilizer you can use on your plants. Some of the worms can be used to start a new bin and some can be sold.
