Using Worms to Compost Waste

Composting with worms is not about raising worms. It is about making compost!

Compost is an organic substance made in a way that simulates the natural process that takes place in soil. There is a delicate balance between micro-organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes, macro-organisms, such as earthworms and organic material.

True compost is alive with these and other organisms.

Vermicomposting

The finished product from worm composting is called worm castings and it is highly prized by gardeners. It contains an abundance of microorganisms, is rich in nutrients, makes a wonderful organic fertilizer and it helps condition and amend soils.

The process of vermicompostng includes worms eating vegetative waste, digesting it, breaking it down and finally creating worm castings.

A Place for Worms to Live

Worms need a homes too. Worm bins are easy to construct. There are things to note, however:

• Worms like dark and will retreat from light, so the bin needs to be dark inside.
• Worms are not exactly fast movers. And, chances are they won’t make a mass prison break. However, just to be on the safe side, a worm bin requires a tight-fitting lid.
• The bin must have air holes, because worms do need air to breathe.

A worm home can be a plastic bin, a wooden box, a container made of cinderblock or some other material. Even hay bales make excellent homes for worms.

Whatever the material used, it must be free from chemicals. This means do not use treated lumber or containers which have held chemicals.

Plastic Bins

Plastic storage bins make excellent homes for worms, if the worms are kept inside. Worms inside the house? Yes, many gardeners keep plastic worm bins inside their garage, in their laundry room or other locations. The worm bins don’t smell. And the worms generally won’t escape (as long as they’re well-fed and watered well).

An optimum-sized bin for a pound of worms is three feet long by two feet wide by a foot deep. Six two-inch holes cut near the top of the bin (two on each long side and one on each short side) will provide air circulation. A keyhole saw can be used for this. Next, two inch circular mini-vent soffet with the louvers facing out are inserted into each hole.

On the inside of each hole, a circular section of 20 by 20 plastic (or fiberglass) mesh cloth is cut to fit the inside ring of the soffet. This allows air in, and also prevents the worms from escaping.

Bedding for the Worms

Worms love newspaper…not to read, of course, but for bedding. In fact, if they don’t get anything else to eat, they’ll eat the newspaper. Here’s how to prepare bedding:

• Tear a section or two of newspaper in one-inch wide strips.
• Place them in the bottom of the bin.
• Fill a new spray bottle with distilled water.
• Spray the newspaper strips until they have the wetness consistency of a wrung-out sponge.
• fluff up the newspaper to allow air to circulate.
• Add worms.

Newspapers once were printed with oil-based inks. Now, however, all newspapers in Canada and the U.S., and most newspapers in Europe are printed with soy-based inks. These inks simply add nutrition to the wood pulp that makes up newspapers.

Obtaining Worms

Vermicomposting worms are not the same large earthworms one finds in a compost bin. Those are night crawlers, and they can grow six to eight inches long. Vermicomposing worms are called “red wigglers” and they are generally two inches long or less, and have the diameter of a strand of angel hair pasta. They don’t make good fish bait, but will make superrich soil in several months.

There are a number of places which sell worms. Some may be local, others offer worms through catalogs or the Internet.

Red wigglers can be expensive ($20 or more for a pound). Although a pound doesn’t seem like a lot of worms, it is really a considerable amount. Many vermicomposters ally with a friend and split a pound.

Care for Them When They Arrive

Worms are usually dehydrated when they arrive and need to be watered. Rehydrate them by spraying the worms with distilled water. Spray them in their package, and allow them several hours to absorb the water. Check them to make sure they are moving. They don’t move fast, but, as their name implies, they wriggle slowly. And although they’re called “red wigglers” they’re more like red writhers, so they actually writhe slowly, not wiggle.

Feeding Worms

Once the worms are established, feed them perhaps every week or two with an apple core, remains of a heat of lettuce, or the remnants of any fresh (uncooked) vegetables. Don’t use meat or dairy products. Banana peels offer a dilemma. While bananas themselves do not harm worms, bananas imported into the U.S. are sprayed with a preservative chemical that is harmful to worms. Vermicomposters in the U.S. should only use organically grown bananas.

Harvest Bounty

About every six months, the worms will have made enough compost to harvest.

A small amount of worm compost will go a long way. Simply scratch a little (a handful or less) into the soil around plants. For container plants, a tablespoon is usually enough. Scratch it in and water.

Related articles include:

Start a Vermicomposting Bin