Worm Composting Creates Nutrition for the Garden Vegetables

Two friends that every vegetable gardener needs are worms and compost. Invite both friends by getting the help of worms in creating compost. Worms consume organic matter and leave behind nutrient rich castings.

Two kinds of earthworms are beneficial to a gardener—the nightcrawlers that live in the soil and eat organic waste and soil and the redworms, sometimes called brown-nosed worms, that eat only organic materials. A vegetable gardener wants nightcrawlers in their garden and redworms in their compost.

What is Worm Composting?

Worm composting provides the vegetable gardener with a proven method to get work castings by creating an enticing environment. Because composting worms feed on organic matter, adding plant materials from the garden and kitchen along with dried leaves offers the beginning of a worm-friendly environment.

According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality using worms is the best way to compost paper, which can be notoriously difficult in the garden or traditional compost pile. Worm composting uses a container appropriately filled and worms. It requires less space and effort than composting in a pile—and it is faster.

How to Build a Worm Composter

Select a container that has a lid such as plastic bins. Use a drill to create holes in the sides one inch apart for ventilation. Fill the bin 1/3 full with wet, shredded newspaper. Add a small amount of soil. Purchase one pound of redworms‚Äîavailable on-line, from other composters, from fishing supply stores, or may be retrieved from a local barn’s manure pile.

Add the worms to the plastic bin under a couple layers of wet paper with one to two pounds of food waste from the kitchen or garden. Continue to add food scraps each week at the rate of about ½ inch and layers of additional shredded paper. Check the bin each week to make sure that the paper is still slightly moist. If not, add water.

After two to three months, the paper and organic materials will be reduced by 50 percent and the container will be full of worms and worm castings. Sift the material with a fine mesh to separate the worm casting from the live worms. Add the castings to the vegetable garden and begin another bin with fresh materials. It may be necessary to add a second bin at this point because the number of worms will have increased significantly.

Do’s and Dont’s of Composting with Worms

• Do not use earthworms from the garden.
• Do not add meat, bones, or animal fat to the composting materials.
• Do not let the bedding of paper become dry.
• Do handle the worms gently.
• Do wash hands after touching composting material and worm castings.
• Do keep the temperature below 90 degrees and above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Do alternate food scraps with coffee grounds, tea bags, or eggshells.

Worm composting is a hobby for many gardeners who reap great benefit from the work of nature and worms. If interested, there is more information and support from the Worm Composting Newsletter.