What is Vermicomposting?

What exactly is vermicomposting? It is a method of composting household fruit and vegetable scraps using red wriggler worms. Many people have a phobia of worms, but worms are actually very gentle creatures. Red wriggler worms love to eat kitchen scraps. They don't like to live in dirt, preferring shredded newspaper or other soft decomposable bedding. They can eat many times their own body weight each day and process all food into lush compost. Worms also reproduce rapidly, increasing their population to meet the food supply. Simply put, vermicomposting is a method of composting that anyone can use.

A worm bin can be made of either wood or plastic. Each bin should be approximately 12" x 16". Wooden bins may begin to break down over time, thus needing to be rebuilt. Wooden bins will also absorb more moisture from the bedding, requiring additional water be added. Plastic bins will last indefinitely. They do tend to hold in more moisture, necessitating extra vigilance to make sure too much water doesn't collect in the bottom of the bin. Adequate ventilation is needed with any type of bin. Holes must be drilled around the top edge of the bin as well as throughout the lid.

Setting up a worm farm is very simple. Worms require only bedding, moisture and food. Given these three things, they will give you compost. A very symbiotic relationship. Worm bedding can be made of shredded newspaper, or special "worm bedding" can be purchased from a retailer. The bedding is dampened to the consistency of a damp sponge, and then the worms are added. Worms need a few days to adapt to their new surroundings, so they should not be fed right away. Some crushed eggshells or garden soil can be added initially. Worms do not have teeth so they rely on course material such as dirt or eggshells to help their stomachs break down the food.

After the worms have settled in, feeding can begin. Most any type of fruit or vegetable scrap can be added to the worm bin. Things to avoid include: any pits or seeds, onion peels and cooked foods. Most importantly, worms should only be fed fruit and vegetable scraps; no dairy, meat, poultry, fish or animal waste should ever be added to a worm bin. All scraps put into the bin should be chopped as small as possible, to aid in processing. When adding food to the bin, move aside some bedding and add the material, then cover it back up with at least three inches of bedding. This will prevent fruit flies from attracting to the material. Worms should be fed one to two times per week, and the food should be placed in a different location each time. It may be helpful to imagine the bin as a grid. Work around the bin, placing food in each location once before going back to the beginning.

By the time food is placed in the first location again, the worms should have had time to process the food. If there is still food in the first location, this means the worms are being fed too much. Worms will increase their population to meet the food supply, but it takes time. Until their supply increases sufficiently, decrease the amount and frequency of the feedings. In a few weeks, they should be ready to handle more food. Another indicator of over feeding is fruit flies. If fruit flies are present upon opening the bin, decrease the amount and frequency of the feedings for a few weeks.

Worm bedding should be stirred occasionally. Using hands or other object, reach to the bottom of the bin and mix the bottom bedding with the top. This will help speed up the composting process and spread out any excess moisture or food. If the bedding becomes too dry, moisture must be added. Carefully and slowly moisten some of the bedding and mix it with the drier bedding. If water is collecting at the bottom of the bin, the excess water must be drained. Too much water will drown the worms.

When the worm bin seems more full of compost than bedding, it is time to harvest the compost. There are various methods for harvesting. The first method is called "dump and sort". As the name implies, this involves dumping the contents of the bin onto a flat surface and then sorting out all the worms. Once all worms are sorted out, the compost can be added to the garden. Fresh bedding would then be added to the bin and the worms returned to their home. A second method of harvesting compost involves moving the contents of the worm bin to one side of the bin and adding fresh bedding to the other side. Add food only to the new bedding and after a month the worms should have moved into the new bedding. Composted material can then be harvested and additional fresh bedding added to the bin. Dump and sort is obviously the more immediate way to get compost into the garden.

After harvesting the compost, proceed as before, feeding the worms and stirring the bedding. A worm bin can be expected to produce usable compost in a few months. Some vermicomposters will set up several bins on a rotating basis. They can then accommodate more feedings and also harvest compost more often. While vermicomposting does not produce compost as fast as a traditional compost heap, it does offer many benefits. A worm bin is tidy, enclosed and odor free. It can also be utilized year-round, even in the coldest days of winter. Worm bins are portable and can be placed just about anywhere: yard, garage, basement, and even in the kitchen. Some vermicomposters will even incorporate the bins into their décor, disguising their contents by decorating the exterior of the bin.

Vermicomposting can be done in even the smallest apartment. A single person can easily feed one small worm bin. A larger family may require a larger bin or perhaps even multiple bins. Whatever the size, worm bins are a great addition to any home and will provide innumerable benefits to all.