Worm Composting
Worm composting, scientifically known as vermicomposting or vermiculture, is easy as Sunday morning. Not only that, but it’s fun and educational too. The theory of worm composting could not be simpler; set up a bin for your organic kitchen waste and add worms. The worms eat the waste and discharge the processed waste as castings (nutrient-rich worm excrement) which can be used to fertilize your garden.
Sadly, such simplicity is not meant to be. Theories are too often simpler than practical use of the ideas. The efficiency of your composting depends on the type of bin and you can use only specific species of worms. Further, only certain types of organic waste are good for worm composting; for example, meat is definitely not allowed.
In essence, what you are creating is a worm farm; you have a place for them to live (the composter), you feed them what they like to eat (organic kitchen waste, such as coffee grounds, egg shells and lettuce leaves), and they multiply like bunny rabbits.
The redworm is most often used for worm composting: Eisenia foetida (common names: manure worm, brandling, and red wiggler) and Lumbricus rubellus. These earthworms prefer to live in compost heaps and aged manure. Make sure that you do not use the big worms you find in soil (dew-worms) because they will probably not survive.
Since the worms multiply so quickly and your friends who have composting bins would probably be happy to supply with some worms to get started. You can also find a large piles of manure and fill a plastic bag full of manure and worms. Not sure where to find large piles of manure? Farmers, ranchers and horse stables would be great places to start your search.
Mary Applehof who wrote “Worms Eat My Garbage” says that the ideal number of worms in your compost pile depends on how much organic waste you put in the compost each day. For every pound of compost you had you should have two pounds of worms (roughly 2000 red wigglers). Should you have problems getting that many worms to start with you can reduce the amount of waste you put into the composter while your worm population increases. Once you have more worms in your composter you can ramp up your composting efforts.
What DO the composting worms eat?
- vegetable and fruit peels
- egg shells (pulverized)
- coffee grounds and tea bags
What should I NOT put in the composter?
- dairy products
- meat
- oily foods
- grains
The reason you should exclude this items is because they attract rodents and flies and create unfriendly odors. To further avoid odors, when you have a load for the compost, bury it under the top layers of the compost pile. Do not just throw it on top of the pile. Every new load of organic waste to be composted should be buried in a different part of the compost pile, in bedding.
The damp bedding is where the worms live. You can easily make the bedding yourself. You can make it out of shredded cardboard and newspaper. Shredded fallen leaves, dead plants, seaweed, aged manure and sawdust are also great additions to the bedding. Do not add oak trees or magnolia trees because they are acidic and their acids may harm the worms. Make sure that the bedding is moist (about the moisture level of a wrung-out sponge) and it should be about a foot deep. Once you have bedding and the worms are thriving you can bury your compost on it.
What should I NEVER put in a compost bin?
- glass
- plastic
- tin foil
- other non-biodegradable materials
Placing your worm bin in the right place is easy, as long as you know what to look out for you. If you live in a climate that is mild year round and the temperature is always between 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit then you can leave the worm composting bin outside year round. Just make sure it is not in the hot sun or heavy rain. For people living in the harsher climates the composting bin can be outside during the mild months and then inside during the harsh months. A dark, warm and dry basement is ideal. If you insist on keep in the composting big outside no matter what then make sure that you have a well insulated place to put it so that the temperature doesn’t drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. People even have compost bins right in their kitchens, year round.
Once you have the worm castings (humus) that results from worm compost you may be at a loss over what do with it. My Aunt is heavy into gardening and I decided to do a little experiment. Last year, she wanted to plant peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and raspberries. So, with her help I split the seeds she wanted to plant into two equal batches (test groups). Both batches had the same amounts of each type of seed. We used seed starter mix from the store on the first group of seeds and for the second set we used seed starter mix with 20% (of weight) worm castings. After a week and half there was a noticeable difference in the amount of seeds that had germinated and in their vitality (they looked more alive). I continued to observe the two groups of seedlings and found that the seedlings with the worm castings continued to grow bigger and stronger than the seedlings without. Once it became time to harvest, the plants that had access to the worm castings provided more vegetables (or fruits) and the colors were much more vibrant. And the taste was amazing.
I have done a little research and I found that many others have done similar tests with similar results. It is theorized that the seeds germinate better and the plants grow stronger because of the bio-available nutrients in the worm castings and a plant hormone called Auxin found in worm castings. Auxin helps with the germination and continued growth of the plant. You should seriously consider worm composting both to reduce your carbon foot print by keeping lots of organic kitchen waste out of the landfill and to help your garden reach its full potential. Another way plants benefit from worm castings is from the efforts of microbes in the compost which:
- create an agent that controls Verticillium, a disease of tomato plants
- produce chitinase which behaves as an insecticide for your plants
Worm composting is a great way to start your adventures in composting.