Worm Compost

Worms eat organic vegetable matter, defecate worm castings, and produce more worms. This is a simple fact of nature. In fact they are low on the protein food chain and hence produce a lot of worms. Once you start worm composting, you will have plenty of livestock to continue the process. Red wriggler worms are the standard for composting and can easily be bought form garden outlets or specialists on the web. One pound is sufficient to start.

Worms thrive in the out of doors in the upper layer of the soil. A worm bin needs to duplicate that environment with material to live in, enough moisture for healthy living, and plenty of food. The bin is perhaps easiest made from a plastic tub about a foot deep. Drill a few drainage holes in the bottom and some others on the sides for air. There is no need to worry about the worms leaving if good conditions are maintained for them. Besides which, they do not like the light and prefer to stay in the dark bin.

Bedding should be organic in nature since the worms will gradually eat it. Shredded newspaper works well as does sawdust or ground leaves. Avoid the colored news flyers and stay with the daily black and white newsprint. Get it as moist as a wrung out sponge and fluff it up in the bin, about ten inches deep. A couple of handfuls of good soil or sand will add some roughage for the animals. Add the worms, having weighed them or knowing the weight from purchasing.

Food is best given by weight. Kitchen vegetable scraps can at first be given at the rate of one half the weight of the worms per day. Just layer it over the bedding and lay a piece of newspaper over the top to keep out the light. When the food disappears, add more. Some growers report that a pound of worms will start to east a pound of food withing two weeks of starting the bin.

Keep an eye on the bedding. When it has all turned into worm castings it is time to remove the worms and change the bedding. It is easiest to turn the bin over onto a tarp or plastic sheet and allow the light to drive the worms to the center of the pile as you gently remove the outer castings. Place the ball of worms into a freshly prepared bin. The castings are a rich compost. The worms may be divided into separate bins if it looks like there are too many for one. Worm composting is an effective way to deal with kitchen waste while making great compost for the garden.