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Why Compost?
Recycling the organic waste of a household into compost allows us to return
badly needed organic matter to the soil. In this way, we participate in nature's
cycle, and cut down on garbage going into burgeoning landfills.
Why Compost With Worms?
Worm composting is a method for recycling food waste into a rich, dark,
earth-smelling soil conditioner. The great advantage of worm composting is that
this can be done indoors and outdoors, thus allowing year round composting. It
also provides apartment dwellers with a means of composting. In a nutshell, worm
compost is made in a container filled with moistened bedding and redworms. Add
your food waste for a period of time, and the worms and micro-organisms will
eventually convert the entire contents into rich compost.
The following information is based on the experiences of a network of worm
composters linked to City Farmer, Vancouver, and the excellent and practical
book: Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof.
To buy directly on-line follow this link:
Worms
Eat My Garbage:How to Set up & Maintain a Worm Composting System
This brief introduction to worm composting is only a basic guide, and while we
have tried to include all the necessary information to get you and your worms
started, we recommend that you also read the book - it is full of useful and
fascinating details about this process. You can also make a visit to one of the
Compost Demonstration Gardens in the Greater Vancouver to see worm compost bins
actively working, and talk to experienced staff. Call the Compost Hotline,
(604) 736-2250.
What Do I Need To Get Started?
A. CONTAINER
We use wood and plastic containers. Either build or buy, or use your imagination
and recycle something like an old dresser drawer, trunk, or discarded barrel. We
prefer wood because it is more absorbent and a better insulator for the worms.
We use plastic containers but find that the compost tends to get quite wet.
Experiment and find out what works for you and your worms.
Guide To Size Of Container
In Worms Eat My Garbage, Mary Appelhof suggests weighing your household
food waste for one week (in pounds), and then provide one square foot of surface
area per pound. The container depth should be between eight and twelve inches.
Options to one large (and heavy) box are a number of smaller containers for
easier lifting and moving and more choice of location. The book illustrates a
variety of containers.
Depending on the size of the container, drill 8 to 12 holes (1/4 - l/2
inches) in the bottom for aeration and drainage. A plastic bin may need more
drainage - if contents get too wet, drill more holes. Raise the bin on bricks or
wooden blocks, and place a tray underneath to capture excess liquid which can be
used as liquid plant fertilizer.
The bin needs a cover to conserve moisture and provide darkness for the
worms. If the bin is indoors, a sheet of dark plastic or burlap sacking placed
loosely on top of the bedding is sufficient as a cover. For outdoor bins, a
solid lid is preferable, to keep out unwanted scavengers and rain. Like us,
worms need air to live, so be sure to have your bin sufficiently ventilated.
B. BEDDING
It is necessary to provide a damp bedding for the worms to live in, and to bury
food waste in.
Suitable bedding materials are shredded newspaper and cardboard, shredded
fall leaves, chopped up straw and other dead plants, seaweed, sawdust, compost
and aged manure. Try to vary the bedding in the bin as much as possible, to
provide more nutrients for the worms, and to create a richer compost. Add a
couple of handfuls of sand or soil to provide necessary grit for the worm's
digestion of food.
It is very important to moisten the dry bedding materials before putting them
in the bin, so that the overall moisture level is like a wrung-out sponge. The
bin should be about three-quarters full of moistened bedding. Lift the bedding
gently to create air spaces which help to control odours, and give freer
movement to the worms.
C. WORMS
The two types of earthworm best suited to worm composting are the redworms: Eisenia
foetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worm) and Lumbricus
rubellus They are often found in aged manure and compost heaps. Please do
not use dew-worms (large size worms found in soil and compost) as they are not
likely to survive.
Where To Get Your Worms?
If you feel adventurous, find a horse stable or farmer with a manure pile and
collect a bagful of manure with worms. Check your own or a friend's compost bin
for worms. You can also purchase worms. Call the Compost Hotline for more
details on local (British Columbia) sources of redworms.
How Many Worms Do I Need?
Mary Appelhof suggests that the correct ratio of worms to food waste should be:
for one pound per day of food waste, use two pounds of worms (roughly 2000). If
you are unable to get this many worms to start with, reduce the amount of food
waste accordingly while the population steadily increases.
What Do I Feed My Worms?
You can compost food scraps such as fruit and vegetable peels, pulverized egg
shells, tea bags and coffee grounds. It is advisable not to compost meats, dairy
products, oily foods, and grains because of problems with smells, flies, and
rodents. No glass. plastic or tin foil, please.
To avoid fly and smell problems, always bury the food waste by pulling aside
some of the bedding, dumping the waste, and then cover it up with the bedding
again. Bury successive loads in different locations in the bin.
Where Should I Locate My Worm Bin?
Worm bins can be used indoors all year round, and outdoors during the milder
months. The advantage of mobile bins is that they can be moved when weather
conditions change. Indoors, basements are excellent locations (warm, dark and
dry), but any spare space can be utilized, so long as temperatures are between
40-80 degrees F. We know dedicated worm composters who have convenient kitchen
counter worm bins. Outdoors, bins can be kept in sheds and garages, on patios
and balconies, or in the yard. They should be kept out of hot sun and heavy
rain. If temperatures drop below 40 degrees F., bins should either be moved
indoors, or well insulated outdoors.
How Do I Maintain My Bin?
If you have the correct ratio of surface area to worms to food scraps, there is
little to do, other than adding food, until about two and a half months have
passed. By then, there should be little or no original bedding visible in the
bin, and the contents will be brown and earthy looking worm castings. The
contents will have substantially decreased in bulk too.
It is important to separate the worms from the finished compost, otherwise
the worms will begin to die. There are several ways to do this. and you can
discover which is best for you. The quickest is to simply move the finished
compost over to one side of the bin, place new bedding in the space created, and
put food waste in the new bedding. The worms will gradually move over and the
finished compost can be skimmed off as needed.
If you have the time or want to use all the compost, you can dump the entire
contents of the bin onto a large plastic sheet and separate the worms manually.
Most children love to help with this process and you can turn it into a fun
lesson about worms for them. Watch out for the tiny. lemon-shaped worm cocoons
which contain between two and twenty baby worms! By separating the worms from
the compost, you save more worms for your next bin. Mix a little of the finished
compost in with the new bedding of the next bin, and store the rest in plastic
bags for use as required.
Where Do I Use My Compost?
The compost can be mixed with potting soil and used for houseplants and patio
containers. It is an excellent mulch (spread in a layer on top of the soil) for
potted plants. If it is screened, it can be added for potting mixes for
seedlings, and finely sprinkled on a lawn as a conditioner. lt can be used
directly in the garden, either dug into the soil or used as a mulch.
Common Problems And Solutions
The most common problem is unpleasant, strong odours which are caused by lack of
oxygen in the compost due to overloading with food waste so that the food sits
around too long, and the bin contents become too wet. The solution is to stop
adding food waste until the worms and micro-organisms have broken down what food
is in there, and to gently stir up the entire contents to allow more air in.
Check the drainage holes to make sure they are not blocked. Drill more holes if
necessary. Worms will drown if their surroundings become too wet.
Worms have been known to crawl out of the bedding and onto the sides and lid
if conditions are wrong for them. If the moisture level seems alright, the
bedding may be too acidic. This can happen if you add a lot of citrus peels and
other acidic foods. Adjust by adding a little garden lime and cutting down on
acidic wastes.
Fruit flies can be an occasional nuisance. Discourage them by always burying
the food waste and not overloading. Keep a plastic sheet or piece of old carpet
or sacking on the surface of the compost in the bin. If flies are still
persistent, move the bin to a location where flies will not be bothersome. A few
friendly spiders nearby will help control fly problems!
The Final Word
Taking worms out of their natural environment and placing them in containers
creates a human responsibility. They are living creatures with their own unique
needs, so it is important to create and maintain a healthy habitat for them to
do their work. If you supply the right ingredients and care, your worms will
thrive and make compost for you. Happy and successful composting!
http://www.vermicoast.com/
"Shelley Grossman and Toby Weitzel, Master Composters in Carlsbad,
California, have produced a book and video, linking vermicomposting with an
emphasis upon recycling. The book, Recycle With Earthworms: the Red Wiggler
Connection, discusses earthworm biology as well as construction and
maintenance of worm bins. And from beginning to end the concern for waste
reduction is evident."
The Earth Moved:ÊOn the Remarkable
Achievements of Earthworms
"In the tradition of the bestselling The Botany of Desire comes this
fascinating exploration of the underground world and one of its most amazing
denizens. The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its role in the
ecosystem is profound. It tills the soil, destroys microscopic organisms that
cause plant disease, breaks down toxins, and turns the ground into rich compost,
creating the most fertile areas on earth."
The publication "Best Practice Guideline to Managing On-site
Vermiculture Technologies" is freely available on-line from www.recycledorganics.com
This "how to" guideline is based on applied research and development
rather than regurgitated myth, has been produced with regard to the real world
realities of on-site and commercial scale vermiculture operations, and has been
reviewed by commercial vermiculture practitioners.
Recycling
with Worms: Composting garbage made easy with a worm bin
"This fast-paced and humorous video shows how worms can be used by everyone
to reduce garbage. A youthful host first explains the problems of garbage
production and disposal, and then the basics of recycling and composting. She
introduces the concept of the worm bin, and shows us how to build and operate a
small classroom-size vermicomposter. Finally, we visit a large outdoor worm bin
in use at a townhouse complex and also a 38-foot bin at a government building
cafeteria that composts over nine tons of material a year."
Cityworm
"Picture yourself after dinner. It has been a hard demanding day in the
City. But now you can descend into the dark...touching the rich, dark
vermicompost, releasing the memory-filled odor of damp earth---taking you into
forests and the prehistoric past."
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