Vermicomposting 101

What is vermicomposting and why should you try it?
Vermicomposting is the practice of discarding organic matter by feeding it to worms. Not all worms can be used for vermicomposting; the most commonly used worm is Eisenia foetida, aka the Red wriggler. These worms can eat up to 50% of their own body weight in organic matter per day and double their population every 3 to 4 months. Worm compost, aka worm poo, is rich in nutrients and microorganisms and makes a great fertilizer for house and garden plants.

There are lots of good reasons to compost with worms:

• It takes up very little space
• It can be done indoors so even people who don’t have yards can do it
• It’s easy
• It’s fun
• It saves the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; when organic material like kitchen scraps decompose in an anaerobic environment, such as a garbage bag in a landfill, it produces greenhouse gases.

If you or someone your care about live on Earth, then you should definitely give vermicomposting a try. Read on for more details. When you are ready to get started, use the Contact the Worm Girl button above to place an order for a vermicompost bin and worms.

What’s in a worm composter?

Worms are the biggest decomposers in the bin but they can’t do it alone. They don’t actually eat the kitchen scraps you feed them; they eat the microorganisms that eat the food scraps.

You may also find other decomposers in your bin. For cool pictures and info about the other critters you can find in your bin visit: http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/12.asp
These other critters are good guys. They help accelerate the decomposition process.

How to set up your own worm composter

Worms are happiest, and, therefore, more productive, when they are kept in a warm (15 to 30°C), moist and dark environment. Store-bought plastic storage bins make great worm habitats. However, just about any container can be used as a worm bin, as long as it’s relatively water resistant (a cardboard box will not do, your worms will eat it) and can be covered to keep out light.

Make sure your worm bin has lots of holes in the top and some on the sides near the top to let air in. It’s a good idea to cover these holes with a mesh or fabric (just glue it on). Unless you are the Martha Stewart of composting, your bin will occasionally develop minor infestations of flies or white worms or some other critters, and the mesh or fabric will keep those guys inside the bin. You don’t really have to worry about your worms escaping because they won’t venture into the light outside their home.

Many of the sources I’ve read recommend drilling drainage holes in the bottom of your worm bin too, for aeration and also to let excess moisture escape. I never did because I was afraid that juices that leak out of a compost bin would stink up my home, and I haven’t had any serious problem with excess moisture. It might be wise to play it by ear; set up your bin without holes in the bottom. If moisture becomes a problem, them you can always add holes later on.

You’ll need to put about 20-30 cm of bedding in your bin to make it comfy for your worms. Newspapers, used computer paper, torn up cardboard, dry leaves or grass, and hay all make good bedding. My worms like pizza boxes. If you are using paper, tear it into strips and fluff it up so it doesn’t all clump together. It’s important to let air circulate through the bedding.

Your worms will eat this bedding so don’t use anything that might be toxic like glossy paper or really colorful advertisements. The ink used in newsprint is not toxic to worms. When you first set up your bin, it will be important to moisten the bedding and check the moisture regularly. The bedding should be moist but not sopping. You want to avoid a build up of water on the bottom of the bin.

Add a few handfuls of soil or sand. Your worms need this grit to digest.

Now you’re ready to add your worms to the bin.

Where to get your worms

If you live in the Montreal area you’re in luck. I will set you up with enough worms to start your own bin for 15$. I can also provide you with a ready to use vermicomposter (worms included) for 25$. Use the Contact the Worm Girl button above to place an order.

If you live anywhere else, look here: http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormsupl79.html#wormsupplies

How to feed your worms

There is lots of information out there about you should and shouldn’t feed your worms. I’ve found a lot of it to be inaccurate, especially the stories about worms not liking bitter or pungent tasting foods. They eat wet newspaper and the slime that grows on rotting food scraps – I don’t think they’re fussy eaters. My worms eat onions, garlic, citrus peels and everything else I’ve fed them. The only foods they don’t break down right away are the ones that don’t decompose right away like mango pits and potato peels.

Things you should avoid putting in your worm bin:

• Animal droppings
• Oils and oily foods
• Very salty foods
• Vinegar
• Meat or fish

Just about anything else goes. Kitchen scraps, coffee grinds, crushed egg shells, tea bags, dust, hair (cut into short pieces, otherwise the worms will get tangled up), houseplant and garden clippings, etc.

To feed your worms, bury some food in one corner of the bin. The next time you feed them, place the food in another corner. Keep going until there is food in each corner, and then begin feeding again at the first corner. The food in that corner should be pretty well gone. If not, then wait a few days before feeding your worms again.

It’s important to bury the food scraps in the bedding to make them inaccessible to fruit flies. The bedding will also contain any smells that develop while the food decomposes.

Since your worms will eat their bedding too you will need to top up your bin every so often.

It can take a few weeks for the microbial population to get going in a new worm bin so it’s important not to over-feed your worms at first. It’s a good idea to wait until the worms start feeding on the first batch of scraps you feed them before giving them more.

Problems that can arise and how to deal

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure.
To head off problems before they start, play in your bin regularly- pull back the bedding and look at your worms. You’ll always know what they’re eating, when the bedding is too dry or there’s excess moisture in the bin and when the level of bedding is getting low. Playing in your bin also prevents the bedding from getting too compacted and keeps the bin well aerated, which keeps your worms happy and active.

That said, sooner or later, even the most diligent composter will run into a few problems. The two most common problems are bad smells and flies.

The usual causes are:

• Anaerobic conditions due to excess moisture or compact bedding
• Overfeeding – too much decomposing organic matter
• Food not adequately covered by bedding.

Relax. These problems are easily solved:

• Add more dry bedding to your bin to soak up excess moisture
• Stir up bedding to aerate and loosen
• Stop feeding your bin for a while
• Add more bedding materials
• Make sure there’s always at least a few inches of bedding covering food

Download the handy Worm Care 101 Pamphlet – All you ever wanted to know about worm bin maintenance on one page.