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As the Worm Turns
Vermiculture is placing your food scraps into a container where an
army of small redworms turn your scraps into rich plant food. You
don't even need a yard or a garden. Containers are kept in kitchens,
laundry rooms, garages and basements, and the results may be added to
your houseplants.
What
kind of a container? Wood or plastic will work. Either build or buy, or use
your imagination and recycle something like an old dresser drawer,
trunk, or discarded barrel. Wood is more absorbent and a better
insulator for the worms.
 With plastic containers the compost tends to
get quite wet. Experiment and find out what works for you and your
worms. You can buy special
"Worm
Farm Systems" or just acquire an 18-gallon plastic container from
the local hardware store.
Make a bunch of drainage and aeration 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.
The
bedding material can be peat moss, shredded leaves, shredded newspaper
or cardboard, 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.
Don't fill up the bin; keep it at ½ to 3/4 full. Waste will
be gradually added to the bin and there needs to be room to aerate the
bedding. The bedding needs to be moist and turned every day for at
least one week before introducing any worms or waste into it. This
will ensure an even dampness and the bedding will have gone through a
heat stage if the material used was green when put into the bin.
A good way to tell how many worms to start with is to weigh your food
waste for a couple of days and excluding any and all meats, fried
foods and dairy products. You will need 2 lbs. of worms for every
pound of food waste. For example, if there is a food waste of one lb.
per day, then there is a need of 2 lbs. of worms or approximately
2,000 worms to start with.
Next comes the fun part --- digging or
purchasing the worms.
Don't use fat garden worms, they will not survive.
 The best
worm for the job is the Eisenia foetida, commonly known as the
Red Worm.
They are often found in aged manure and compost heaps. 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.
The worms will need a few days to adjust to their new home, so don't
become alarmed if they seem not to be eating. Wait about two days
after introducing the worms to the bin to feed them. Be sure to
completely bury the food waste in a new location every time. Keep the
bedding moist, but not soggy. Do not overload the bin with food waste.
Either of these will create a foul smell and attract rodents, flies
and other insects.
The PH level needs to be kept at around 7 or neutral. To achieve this,
apply about one quart of domestic lime to a 10-gallon bin. Mix
thoroughly and keep it moist. Do this once a month and there should be
no problems unless the bins becomes overloaded with waste. The lime
will not, in any way, hurt the worms. Worms prefer darkness and any
light to them is like a sunburn to us. Laying a few layers of
newspaper on top of the bedding will achieve enough darkness to keep
the worms happy and composting.
As the worms multiply, they can be used to create new
bins. Larger, outside beds work on the same concept as the smaller
ones. If there is no desire to create new beds, why not share your new
worms with a neighbor and teach someone else the art of
vermicomposting?
Every 6 months, the worms will need to be removed from the old bedding
and started back in fresh bedding. This used up bedding is called
"castings." Castings are very dark and rich in nutrients and make a
wonderful organic fertilizer for all types of flowers and vegetables.
Even if there is an abundance of worms, they will live in flower beds,
potted plants, gardens, pastures, lawns, etc., provided that all is
organic. During extreme hot or cold weather, the worm will burrow down
into the ground until it is comfortable. Here is a tip: you know the
worms are happy if they don't leave!
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