Vermicomposting

Spring has arrived in my tiny corner of the great state of Virginia. Today on my walk around the organic orchard, I noticed that the peach tree blossoms are just peeking out among the unfurling leaves. Crocus, daffodils, and pansies are blooming. I planted my onions, lettuce, radishes, spinach and peas (on St. Patrick's Day, of course). Have you started your spring vegetables yet? Depending on your gardening zone, you may be able to get some of those early spring veggie in the ground now. Don't forget to work in some good, rich compost or well-rotted manure to feed your vegetables from the get-go. If you don't have any compost yet, purchase some at the garden center.  You'll have stronger, healthier and more nutritious vegetables.



Today's we're going to talk about a type of composting that's useful for people with tiny spaces – vermicomposting. What's a vermi? Worms! Yes, that's right. Keeping worms to help digest your kitchen scraps now only reduces your waste output, it creates rich compost you can use almost right away.  Here's how to get started in vermicomposting.


Vermicomposting: What Is It

Vermicomposting means keeping a container with layers of newspaper, kitchen waste – and worms. The most commonly used worms are red wrigglers, red worms, or brandling worms. The next question people always ask me is, "And where do I get the worms?" You can buy vermicomposting bins on organic websites as well as the worms. For those who live near a garden or who have friends who don't mind digging up a few worms, you can get them from nature. Some garden centers also sell them too.


Why Use Worms?

Many people who live in apartments, townhouses or small homes have little or no space for a full-sized compost pile outside. Worms are nature's recyclers. In nature, they automatically gravitate towards compost piles, ingesting leaf scraps and carrot peels with equal delight. Their waste products (poop) is called worm casings. These little dark bits contain great nutrition for your plants. I know it sounds gross, but this is how nature takes your leftover carrot peels, apple cores and orange rinds and turns them back into soil.  Bacteria, fungi, and worms work in concert to decompose plant matter and make wonderful compost.

Worms are compact and require moisture, warmth and a food source. They won't crawl out of their bin and take over your house. You can keep the bin in the garage next to a warm spot, in the basement near your heater, or even under the sink in the kitchen.


What to Do

You can either buy a vermicomposting bin or purchase a plastic tub with lid that fits in the space needed. The bin shouldn't be more than about a foot deep, especially if you use red wrigglers (they eat near the surface and a bin too deep just goes to waste). Drill some air holes in the lid, sides and even the bottom of the bin to keep air circulating for the critters. Shred newspaper, cardboard, or computer paper and place it in the bin. You can use any paper as long as it's not glossy (glossy paper or print may have chemicals in the inks and worms can't eat them too well).  Add a little soil or sand to help the worms digest their food. Spray water onto the bedding material and mix it up – don't keep all the cardboard together, for example, but mix it in well with the newspaper. Touch the bedding material. It should feel damp, like a kitchen sponge you've just wrung out. Then it's got the perfect amount of moisture for your wriggly new friends. The paper should fill the bin about three-quarters to two-thirds of the way to the top.

Place the worms into the bin a few days after setting it up. Add items to the bin as you discard them: tea bags, vegetable peels, fruit scraps. Don’t add too many citrus rinds to the bin since this can create an acidic environment for the worms. Keep the material moist and spray water as necessary. When you add food to the bin, pull back the newspaper a bit and put it under the paper, burying it. Otherwise the worms won't find it. They like darkness, and won't climb over the top to eat the material. Grinding, shredding or otherwise making small bits of food scraps helps it decompose faster.

Over a period of about two to three months, the worms will continue to eat the food scraps and create compost. The compost falls to the bottom of the bin. When ready, you'll need to gently and carefully separate the worms from the bin to remove the compost. Many people use a wire screen to sift the worms from the compost. After removing the compost, repeat the process.

If odors develop in the bin, it's either too wet or isn't getting enough air circulation. Check to make sure there are enough air holes, mix up the compost gently, and try again.

Welcome to the world of vermiculture. Worms are a gardener's good friends. Make worms your friend and encourage them in the outdoor compost pile, or start an indoor compost bin today.

For more about vermicomposting, get this free fact sheet online:
http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-164.pdf



About the Author
Jeanne Grunert is a writer and marketing consultant who moved from New York City to a 17 acre organic farm in rural Virginia. She writes about gardening, health and raw foods for many publications, and her gardening book, Get Your Hands Dirty – A Beginner's Guide to Gardening, is available in paperback ($9.99) and E Book ($5) at Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/get-your-hands-dirty-a-beginners-guide-to-gardening/8418683 )  You can read more about life on her organic farm on the Seven Oaks home & garden joy blog here: http://sevenoaks-jeanne.blogspot.com/

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Written by:  Jeanne Grunert
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