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Worm composting has fascinated me for a few years now. Totally into the composting, but worms in the house?! Yeeew! The more I calmed down, seeing one in action and giving it some thought, the more It seemed like a perfect answer to addressing a few of my current problems. One is to get free compost for my rooftop garden. Carrying heavy bags of compost up 4 flights has been quite challenging at times. Another is a way to do composting in an urban setting—most worm bins are kept indoors. I didn’t like putting my kitchen waste into the sewer system. I wanted it to go back to the earth and complete the cycle. And a third is a way to get rid of not only kitchen waste, but also much of my paper waste. I read an article recently about what items to compost and what not to where there were a few things that said, “can be recycled, so why compost?”. My thought is if it can be composted, why recycle? Remember recycling takes energy. Throwing a shredded corrugated box into a worm composting bin takes a bit of human effort, some worm effort, and in a few months, that box from Amazon will be rich soil for your tomatoes. How cool is that?
Worm composting is basically free (you only need a few purchased items to get started). It is also easy. I have been horribly unsuccessful though—that means I have killed many worms in my initial attempts. Then I took a workshop offered in my neighborhood, and I now have reproducing happy worms. There are just a few things you need to do, and you should be successful.
If you are squeamish about trying out worm composting, I think these few facts will help you find a new perspective.
- The worms will NOT come out of your worm bin. They will either stay in and live, or stay in and die. I have never seen a worm outside my bin(s). So they are safe to have inside your house.
- A well working worm bin has NO odor.
- You never have to touch a worm. I’m not afraid of worms, I am afraid to touching worms. So I wear gloves.
- Worm bins require attention only about once every two weeks.
- Kids love worm bins. It is a wonderful teaching tool for children to learn about ecosystems and life cycles. Waste=food.
Now that you are free of fear and full of wonder about trying out worm composting in your home, I have given you some of the basics below.
Please note that there are many sophisticated worm bins that cost varying amounts of money on the market. I believe that most of them do not work as they say, and it is a waste of money. Get a plastic container.
Here is a list of the materials needed to set up worm bin:
1. A plastic container with lid. Size is up to you. Mine are about 2’x1.5’ x3’. These cost about $5.00 on sale at a home improvement store. Drill ½” holes about 2-3” apart across the top of the bin, and on the lid. I also drilled 4 holes in the bottom.
2. Brown corrugated cardboard (boxes) – wet – torn into small pieces. make sure there isn’t too much print on these.
3. Newspaper (shredded). I use the Inquirer or the New York Times because I was told in my class that they use soy ink. I used to rip up the newspaper. Now I shred.
4. water- worms like a moist environment
5. worms – red. These are available online. They come in the mail!!
6. food -- see table below.
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DO Feed to your worms
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DON’T feed to your worms
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· Paper/cardboard (boxes, food packaging, junk mail, newspaper). Removing plastic windows makes the end product easier to handle when harvesting the castings.
· Vegetables/fruits. Chop up or crush stems and large pieces of tough vegetables. A meat tenderizer works well as a crushing implement. Food processors and blenders may also work well but create more dishes to wash.
· Grain products. Corn meal and other grains have been traditionally used as worm fattener and can be bought in pelleticized form. Scrap bread and flour can be added to the worm bin but may act as a catalyst, creating a quick rise in temperature which could kill the worms in a small bin. Monitor bedding temperature for safety. If the temperature is 85 degrees or above, cool with insertion of ice or extra bedding.
· Eggs/Egg shells. Eggshells provide worms with an excellent source of calcium. However, they can remain undigested and visible in the vermicast long after other foods have been processed, so we recommend grinding them into small particles or powder for quickest decomposition. You may also choose to add them to a hot compost pile instead of to the worm bin.
· Most animal manures. Make sure they (especially chicken manure) have been partially composted before adding to the worm bin to avoid overheating and killing worms.
· Yard wastes. Examples are leaves, grass, bush trimmings, wood chips, and sawdust. If using wood products make sure treated lumber, cedar, and other toxic woods are not included, as they will kill worms and associated organisms. Any yard waste recently sprayed with insecticides should be avoided.
· Human and animal hair.
· Coffee Grounds.
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- Peanut butter, vegetable, or animal fat/oil.
- Highly salty foods. A high salt content can make the worm bedding too alkaline. The salt also irritates the worms’ mucous membranes which keep them moist and allow them to breath.
- Meat, fish, bones, and dairy products: These are not recommended for worm bins or traditional compost systems because they decompose slowly and can attract flies and rodents, and spread bacteria in the meantime.
- Human feces. Human feces carry pathogens which are best killed through hot composting in a controlled environment.
- Cat/Dog feces: These carry pathogens. Acceptable in systems like The Swag and the Tumbleweed Pet Poo Converter.
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Please Note: It is NOT a good idea to keep your worms in the sun. They will get too hot.
One thing I learned from a friend at Earthaven Ecovillage is that worms love spent grain – from your local brewer. And the brewer is happy to have it taken away. They have tons to get rid of weekly. You will only use quarts. The spent grain, however, raises the temperature of the worm bin. Pay attention when and how much you feed this to your worms. I will be experimenting with it next winter and keeping the worms outside. Another thing that I noticed is that if I let it go for a while, and I think the bin is disgusting and wet, when I go in to re-do the food and paper I see that the worms are very, very happy. How do I determine if a worm is happy? Well they are dancing and making babies, just like us humans!
Good luck!!
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