Vermiculture – How to Compost with Worms
Using Worms to Keep Garbage Out of the Landfills
Nov 3, 2009
A welcome trend these days is gardening while using organic methods, and if the gardener is also environmentally motivated, they will choose to use compost made from their own household waste. Unfortunately for most apartment dwellers, the majority of housing managers frown upon tenants starting a compost bin in the courtyard. The solution for them is vermicomposting. Of course, this method is not limited to those who live in a rented or small home. A worm bin can be placed outdoors but the worms will die out during the winter.
"Vermi" comes from the Latin word for "worm", and composting is the act of controlling the breakdown of organic materials. Vermicomposting combines the two and creates a supercharged material for recharging the soil and feeding plants. Organic household waste is placed in a bin along with the worms. The worms eat it and leave behind their castings, which are full of minerals and elements at levels much higher than what the average compost pile can produce.
There are few requirements for a successful vermiculture and the materials are easily obtained. Most people use the space under the kitchen sink or a corner of the basement. The temperature of the container needs to remain at a temperature that is comfortable for people to thrive, and a container the size of a blue recycling bin is just about right for the waste produced by a family of four. If cockroaches or mice are a problem, consider a bin with a lid.
The environment inside the bin will thrive if the ratio of brown to green ingredients is in the proper proportions, which is approximately two parts brown and one part green. Brown material is dry and generally high in carbon: straw, shredded leaves, newspaper, etc. Green materials have a high water content and usually high in nitrogen: vegetable scraps, grass clippings, etc. It is important to keep this ratio as close to correct as possible because if it gets too high in green materials, the pile can become slimy and smelly. No animal products should go into the pile. Not only will they attract vermin, but they could introduce harmful bacterial into the finished product.
The average kitchen sink vermicompost pile will thrive if it is fed a little bit every day. Place two to three cups of vegetable scraps on the bottom of the bin along with a few cups of soil. Place twice as much brown material (shredded newsprint is easy to find) on top of the green material. Add the worms and let them go to work overnight. Add a little material every few days. Extra green materials can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer until the pile is ready for them.
Allow the worms to do their work and within a short period of time, they will have produced a nice pile of compost for the garden or houseplants. It can be used as mulch but once it dries out it is very difficult to rehydrate, so generally it is scratched into the top layer of soil.
