Step-by-Step Vermicomposting

In today's post Intern Samantha Kaplan talks about Vermicomposting!

Composting is a growing hobby in the US, and for good reason! It is an easy way to go green while saving green. Composting is environmentally friendly; it keeps resources out of landfills and eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers while actually improving soil by replenishing valuable nutrients, improving water retention, and improving airflow. It is also economically friendly; no need to buy fertilizer or water your plants as often! Also, if you keep any reptiles, amphibians, or big fish at home like we do here at Fenner then vermicomposting can supply you with feeders for your animals!

Step 1: Determine how much organic waste you produce

For about a week, weigh how much organic waste you throw out and then figure out an average for how much waste you produce each day. Organic waste is all the plant-based food you throw out. This does not include any meat, dairy, or oil products; these types of food items should never be fed to your worms.

Step 2: Buy your worms

Once you know how much organic waste you generate each day, you can figure out how many worms you should get. The best vermicomposting worms to buy are red wigglers, and they can be purchased at bait shops or online from worm farms.

Red wigglers can eat half their weight in food every day, so if you have an average of one pound of food waste every day, you should start off with two pounds of worms.

Step 3: Prepare your worm bin

There are countless ways to build a worm bin, or you can purchase already assembled bins online. Here at Fenner, we use a 10 gallon Sterlite tub. You should choose your bin based on how much daily waste you have, and how much space you want to donate to your vermicomposting. Make sure your bin has plenty of air-holes and bedding. Shredded paper and leaves are great choices for bedding and can keep even more waste out of landfills. The bedding should always be damp, but never dripping wet.

Be sure to keep your bin somewhere away from animals and extreme temperatures such as the basement or garage. You can even keep your bin in the kitchen because it shouldn’t smell bad if you’re burying the food properly.

Step 4: Add your worms

Dump all of your red wigglers into the bin and give them a couple days to adjust to their new home. During this adjustment time, you should not feed them.

Step 5: Vermicompost!

Once your worms have settled in, you can start feeding them! They can eat any plant matter like fruits, veggies, and peels/cores, however be careful with highly acidic food (lemons, oranges, limes), as some colonies will not eat these and can be harmed by them. In addition to plant matter, you can also compost coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, paper, rice, cotton, ground up eggshells, and grits. Worms should NEVER be fed meat, dairy, oils, or eggs as they cannot digest them.

Every few months, the castings from the bin can be collected and used to fertilize house plants or a garden. Castings are ready for harvest when the color of the bedding has noticeably darkened and may have also greatly decreased. Castings will look like coffee grounds or soil and can be scooped out using a cup/bowl or by hand. While harvesting castings, be careful to return any scooped up worms back into the bin. After collection, be sure to add more bedding, mist, and/or fluff as needed.

Final Notes:

• Make sure the bedding is always damp. If it feels too dry, lightly mist it.
• Fluff up the bedding in your compost bin once a week to allow for airflow.
• A well-established bin will house more than just worms. If you find other bugs crawling around your bin, do not worry or try to clear them out. However, if flies start buzzing around, your lid may not be secure enough/your food might not be buried well enough in the bin.
• If your bin starts smelling bad, it’s most likely that you’re either not burying the food far enough under the bedding, or you’re feeding your worms more than they can handle.
• Pay attention to uneaten food in the bin. Some colonies simply don’t like certain foods.
• Don’t worry about getting a certain number of male/female worms; red wigglers are hermaphroditic (they have both female and male sex organs).
• Your worm population WILL grow if the bin is well-kept. If you’re overrun with worms, you can transfer some to a new bin, give some to neighbors, go fishing, or feed your excess worms to any resident reptiles, amphibians, or large fish like we do here at Fenner!
• Worms don’t make nutritious feeders or even appropriate treats for all animals; please research your animal before feeding it any red wigglers.