Vermicomposting

We have heard it a lot, composting is just such a sufficient way to add some nutrients to your garden (if you have the space for it) and the ecof riendly part in us feels accomplished by helping our mother planet to digest those food scraps from left over dinners.

But vermicomposting brings composting into a whole different league. Vermicomposting, or worm composting, produces a rich organic soil amendment containing a diversity of plant nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. There are lots of benefits for vermicomposting but here are the two most common ones: 1) Creating resources from waste material and 2) reducing those trash fees by transforming your scraps into useful soil add-ons. These little worms are true busy creatures and they reproduce immensely. After only 2 months, their population can double under ideal conditions. The most common vermicomposting worms are Eisenia fetida, E. andrei. and also red wigglers,

If you want to raise your own little vermicomposting worm culture you can start by purchasing a ready to use plastic bin or you can make your own out of wood (do not use cedar wood for this), styrofoam or plastic. Make sure that your bin has numerous holes for ventilation. You can purchase your worms easily online or at some local stores.

Now prepare the base for your new friends by adding some soil, damp shredded paper and let the worms get used to their new environment before feeding them.

Now the fun part starts: collect your food scraps (this can also be a really fun learning activity for your kids), vegetables and fruit scraps, bread, tea bags, coffee grounds, and cereal in your food scrap container as you prepare and clean up after meals. Do not include any animal by-products.

You can feed your worms once a week. Pay attention to which things are left in the bin, even worms can be picky, not just your kids ;) Remove any leftover food scraps. Cover all of the food scraps with dirt and moist paper so that it won’t attract flies.

After just a few month your worm bin is full with high nutritious plant food. The bottom of your bin will have some liquid, also called worm tea, that you can use as fertilizer outdoors. When you notice that the bin is getting full, start feeding the worms only on one side so that you can collect the soil on the other side. That soil is like gold and will help your veggies, flowers, trees, lawn and indoor plants to flourish.

Happy Gardening!