What type of container should I use for vermicomposting?
The worms best suited to vermicomposting are redworms — they thrive in warm, decaying organic matter. Redworms need to live in a bin—the bin could be a Styrofoam cooler, plastic bin with lid or a wooden box.
Is wooden bin best for vermicomposting?
Wood containers are absorbent and good insulators for worms. Plastic containers are useful, but compost tends to accumulate excess moisture. The container should be between 8 and 12 inches deep. A plastic bin may need more drainage – if contents get too wet, drill more holes.
Can I put compost worms in my garden?
I generally wouldn’t recommend adding composting worms directly to your garden since they are not really soil worms, and will more than likely leave the area or die if they are unable to find a decent amount of decomposing organic matter.
How many worms do I need for composting?
How many worms are needed to vermicompost? A good rule of thumb is one pound of worms per square feet of the bin being used. Another way to calculate it is one pound of worms per pound of food waste. There are roughly 1000 mature worms in a pound.
How do you bury kitchen waste in the garden?
If you have a garden, you can bury your scraps right there and let them compost underground. Just keep your kitchen scraps in a plastic bucket with a lid. Potato peels, citrus rinds, greens, leftover vegetables, eggshells and bread—just about any nonmeat food residues can be easily composted.
What should you not put in vermicompost?
Items you cannot compost in a worm bin:
- Lemon, lime, orange or other citrus peels and juice (in excess this will make the soil too acidic)
- Onions and garlic (a good rule of thumb is if it makes you smell, it makes your worm bin smell)
- Meat, fats, grease, bones or oils (no butter, lard, stocks, soups, etc)
Can worms eat potato peels?
Carrot peelings, potato skins, broccoli and cauliflower stalks, lettuce, kale, even onion peels (in limited quantities) are perfect for the worm bin. Vegetable waste like this isn’t prone to overheating your bin either, so this is another low-maintenance food.
What is the best way to keep worms alive?
Store them in the refrigerator. Close the container to retain moisture and place your worms in the refrigerator. Check on your stored worms every few days to make sure they’re well-fed and the bedding is moist. If needed, sprinkle a few drops of water into the container to hydrate the worm bedding.
Do worm bins smell?
Your worm bin should always smell like fresh garden soil, and in fact, should produce no odor at all. If there is a foul smell coming from your worm bin, it’s a clear sign that your system is out of balance.
What can you do with worms in a vermicomposting system?
They are excellent as a topdressing fertilizer for container and garden plants. Along with worms, a vermicomposting system has naturally occurring microorganisms that help decompose kitchen scraps and, over time, the worms’ organic bedding material. What Do Worms Need?
Can a vermicomposter be set up outside the House?
Vermicomposting can work well even when no outside space is available at all. As long as the worms have the right conditions, a vermiculture system can potentially be set up inside or outside your home. If you have space for a couple of 5 gallon buckets, then you have enough space to compost with worms.
How can I compost my Kitchen waste with worms?
Learning how to compost kitchen waste with worms is simple. Place worms in your worm bin along with some bedding material (shredded paper, coconut coir, and dry leaves work great) and some kitchen scraps, and let them get to work.
Is there such a thing as a worm composter?
A worm composting bin, known as a vermicomposter, can be fairly inexpensive and easy to maintain. There are several ways to vermicompost. Below are instructions on how to build one kind of worm composting bin designed to be used inside. It is also possible to purchase worm composting bins.