Compost worms!! For composting my kitchen scraps and any plants i kill into worm earth, so that i can plant my future flowers and vegetables into it!!
I've already researched around balcony worm composting a while ago but i am finally getting around to making it a reality! This is going to be so cool. I tried growing stuff and it didn't work at all and i think it's partly because the dirt i have is shit, and the general apparent solution to that is fertiliser. I heard all this stuff about composting and how it's a science and you need to make sure it won't combust and then you have fertilizer from your kitchen and garden scraps and so on, but still no proper earth substrate directly from that, and i thought "hey what about rain worms what about them isn't that how it works in the ground". And well turns out you can. And you get dirt to plant your vegetables in and get to do something good with your kitchen scraps that you can see the direct effects from. So I'm doing that now.
I have a worm bin! The brand is worm cafe, but most of them are pretty similar. I've used DIY bins as well. The reason I switched to a worm bin is because my knees are garbage and I don't have to bend down for this one.
I take parts of fabric that I cannot use and snip them off the main bit. I only have one piece of tiny fabric that qualifies at the moment.
Then I snip them into fabric confetti(easier on the worms, fungus, and other critters if it's smaller).
And then I sprinkle the confetti in the worm bin.
It takes about 2 months for the worms to eat it. Beetles are faster but unpredictable. I let beetles live in the worm bin, but I don't purposely add beetles. I didn't see any beetle larva this time so full credit to the worms right now.
You can do the same with almost any organic based fabric or paper. A compost pile will break down cotton as well, but I'm unsure how long it takes. I think my old pile used to take 4-6 months during the warm seasons.
Disclaimer: the information I’m giving is based on my own personal experience and research. Some of the things that work for me may not work in a different setup. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d highly recommend the book “Worms Eat My Garbage” by Mary Appelhof.
Why have a worm bin?
It’s a great way to dispose of organic matter while minimizing methane emissions! Landfills aren’t set up for aerobic decomposition, so food scraps in landfills often give off a ton of methane emissions when decomposing, which is a pretty potent greenhouse gas! Also, worm castings are an excellent fertilizer/mulch/soil amendment.
A worm bin is super low-maintenance once you figure out what you are doing. It doesn’t smell bad and can be kept indoors—I keep mine by my desk in the winter! And I think it’s pretty fun. Also, your trash won’t smell as bad when it isn’t full of rotting food!
Making the Worm Bin
Really what you need here are two containers. One of them you put a bunch of holes in, and that sits inside the other container. The holes are important because they allow for drainage of water (which is then caught by the external container) and diffusion of oxygen. I used some kitty litter buckets for this, and they work great! The lid is really useful.
Pro-tip: you don’t need a drill to make the holes. If you have a knife or razor blade, you can press it into the plastic and rotate it, which makes nice, round holes.
The bin with holes in it sits inside the other bin, but there should be space for water drainage/collection and air permeation.
Worms
The worms you want in general are “red wrigglers” or Eisenia fetida. These are sometimes sold as bait worms, but in my experience the “red worms” are actually European Nightcrawlers (labeled “ENC”). Those can also work, but they prefer different conditions from red wigglers (I believe they live deeper in the soil) so they might not be as successful. You also need a lot of worms to start out with, like a pound of worms. I had the best success going to a local vermiculture business and getting a pound of mixed worms (red wigglers, European night crawlers, and Indian blues). I think the mix is useful since having a couple different species makes the bin more resilient.
Note: buying local is really beneficial here. When worms are sold online and shipped, the sellers “dehydrate” them a bit to help lower weight and prevent overheating. The worms will be perfectly healthy after you give them moist bedding again, but you’re going to miss out on bacteria and other beneficial critters that could come with the worms if they are fresh.
Setting up the Bin
An important thing I have learned from experience: you can’t just put food and worms in a bin and expect things to work. You also need bedding. Bedding is filler material, like newspaper or coconut coir. I mostly use newspaper I buy from a local vermiculture business. I tried ripping my own paper and once it got wet it turned into a solid layer, whereas the pre-ripped newspaper I buy has a fluffy consistency.
I’ve also tried using peat moss as bedding, but that didn’t work so well—I got a huge spike in the mite population (maybe from acidic conditions?). Peat moss also isn’t great for the environment in general.
The bedding is important because worms shouldn’t eat too much food or too much of their own poop (castings) as both are bad for them. Bedding should be topped off when possible. When you add food to the bin, use a shovel to bury it in the bedding. This helps things rot properly, prevents mold and bad smells, and keeps away critters like fruit flies.
Other Critters
Your worm bin can and should have other critters in it! Some in my bin include mites and springtails, who both help the worms break down organic matter. However, there should be a balance between other critters and the worms. If something appears to be taking over, you might have a problem. I’ve also had fruit flies in my bin—this didn’t end up being a huge problem as long as I only opened the lid of the bin outdoors.
Worm Bin Maintenance
Once you get going, the worm bin doesn’t require much maintenance. I keep a freezer bag in my freezer and fill it up with food scraps, and once it seems the worms are mostly finished with the last feeding, I’ll thaw the bag and feed them again. (Freezing is helpful because it’s a convenient way to preserve the scraps, but it also helps to kickstart breaking down, since freezing damages things.) Be careful not to over-feed the worms, as this can lead to a sour bin and/or string-of-pearls (which is a pretty disturbing worm ailment).
Also be careful of what you feed the worms. You can look up lists of dos and donts online, but in general, stick to plant matter, and don’t feed them aromatic herbs or citrus. Also make sure to feed the worms plenty of crushed eggshells, as this provides grit and helps to regulate the pH of the worm bin.
The worms should be kept in a location with temperatures that are comfortable to humans. They don’t do well if conditions are too cold or too warm.
Make sure to dump out any water that accumulates and add bedding when it’s needed. I use this to water plants, and I haven’t had any negative effects, but some people will say you shouldn’t do that.
Once the bin starts to get full, you can remove worm castings. There are fancy ways to do this, but I just dig through the bin and scoop out any areas that are nearly all worm castings and then remove any worms/eggs that are in the castings by hand. The castings can be mixed in with potting soil or used on top like a mulch. (Although be careful: I've heard some species of worms are an invasive species in some areas so check before you potentially introduce them to the ground.)
Conclusions
So that’s it! If you want more information, I encourage you to do your own research. Although try to seek out multiple sources—not all the information out on the internet (or even in books) has been properly vetted. I can also try my best to answer questions based on my own experience, but I’m still relatively new at this.
I’m adding more food for the worms. On the menu: leftover peas, cotton dryer lint, coffee grounds, potato peelings, shredded cardboard. Then cover with a folded sheet of newspaper and put on the lid.
I began worm composting about twenty years ago when I picked up a beehive box on the side of the road. I didn’t know much about vermiculture, but I thought the box would work. I had worms in the lower regions of my compost bin and I must have found some article on how to do it.
I continued to feed the worms my vegetable scraps and coffee grounds for many years until the box fell apart. As needed, I harvested the rich worm castings, usually putting them in the bottom of planting holes. Now I use a homemade Rubbermaid two-bin system which you can see here.
The best information on worm composting I’ve encountered in recent years is from the CalRecycle website. Check out this link and the topics listed below. You’ll find everything you need to know to start vermicomposting.
Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms
Worms?
What is vermicompost?
What kind of worms are used for vermicomposting?
What do worms need?
What will worms eat?
Where should you keep worms?
How do you harvest worms and vermicompost?
Will I need to buy more worms?
What other organisms live with worms?
Are vermicomposting facilities regulated?
Where can I get more information on vermicomposting?
Scroll down for other blogposts I’ve done on composting.
my current fixation on vermicomposting is so weird because like, I’m fixated on the idea of these worms making almost-free beautiful soil amendments for me, and that’s a long process so I want to engage with youtube content about the fixation
but i really don’t actually love looking at piles of worms. I do like these videos because it shows the realization of my goal but also like. Just one at a time is fine for me thanks.
