What is vermicomposting?
Vermicomposting is a type of composting that relies on worms to break down organic matter into inorganic matter.
How do you vermi-compost?
To start, you are going need some worms. Red Wigglers, or Eisenia foetida, are the preferred type of worm to use in vermi-composting, as their diet largely consists of decaying organic material. Next, you are going to need a bin. Red Wigglers don’t like to dig deep into the ground, so the bin should be wide but relatively shallow. An 8” by 2’ by 2’ bin works well for a 2-person household. Use a drill to put holes in this bin, allowing air to flow through. Then, layer and glue screening paper over the holes to prevent the worms from escaping the bin.
Before adding the worms to the bin, layer the bottom of the bin with dirt, and then put a layer of food scraps over that. Your foodscraps can consist of almost anything, but you should avoid using meat products as food scraps. Meat can attract wild animals to your compost bin, and disrupt the worms at work.
You want to make sure the environment inside the bin is moist, as Red Wrigglers work best in moist environments. Sprinkle the food scraps and dirt with water to attain the moistness you want. Then, add the worms.
You should try to have 1 lb of worms, or around 1,000 worms, for every lb of food waste you are putting inside the bin. If you aren’t satisfied with the rate at which the Red Wrigglers are working, you can increase the number of worms in your bin as you see fit.
Be attentive to the needs of your worms. If you notice that certain food scraps have gone uneaten, maybe try to omit this particular food in the next feeding you give the worms. Other ways to help the worms work more efficiently is by cutting up food scraps so they are more digestible for the Red Wigglers. If you opt to keep the worm bin outside in the summer, try to place it in a cooler spot, so as to prevent the worms from getting too hot. Move the bin inside during the winter months to prevent the Red Wigglers from freezing to death.
In order to protect your compost from other pests, sprinkle scraps of paper over food scraps. This will help keep insects like fruit flies out of your compost.
Feed your worms with food scraps from your household at least once a week. And then wait. One of the benefits of vermi-composting is the lack of manpower involved in the entire process. While traditional modes of composting require you to turn the compost, in vermi-composting, the worms do all the work. In 3-6 months, you should have dark, rich compost to add to your garden.
Benefits of vermi-composting
The compost yielded in vermi-composting promotes the creation of a more diverse microbial community in your soil. In addition, compost created through vermi-composting is much more aerated, and therefore conducive to life, than typical compost.
Sources:
https://harringtonsorganic.com/the-benefits-of-vermicompost/
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-create-and-maintain-indoor-worm-composting-bin
https://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-vermicompost/
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/guide-to-vermicomposting-zmaz83jazshe
