The Adventures in Vermicomposting

Posted By: Lisa Mason, Arapahoe County Extension

The start of a new year also means it is time to plan the 2020 gardening season! If you are ready to get started now in the cold, winter months, consider starting a vermicomposting bin!

Vermicomposting is a method of composting using worms that offers a variety of benefits, including reducing landfill waste and having nutrient and microbe-rich compost to add to our gardens and house plants.

According to North Carolina State University Extension, “in 2006, the U.S. EPA estimated that 55-65% of the waste generated in the United States is residential. Most of what we throw away is organic materials that could be vermicomposted, composted, or recycled. Paper and paperboard products account for 34%, and food scraps and yard trimmings make up 25% (by weight).”

Vermicomposting is a fun way to reduce waste in your home. Since the worms need to stay between 59 – 77 degrees Fahrenheit, most people that live in cold winter climates choose to have their worm bin inside the house, including the kitchen or basement. Having the bin in the house provides easy access to feed the worms. If the bin is functioning correctly, it will be low maintenance and not emit any negative odors.

Red wigglers just added to the worm bin. Photo: Lisa Mason

My husband and I started our first worm bin in November.  So far the process has been a little trial and error to get the right conditions in the bin. Now that we have the conditions right, the bin has been very low maintenance. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching the worms in their ecosystem.

There are a variety of bin options available to purchase. You can even make your own bins with tutorials found online. If you choose to make your own bin, be sure it has adequate air circulation. Some bins have a spout to collect the liquid from the base of the bin which is a nutrient-rich compost tea. We chose a bin that is made of beetle-kill pine made locally in Colorado. We chose that bin because we like to shop local and beetle-kill wood products support Colorado’s forest health. The wood bins also offer nice air circulation. The only challenge we had with a wood bin is maintaining enough moisture inside the bid. We routinely add some water to make sure the bedding stays moist for the worms.  

Our new worm bin! We can have up to 5 layers, but right now we started with one. Photo: Lisa Mason 

 Here are a few tips for getting started:

• The materials you need include: a bin that contains moisture and provides darkness for worms, bedding, water, worms, and kitchen scraps.
• Kitchen scraps can include fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, finely crushed egg shells, etc. Cut up kitchen scraps for faster composting.
• Foods to avoid adding to your worm bin include dairy, meat and citrus.
• Bedding provides the worms a place to live. You can use shredded newspaper (black ink only) and shredded cardboard.
• Keep the bedding moist. All bedding should be as wet as a wrung-out sponge.
• Red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) are the best worms to use for vermicomposting. They can be ordered along or purchased at some local garden stores and bait stores.
• Add kitchen scraps slowly. If you add too much food too quickly, the bin may start to smell or attract pests like fruit flies. Cover all food with more bedding to bury it. As the worm bin becomes more established, you can increase the amount of food in the bin. 

The wet bedding provides a home for the worms. Photo: Lisa Mason

After several months, you will have nutrient rich compost! According to the University of Nebraska Extension, “compared to ordinary soil, the worm castings contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus and 11 times more potassium. They are rich in humic acids and improve the structure of the soil.”

If you are interested in a fun, fascinating winter project, I recommend reading the following resources:

Worms Eat by Garbage by Mary Appelhof

University of Nebraska’s Extension

North Carolina State University Extension

Happy Vermicomposting!

We love our worms! Photo: Lisa Mason

The Basics of Composting

Published by Kara Harders, Small Acreage Management Specialist 

Composting is a natural process we can utilize to help break down and recycle materials which would have otherwise been considered trash or waste. Materials including food scraps, garden byproducts, and other organic “trash” can become the magical soil amendment we know as compost!

Because composting is a natural process, it can be induced by following some basic rules and creating ideal conditions for the process to happen. While people may think they are the ones composting it is really bacteria, fungi, molds, and worms doing all the heavy lifting. When we compost it is important to keep these organisms happy and healthy so they can do what they do best, turn trash into soil gold! Luckily, they only need a few things to do what they do best.

Food! (Nitrogen and carbon rich)

These composting critters work best when given about a 30:1 Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. The carbon source could be dead plants, bedding, grass clipping, leaves or even shredded office paper. The nitrogen source could be fresh grass cuttings, food scraps or animal manure.

Moisture

Like all living things, water is essential to the life in your compost heap. Most of the organisms breaking down materials in your compost pile live in the film of moisture around the “ingredients” in the pile. Too little moisture and they will die or become dormant and too much moisture and they will drown (and the pile will smell BAD). Aim for a pile that feels damp, like a wrung-out sponge. If the pile gets too dry spray it lightly with a garden hose and try to keep it covered with a tarp in a shady area to retain moisture and to keep out heavy rains. 

Form

Compost needs to be grouped to maintain moisture and heat; therefore, the structure of your compost needs to be in a heap of sorts. This may seem obvious, but there are a few critical details.

Consider where you are putting your pile, avoid spots in direct sunlight for much of the day as this can dry out your pile. You should also avoid areas where water collects or drains. Compost piles are rich in nutrients that can be harmful to water ways and contribute to nutrient pollution. Think about keeping water from running through the pile when it rains or snow melts.

An ideal size is about on cubic yard, a pile this size can be built over time (cool composting) or all at once (hot composting), a benefit to doing hot composting is the sterilization of some weed seeds. Large heaps made all at once with the correct balance of materials and moisture can break down materials so fast the internal temperatures of these piles can reach 160ºF! Smaller piles wont hold heat as well and can dry out quickly if done outside of a container, but they will be easier to turn. Speaking of turning…

Aeration

All those composting organisms you are after also need to breath, in addition to design, to get them oxygen you will need to “turn” the pile.

Ideally, your compost pile will sit on some coarse materials to help allow air travel in from the base. When setting up the pile make an effort to use materials which create air pockets, such as stems, stalks, wood chips and other rigid materials. These will help to draw air up and out of the pile.

Use a composting thermometer to gauge the inside temperature. When it reaches 140ºF, give it a turn and water as needed. Turning the compost will also help get air to the organisms doing the dirty work. You can turn the compost as often as the temperature reaches 140ºF. It is recommended to let the pile go through three heating cycles to help sterilize weed seeds.

Particle size

While it is not always possible or realistic to select items for your compost pile by size it can make it more efficient. Because the organisms breaking down material work on the outer surface of the composted materials, they work much quicker when the surface area is large in relation to the particle size’s mass, in other words, small pieces break down much faster. You can mulch logs/branches, cut stalks to less than 5”, mow leaves with the lawn mower, and break up manure clumps.

 

Vermicomposting

By: Sherie Caffey, Horticulture Coordinator, CSU Extension-Pueblo County

This fall, I took a big life step and purchased my first home. Sadly, when the move took place, I had to leave behind many of my plants, and my compost pile. Bummer. Right when I was really starting to feel the void my lost compost pile was creating in my life, one of our Master Gardeners taught a composting class, and turned me on to vermicomposting.

Vermicomposting, more commonly called worm composting, is so easy that even someone completely absorbed by a new “fixer upper” can do it! It takes hardly any space, it’s super cheap to get started, and it is less labor intensive than a traditional compost pile. The worms really do all the work. Here’s what you need to know to give vermicomposting a shot…

The first thing you need is a worm bin. It is incredibly easy to make one out of two plastic storage containers. I like the 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck containers, because the handles prop up the top bin up so that there is space between it and the bottom bin. You will need a drill and a couple different sized drill bits, as well as some screening and glue.

The storage containers I prefer

To begin, drill holes along the bottom and the lower sides of the inner bin (the one the worms will live in). These holes will be for drainage in case your bin becomes too wet. Don’t drill holes in the outer bin, which is used to catch any liquid that leaks out. I used a 1/16 inch bit for the drainage holes. Next, use a larger bit (1/4 inch) and drill air holes near the top of the bin.

Drilling holes in the bottom of the inner bin

Drilling holes on the side of the inner bin

View of inner bin with holes drilled

Drilling the air holes

The larger air holes are big enough for a sly worm to escape out of, so they need to be covered. Use a nontoxic, water proof glue to adhere aluminum insect screening over the holes. The glue will need to dry before moving on. I used large binder clips to hold the screen down while the glue dried. Warning: don’t let the binder clips touch the glue, or they will rip the screening off once you remove them. Yes, I am speaking from experience. You can decorate your worm bin if you are feeling crafty. Our local composting guru made these awesome “Compost Happens” bumper stickers that I used to liven mine up.

Glue for the screen

Use a binder clip to hold the screen on

Next, you will need to get worms. Red Wigglers are the best for worm bin composting, because they adapt easily to new environments, and they reproduce faster than the earthworms in your yard. You can buy them online, or if you are lucky like me, you have friends with worms to spare! You should only need a handful to get started, they will make more as time goes on. One pound of Red Wigglers can break down 3-5 pounds of kitchen scraps a week.

Now that you have your worms, you need to prepare the bedding. I used shredded newspaper. You want to wet your bedding until it is as moist as a wrung out sponge. It is best to moisten the bedding in small layers so that it does not clump up. The worms should be able to crawly freely through the moist, shredded paper.

My worms trying to escape the camera

Once the bedding is properly wetted, you can sprinkle the worms right on top. They will work their way down into the bedding to avoid light. The worms will start to feed on the bedding. It is best to let them get acclimated to their environment for a week or so, then start adding food scraps, slowly at first. You could end up with a smelly bin if you add too many scraps too fast.

When you add scraps, pull back a small amount of bedding on one side and bury them underneath, then cover the scraps back up with the bedding. Do this in a different spot each time, and by the time you get back to the first spot, the worms should have composted most of the scraps.

The moist bedding

As far as what you should add to your bin, it’s pretty much the same as a traditional compost pile. Try and keep your carbon (bedding) to nitrogen (scraps) ratio pretty even. Don’t stress too much about this, composting doesn’t need to be an exact science, remember what our Master Gardener says, “Compost Happens”! Kitchen scraps can include fruits, veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, and peelings. Avoid meats, fats, and dairy as they are a recipe for a smelly bin.

So once your worms have done their job and you have compost, what do you do with it? The volume will be small, but you can use it just like any other compost. Add a handful to the base of your houseplants or garden plants. You can also mix it into potting soil when repotting. Research has also shown that adding a little to your seed starting mix will give you stronger seedlings.

I hope you are inspired to start a little worm colony of your own. Mine worms have become the office pets, and they get everyone’s lunch scraps. Here are a couple of helpful links with further information: http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtml, http://www.ext.colostate.edu/sam/vermicompost.pdf.  Happy composting!