A guide to composting with worms
Sustainably reduce kitchen waste through vermiculture!
By Brett Thompson
There are bins made specifically for vermicomposting, but you can also repurpose a plastic storage tote and make your own easily.
Worm composting involves using Redd Wiggler worms in a container. You can buy a bin specifically designed for the purpose, or you can make your own. Garden variety worms will not work as an indoor bin is too warm for them and they don’t like you messing up their burrows. Red Wigglers like a warm, rich environment and are not territorial about their pathways.
Worms enable you to actually compost your scraps during our 9 months of winter as well as the rest of the year. Your worms will be able to produce a rich black compost without you trudging through 10 foot snow banks.
Making a worm bin yourself is easy. Use a plastic storage tote. Drill 16 one-eight inch holes just under the rim. Put in at least a 4-inch layer of moistened shredded paper or shredded leaf bedding. Put worms under the bedding and you are in business. Always place food scraps under the paper or leaf bedding. When the bedding composts, add more.
You can keep the bin any place the temperature is above 50 degrees and below 90 degrees (basements work well).
Give your worms anything you eat, but no salty or spicy foods and limit acidic items such as citrus and pineapple. Floor sweepings and acuum cleaner bags are also okay.
Start by feeding only a few ounces a day. Overfeeding begets fruit flies. If this happens, add more bedding and stop feeding for a few days. If the bin contents become too wet, tip the lidded bin on its side and allow to drain outside.
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Green & Healthy Maine is published by TheSunriseGuide, LLC. This article originally ran in the 2016 SunriseGuide.