Starting a Worm Bin Compost
Have you thought about starting a worm bin compost?
It probably sounds like an awesome idea, except oh so disgusting at the same time. Rotting food is meant to be in the dumpster, in a landfill. But landfill space is growing smaller and smaller… And what does it mean to throw it away?
A coffee cup thrown away finds itself in a landfill. A water bottle thrown away finds itself in the ocean forevermore. I want to throw my fear away, and it is reflected right back at me. There is no place away. Everything is here.
It may be out of sight, out of mind. But it’s still in existence, dwelling at the bottom of my psyche, wreaking havoc on my global neighbors.
So, composting helps stop the spread of landfills, builds a connection to nature in your home, and gives you lovely, deliciously rich fertilizer to make your plants happy. And it’s free once you have your system set up. What could be a better deal?
Even though you may have municipal composting services available to you, it still saves fuel and energy to compost at home. And, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor immediately! Instant gratification feels good, right?
The Ick Factor
First, worm bins, when properly used, DON’T SMELL BAD. But it’s still worm poop, gooey, sticky, and there’s rotting food in the bin. It’s still gross, and there’s no great solution for this. So reach deep inside you for your big, magnificent love for sustainability and clean soil. Tell yourself that worm poop is totally non-toxic and you’ve got what it takes to handle the bin. You’re going to be smart about it, and not let it get nasty and smelly. And even if it does, you’ll survive, and it’ll become a battle scar you can brag about later. If your neighbors had a worm bin, you’d want one too. So be the first neighbor with an awesome worm bin compost.
Sound good? Okay, so here’s the basics of how you start a worm bin compost:
Preparing the Bin
Worms
The worms you use for composting are called red wriggler worms, technical name Eisenia fetida. These worms love to feed on freshly rotting organic matter. They’re also used as bait for fishing.
Worm Bins
Whether you make your own or buy one, make sure you have:
- Holes at the top to allow worms to breathe
- Holes at the bottom to drain excess water
- Lid to keep light out, and fruit flies
If you have a stackable tray system, the inner trays will have slotted bottoms to allow finished compost to fall through to the bottom, separating it from decomposing food. Put new food in at the top.
Bedding
Worms like shredded newspaper, cardboard, or coconut coir as bedding. Make sure to spray some water on the bedding to give it a little moisture. But not too much!
The moisture content of the entire bin should feel as wet as a moist sponge that does not drip excess water whatsoever.
Feeding
If you’re just starting out, keep your worms on a raw vegetable diet. Eggshells are okay. Once you feel comfortable with the entire process, you can then start experimenting with dairy and meat products.
A Habitat
Your worm bin is in fact a little microcosm on its own. It’s a habitat. That means you’ll see other critters and things living inside that habitat. Don’t worry, they’re mostly harmless!
Things you might see:
- Red Mites – tiny round bugs
- Pill Bugs
- Potworms – tiny white worms
- Fruit Flies
- Springtails – small white insects
All of these are harmless to you and your worms. Fruit flies may be incredibly annoying, so just be sure you don’t overfeed your worms, and avoid animal products too.
Starting Out
To start your worm bin compost, shred up a bunch of newspaper, spray it with a little bit of water and place half of it in the bottom of your bin. If you have a stackable tray system, put it in the first tray, leaving the bottom bin empty.
Then, put your worms on top of the bottom bedding. Take the other half of your shredded newspaper and place it on top of your worms. Worms don’t like light, so you want to keep them covered. Having bedding on top also helps to keep out unwanted bugs like fruit flies and gnats. Make sure it’s only as wet as a moist sponge.
Keep it this way, covered with a lid, for about a week. This allows your worms to adjust to their new home.
Then after a week, feed them a small handful of kitchen scraps. Wait until they’ve eaten all of this food before feeding more. When feeding, remember to always bury your food several inches beneath the top layer of bedding. This prevents fruit fly invasions.
Keep an eye on them frequently, to see how much they’ve eaten. Don’t feed them any more food until everything’s been eaten!
As your worms reproduce and adjust to their new home, they’ll be able to eat more and more food.
Basic Troubleshooting
Most problems are caused by the following sources:
- Too much or too little water
- Too little air flow
- Too much light
- Food isn’t buried deep enough
- Too much food
Fruit fly invasion: Bury your food several inches below the top. Keep the lid on, and make sure there isn’t too much food. To get rid of fruit flies, make sure you aren’t bringing them in via your kitchen scraps. You can try microwaving or boiling your kitchen scraps in water first to kill the larvae and eggs. Then be sure to cool down and drain the kitchen scraps before feeding them to your worms.
Maggots: These are usually a sign of too much fat or animal products, which red wrigglers warm up to rather slowly. If that’s not the case, your best bet is to allow them to grow into soldier flies, and fly off. If you don’t want to do this, you’ll probably have to start your bin over. The good thing is, maggots are pretty good decomposers, and soldier flies don’t harm you or your worms.
Stink: Usually foul odor comes from lack of aeration, encouraging anaerobic decomposition (oxygen-free), which produces alcohols as a byproduct. To get rid of the stink, make sure your bedding isn’t matted down where air can’t flow through. Also make sure it’s not too wet.
Swamp: Too much water? If you’re feeding your worms wet food, add more dry shredded newspaper or cardboard. Also remember to see where the drainage is at the bottom of your bin. Add drain holes if they aren’t they already.
That’s it! You’re on your way to some fine compost!
Ready to start a worm bin compost? What are your thoughts and questions on the topic?
[photo by Preoccupations]
This post was originally published on Green Living Ideas, and has been refined for Upcycled Love.