Composting with Worms

Composting with Worms

Worm composting is a method for eliminating food waste from landfills. Composting home vegetable waste with worms is called vermiculture. Often the worm box may be placed under the kitchen sink for easy access. A family of four will have adequate waste material, six lbs. per week, to feed a vermiculture system that contains one lb. of worms. Setting up a home worm composting system will not take long to perform and it is a project many children will enjoy doing with a parent.

List:
Plastic container - 1 foot deep by 2 feet wide and 3 feet long with a cover
Sponge
Dish soap
Newspaper
Water
Garden soil or sand
Red worms 1-lb.
Vegetative food waste

Wash the plastic container with hot soapy water using a sponge. Rinse well and allow to thoroughly dry.

Rip the newspaper into strips that are 1 to 2 feet long and a 1/2 to 1-inch wide. Fill the plastic container 6 to 8 inches deep with the material.

Mix 1 lb. of water for every pound of newspaper. One pint of water equals one lb. of water. Grab a handful of wet newspaper and squeeze. If more than five drops of water emit from squeezing, there is too much water. Mix in some more newspaper.

Toss two generous handfuls of garden soil or sand onto the newspaper bedding material.

Add 1 lb. of red worms on top of the soil or sand. Allow the worms to work their way under the bedding.

Place 3/4 of a pound of vegetative food waste on top of the bedding every day. Set the worm box in a cool dry environment as under the kitchen sink.

Add more newspaper bedding on a monthly basis. Move the old bedding to one side of the worm box. Place the new bedding material in the open space. The worms will move to the new bedding. Remove the old worm bedding material along with all worm castings.

Words to the Wise:
Use the worm castings and old bedding material in the garden for a rich compost material. Mix this material directly into the garden soil.