We finally have our compost worms! I've been wanting to do this for awhile now but just haven't found the time to get everything. In case you think I'm crazy...I'll explain!
Vermicomposting is a way to compost your food scraps (eggshells, vegetables, fruit, etc) by using worms. There are only a couple kinds of worms that will work and red wrigglers are one of them. These little worms love your leftovers and if you have enough of them, they will eat all your kitchen scraps and turn them into compost for your garden! So not only are you saving space in your weekly trash can but you will also have incredibly nutrient-dense food for your plants and garden.
It's super simple to do. I found this website that's set up for kids so it's really easy to follow. And a blog that's full of information. There are also really great books on the subject. Our bin will stay in our basement and now that Ian knows there are worms down there I'm sure I will have plenty of help with our vegetable scraps whenever I want it.
I've been wanting to get them for a couple of months now but just haven't gotten around to it until now. I had been planning on making my own bin which is where the hold up was. So this last weekend while we were on Craigslist, I saw that someone was selling their entire worm bin for $20. I was so happy to not have to start from scratch and then find a place that sells worms that I bought it.
I'll be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by this particular bin once I got it home. The ad said there were LOTS of worms that had heavily multiplied over the last couple of months. Well, in all my digging I've only found a few. I know they can hide and until I empty the bin to separate the compost I won't know how many there actually are.
There were a couple other issues as well which disappointed me because I'd been hoping for a well-run compost bin. But, I'm actually glad I went this route because I was able to spot the problems just from the reading I'd done. Now I know how to avoid certain issues (like smells...it shouldn't stink because you're supposed to bury the food whereas the previous owners just threw the food on top), and it made me realize that I don't want to use a plastic bin. So I did a little research and found a wooden bin online and it should be here next week.
I'll take more pictures when it gets here and as I start to separate the worms from the compost to transfer them over.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Worms!
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3 comments:
Are these the same worms that live outdoors? We accumulate what looks to be the same worms in our outdoor compost bin.
Probably! Now I know where to get more if I need some. hee hee
I know that outdoor compost bins or manure piles are a good place to find them.
You must have a great compost bin!
Jeremy has experience in capturing worms from his childhood. Ian, I am happy to see you are learning another use for worms (other than fish bait). Andrea, let Bonnie know how that compost bin works, and maybe she will want to do one to keep me supplied with fishing worms.
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