#VermiComposting

[soilthesimpletruth]

Growing food is a relationship. Part of that relationship is compost.

[ghostoffuturespast]

I want to hear more about the vermicomposting bin! 🪱

I think kid me would've been thrilled to hear I'm spending my adult money mail ordering and keeping pet worms lol!

This is my first time doing any composting and since I don't have enough space at my house to do a traditional composting bin, I opted to do an in-ground worm composter. From the research I did, there are a lot of options for DIYing a worm bin and you can do it as inexpensive or fancy as you want, but I went ahead and just bought a worm bin from the company I bought my vegetable bed from. There are ways to do indoor vermicomposting bins too, but I figured the worms would be happier outside.

I bought 250 Red Wigglers to start with and they seem to be doing good! Haven't accidentally killed them yet. I throw my kitchen scraps in whenever my bin gets full along with some shredded cardboard. Saw some itty bitty worms so I think they're eating and reproducing.

[ophrysapifera]

So I've had a vermicomposter for a couple of months now and it's surprisingly so therapeutic? Looking for worms just makes me feel like a kid again and now instead of just throwing food away, I'll end up with an apple core or mango peel or something and think 'oh my, the worms are gonna LOVE this'. And then I'll go back in a week or so and they're going crazy for it and it makes me all happy that they're happy and healthy. Highly recommend getting into vermicomposting. They're such interesting little creatures, and SO important and doing such good work for the garden 😊

[mauricesmall]

It’s so beneficial, peaceful and important.

[fox-bright]

My composting worms should arrive in the mail today.

Me (aggressively refreshing USPS.com tracking website): worms worms woRMS WORMS WORMS

[anathemaegg]

HAPPY HOLIDAY WORMS!

my sister got me worms for secular winter gifting season!!!

I want to talk to people who keep worms! tell me about your guys!!

[ratwarning]

2am hanging with the boys

[2manyplants]

I’m doing it again…….. It’s time for new worms!!!

[androdconstruction]

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

[queerbeanenjoyer]

some things I learned the hard way about vermicomposting

I wanted to write a big post specifically about the sorts of things I learned about composting over the years. I originally started out with a DIY layered bucket set-up and switched to a pre-made kit just a month or two ago.

This is probably non-exhaustive and will likely have more stuff added to it later. Also, I haven't harvested any compost from my new set-up yet so that's something to keep in mind.

Here's what I did right, actually.

Worm blanket

I used a few layers of dampened newsprint/packing paper to go over top of my compost. This was a good plan and kept heat/moisture in.

Bin drainage

I had a separate bin that caught the compost run-off. This was more necessary with my old set-up but I still recommend having some way of allowing excess moisture to drain off.

Location

I keep my bin in the garage. This is for two reasons: the temperature around the bin fluctuates less and there is no risk of getting direct sunlight. While this isn't possible for everyone, I'd still recommend keeping the bin in a similar location; try to keep it somewhere where the temperature won't change too drastically and it can stay out of direct sun. While there are compost builds for being 100% outdoors, I find a smaller bin like my set-up to be a little easier to manage, especially since I only compost for two people.

Now here's my errors and improvements.

Substrate

Okay so the first thing I've learned is that I made my substrate sort of subpar. I was using potting soil and shredded newspaper and then dampening that. This was OKAY but lacks good drainage to prevent the compost from getting too moist. When the compost is too moist, it becomes anaerobic and starts to smell. Smelly compost isn't just unpleasant to handle, it's also bad for the worms as they need a more oxygenated environment to thrive. The fix for this is adding some pumice or other little stones. I have a bag of perlite which also might be okay but I'm not 100% on that. My substrate was also missing some minerals. This came with my kit but can be ordered separately. So a little bit of that (about a tablespoon) should be added to a new substrate mix. My new substrate mix is as follows: ~a quart of shredded newsprint ~1.5 cups of little pumice stones ~tbsp of mineral mix a little bit of water a handful of compost from the bin or potting soil

Composting materials

Alright so the next thing I could have done better was be more open-minded about what to add to my compost bin. With my old bin, I primarily added food scraps once every week or two weeks and occasionally some shredded paper. As a result, my compost was always WAY too wet. Food scraps (green) and fiber/paper products (brown) were very unbalanced; they need to be about 50-50. In my current bin, I add food scraps, yes, but also coffee grounds (which count as brown) and some other non-dampened junk mail occasionally. Now, I think my moisture is a lot more balanced. I've also increased the frequency with which I add materials. Whereas before I would add a large amount of food scraps whenever I cooked something, now I tend to add a small amount of scraps and coffee grounds once every 1-3 days as well as larger amounts of scraps from cooking.

Compost storage

Previously, I had been manually sorting my compost, which resembled brownie batter, and placing globs of it on a compost screen to dry out. Then I'd store these little chips/chunks in a bucket. This was a very miserable task. When I checked my Worm Factory 360 manual, it actually suggested keeping your saved compost moist! So, moving forward, I'll harvest the compost according to the manual's instructions (post to come) and then store it in a bucket with its own dampened paper worm blanket. Hopefully the dried out chips can just be rehydrated along with the rest of whatever I store. As I understand it, the dried compost just makes the nutrients less bio-available. So it's better if it's damp.

Quality of life improvements

Counter top bin

Firstly, I got a little counter top compost bin to put next to the kitchen sink. While I do not actively compost anything in it, I do store scraps/coffee grounds for a day or so before I add it to our compost bin. This has really made it much, much easier to toss in scraps more often. Especially because I can dump vegetable trimmings and bananas peels directly into it instead of using a bowl to hold everything like I used to. It's got a lid so there's no smelling scraps or anything, too. Ours is made of silicone and can be completely inverted(!) to get everything out. I'd recommend something like that if you, like me, aren't great about taking stuff to your bin with frequency.

Big ol' bowl

What I've done next is use a massive metal bowl to mix up my substrate. I originally bought it for making tamales but I think this is ultimately a better use of it. As a bonus, I can also use it for making custom soil mixtures for my smaller house plants. It's really great for mixing up substrate since it's wide and shallow. So you don't have to dig around so much like if you'd used a big bucket.

Spray bottle

So I actually do have a spray bottle that I use for some of my indoor plants. However, I found it to be sort of a hassle to have to go back inside and bring to my bin only to have to take it back inside afterwards. Having a dedicated spray bottle next to my compost bin is much more convenient.

This is what I can think of for now. Like I said, I'll add more info if I can think of any. Hope this has helped!

[anotherscrappile]

My new hobby is picking up worms on the sidewalk on rainy days. This is the biggest haul (4) I’ve gotten yet! :)

[No worms were harmed in the making of this picture. All worms were placed in my compost bin as soon as I arrived at home.]

[soilthesimpletruth]

Working with the youth is always a joy and I’m tremendously thankful for the opportunity.

[ramyeongif]

vermicomposting

[eacombslcc]

How to create a vermi-composter!

While we all know that the majority of climate change is caused by large companies such as the oil industry, it never hurts to begin living a more sustainable lifestyle to help in your own way. Composting is a great way to reduce you and/or your family's carbon footprint.

Unfortunately, large store-bought composters tend to be too pricey for most people. So, in just a few simple steps I'll teach you how to make a household composting bin for ~$5-$20.

What you'll need: -2 five gallon buckets, one with a lid. -A drill, or some means to poke holes through one of the buckets. -Newspaper and food scraps. -Worms, specifically red wigglers.

Step 1

Get your buckets! They're often available at bakeries for free or low cost. All else fails your local hardware stores should have them. Darker colors are better as the worms will want to hide from the light, but if white is the only color available, be sure to cover it with a tarp or towel when storing.

You're going to drill several holes in one of the bucket. These will act as a drainage system for any liquid while still holding in enough moisture to keep your worms comfortable. Once the holes are drilled, you can place that bucket inside the unholy one.

Step 2

Add a few handfuls of kitchen waste to the composter.

Step 3

Add your worms! You can usually get them by asking around your local farming community, or if your city has a classifieds website you can source them there. Don't worry about getting a ton, they'll reproduce with time!

Step 4

Shred some newspaper and wet it. Drain the excess water, then place it on top of your worms. Cover it and place it somewhere that stays consistently between 55-77 degrees F.

Don't overdo it on food scraps while the worms are getting established. Add 2-3 cups or so every couple of weeks.

What to feed your worms: -Leftover kitchen scraps such as fruit or veggie peels and egg shells. Go easy on the citrus, and bury any meat to avoid odors. -Coffee grounds, tea/tea bags, coffee filters. -Human hair or fur from animal grooming. No cat or dog poop, but bedding and manure from chickens, rabbits, and other farm animals are fine.

These castings are nutrient rich and great fertilizer for any house plants or gardens. If you yourself don't have any use for them, any local farmers or neighbors with gardens would make great use of them. All else fails, make an online post and sell them!

Happy composting :)

[fox-bright]

More worms!

Again no important audio, just me quietly saying "wooooorms."

[geeses]

oohohooohoh babeeey the worms are eating well tonight!!!!