  Create Your Own Worm Compost Bin Here's a fun project that turns your kitchen garbage into natural, nutrient-rich food for your plants with the help of our friends, the earthworms. Soil is Alive! 
Organic farmers know that healthy soil
makes healthy plants. But did you know that healthy soil is ALIVE
with earthworms and millions of other tiny creatures? Small, helpful
creatures that live in the earth are called "soil organisms."
Many are so tiny, the only way we can see them is with a microscope. Materials You'll Need Here's what you'll need to set up your own worm compost bin at home. 1. An opaque container (one that doesn't let light in) with a lid. You can start with a 10-gallon plastic container for processing the waste of two people. If your family is bigger, you'll need a bigger worm bin. Here's how to calculate the size you'll need 2. A drill to make air holes 3. Shredded newspaper or other recycled paper 4. Water 5. A few tablespoons of dirt, calcium carbonate, or rock dust 6. Worms. Use red wigglers, Eisenia fetida, which can be purchased at local retailers (in our area, Longs sometimes carries them) or bait shops. You can also order them online (see below). Instructions for Creating the Bin 1. Drill holes in bottom and sides of the container (3/8-inch or 1/4-inch holes approximately 3 inches apart). 2. Line the bin with a sheet or screen so your worms won't leave home. Don't wrap your bin in plastic; the worms will smother! 3. Shred your paper into strips for bedding. You can do this by hand or with a paper shredder. The bedding should be light and fluffy. You will need enough paper to fill the bin with 8-12 inches of bedding. 4. Add water. Fill your bin with the bedding paper first, then take the whole thing outside and sprinkle the bedding several times lightly with a watering can. The bedding should be wet but not soggy; it should be as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Worms breathe through their skin, so the bedding needs to be moist — but if it's too wet, the worms will drown! 5. Add a few tablespoons of dirt or rock dust so your worms will have something to put in their gizzards to grind up their food. 6. Add your worms, and cover the bin with its lid (or a piece of black plastic). Give your worms 2-3 days to get used to their new home before their first feeding. The bin should be in a place where it doesn't get too hot or too cold (freezing). Your worms will be happiest at a constant temperature of about 65-75 degrees F, but they can tolerate temperatures anywhere from 50-80 degrees F. 7. After a few days, begin feeding your worms kitchen scraps. Because red wigglers are used to living in the soil, be sure to bury their food, rather than placing it on top of the bedding. 8. You can also sprinkle a handful of wild birdseed in the bin. As the seeds germinate, the growth of roots and stems creates more air space, which prevents the bin from becoming too soggy. Harvesting Worm Compost After about 3 months, your worms will have converted the entire contents of the 10-gallon compost bin into worm castings, a wonderfully rich fertilizer that's excellent for gardens, lawns, and house plants.?? Here are two methods for harvesting your compost. Harvesting Method 1: 1. Pour the contents of your worm bin onto a plastic sheet. 2. Form several cone-shaped piles. 3. Your worms will move to the bottom of the piles to avoid light. Gently scrape 2 inches from the tops of the piles every 10 minutes. Eventually, all that's left are your worms. 4. Place your worms and the compost in separate containers. Store your compost for use in the garden or for house plants. 5. Put your worms into a box of new bedding (prepared as before according to the directions above) to start working on a new batch of compost. Harvesting Method 2: Divide your bin in half, pushing the compost to one side of the bin while adding fresh bedding and food to the other side. Eventually, all of the worms will migrate to the fresh material, and you can harvest the worm-free compost to use or store in a separate container. This method lets you can keep your worm bin in constant use. Questions and Tips To view each answer, click on the link. To close the answer, click on the link again. How big a bin do I need? What shape should I make my worm bin? Why does my worm bin smell bad? Is it okay if there are other creatures in my bin? Here are 2 other websites specifically designed for kids who are interested in worms and worm composting: Worm World Here are some websites where you can order worms and worm-composting supplies: www.wackyworldsof.com |