How to raise earthworms for composting

This article gives you step-by-step instructions for using earthworms to compost much of your kitchen waste and junk mail.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 3-5 plastic containers (same size) with at least one fitting lid.
• shredded black and white newspaper, shredded cardboard, and/or shredded dried leaves.
• non-chlorinated water (rain water is best)
• small drill for drilling holes through plastic
• kitchen waste
• red wrigglers (Eisenia Fetida)

1. Use dark colored plastic containers or paint the outside of clear ones with dark, non-toxic paint.

2. Set one container aside then drill enough 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of the other containers to create what looks like a grid. The holes should be no more than one inch apart. Drill additional holes around each container about 1 inch below the top to be used for ventilation. These should be 2-3 inches apart.

3. Sit one container with holes inside the container without holes. The solid container becomes the bottom and will catch any liquid (worm tea) that flows through your worm farm.

4. Wet the shredded paper, cardboard and/or dried leaves with non-chlorinated water. This is the bedding for the worms and should be 2-4 inches deep. The bedding should be as wet as a damp sponge but not dripping wet.

5. Pull back the bedding in one corner and add a handful of kitchen waste. Examples are cooked pasta, fruit/vegetable peels, apple cores, bread, coffee and tea grounds including filters, crushed dried eggshell, left-over fruits and vegetables from meals, etc. They really like melon rinds and pasta. The softer the food the quicker the worms will eat it. DO NOT use meats, eggs, cheese, oils, seasonings, etc.

6. Place your worm farm in an area where the temperature is between 50 - 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The ideal temperature for worm activity is between 65 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Locate it in a shady spot as direct sunlight is very harmful to the worms.

7. Purchase red wrigglers from a reliable source - can be purchased from an on-line seller. Do not use night crawlers for composting as these are difficult to maintain and do not reproduce at the rate the red wriggler will reproduce. Start with 500 - 1,000 worms. This is 1/2 to 1 pound of worms. Add the worms to the top of your bedding and let them burrow down.

8. Check on your worms weekly. Once they are eating the food you added, add another handful to another corner of your worm bin. DO NOT overfeed! The worms will eat the food and the bedding leaving behind their castings (poop)which can be added to your potting or garden soil to enrich it organically.

9. In about a month, take another container with holes in it and follow steps 1-5. Place this container on top of the container with the worms in it. Make sure that it touches the bottom layer of worms, castings, bedding, etc. Your worms will find the holes in the bottom and will migrate up to the next level in search of food and fresh bedding.

10. Continue repeating step 8 until you have used all of your containers. Be patient as this process is very slow in the beginning but will be occur more rapidly as your worms reproduce and become more familiar with their new home. Then you are ready to harvest the castings and compost in the bottom bin. Just dig around in it and remove any visible worms and then add the castings/compost to your plants/garden. Rinse out the container and add it back to the top with fresh bedding and food.

Tips & Warnings

• "Worm Tea" is a perfect fertilizer when poured directly onto house plants. When there is about 1/4 inch of worm tea in the bottom feed it to your plants.
• Bedding should be wet enough so that when it is squeezed in your hand only a few drops of water are observed.
• Worms will eat approximately their body weight in food every few days so that one pound of worms will eat about 2 1/2 pounds of food/bedding each week.
• They will double their population every three months under ideal circumstances so start small and BE VERY PATIENT!
• A well maintained worm bin has no odor and can be easily maintained indoors. A basement is ideal.
• Never place your worm bin in direct sunlight.
• Keep the lid on the top bin - worms love darkness!
• If your bin becomes too wet just add more shredded paper.
• If your bin is too dry then add water to the top layer.
• Do not feed meat, eggs, oils, fats, etc. to your worms.
• Do not add much citrus or acidic foods to your bin as this may be harmful to your worms.