How to Compost With the Worm Factory
Worm composting allows you to turn vegetable waste from your kitchen into a rich soil amendment called compost. Using worms to create compost is known as vermicomposting. The Worm Factory is a worm-composting system that uses a stacking-tray system to vermicompost. As worms finish creating compost in a tray, a new one is added. This allows you to easily harvest the finished compost and use it in your garden or with the soil in your potted plants. The Worm Factory comes with all the needed materials to use it, except for food. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Place the collector tray into the base of the Worm Factory. Place a handful of damp newspaper, coconut coir and vermiculite in the collector tray (the coconut coir and vermiculite come with the Worm Factory).
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Set a worm tray on top the collector tray. Set the extra worm trays aside for later use.
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Place four sheets of newspaper over the bottom of the worm tray so worms don't fall through the holes in the bottom. Alternately, use a sheet of cardboard cut to fit.
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Fill a bucket with 2 gallons of water. Place a coir brick in the water and let it soak for 15 minutes. Remove it from the water and break up the brick with your hands.
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Take half of the shredded paper and wet it down until it's just damp. Mix it with the coir and place it in the worm tray. Let the excess water drain from this bedding for 15 minutes.
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Empty 1 lb. of worms into the worm tray. Dump out all the packing material from the worm container into the bin, along with the worms.
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Bury 1 qt. fruit and vegetable scraps under the bedding. Feed worms vegetable scraps, noncitrus fruit scraps, bread crusts and eggshells.
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Feed worms more scraps a second time one week later. Gradually increase the feedings until you're supplying them with about 1/2 lb. of food a day.
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Prepare to add a second worm tray once all the food and bedding in the first tray is broken down to a soil-like compost. Remove 1 inch of compost from the top of the original tray and place it in the second tray.
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Set the second tray on top of the first one. Place food scraps in the new tray and cover with a 1-inch layer of dampened, shredded paper.
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Wait two weeks for the worms to move into the second tray, feeding as usual. Continue adding new trays as the old ones fill with compost. Once all the trays are full, harvest from the first tray and place it on top. Continue in this manner, rotating the trays as you harvest.
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Tips & Warnings
If you run out of bedding material, use shredded newspaper (avoid glossy or colored pages).
Add water if the bedding isn't damp. If it becomes too wet, add additional paper or coffee grounds.
The first harvest of compost takes approximately two to three months to complete.
Do not feed worms meat, dairy or greasy foods.
Keep the worms in an area that is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
