How Does a Worm Composting Bin Work?
Worm composting or vermicomposting is a tidy way to compost in containers. Vermicomposting uses worms to break down organic material, as opposed to traditional composting, which relies primarily on bacteria. Worm compost bins efficiently break down kitchen scraps and are clean enough to keep indoors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Contents
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As well as worms, vermicomposting bins contain a large quantity of bedding, such as shredded cardboard, and organic waste, such as vegetable scraps, as food for the worms. Because of the confined environment and relatively high temperatures, not all species of earthworm are suitable for composting bins, although most species eat dead organic matter. The worms usually used in composting bins are Eisenia foetida or Lumbricus rubellis, both often called red wigglers or manure worms. These are both small red species found naturally in outside compost heaps and animal manure. Lumbricus rubellis tends to live a little deeper.
What the Worms Do
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The worms consume the scraps placed in the bin along with the bedding. Worms have simple gizzards as part of their digestive system -- muscular structures that use grit to grind food. The worms partially digest the organic material and excrete worm casts, which form a compost rich in nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen. They breed quickly if there is enough food. The more worms there are, the more waste they can consume.
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Time Frame
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It depends on the amount of waste and the number of worms, but normally a worm bin provides usable compost within three to four months. At cooler temperatures, below about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it will take longer for the worms to produce compost. At temperatures below about 40 degrees, the worms become semidormant and show little activity until the temperature increases. Worm bins outside produce compost fastest during the late spring, summer and early fall.
How to Begin
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Kits containing everything needed, including the worms themselves, are widely available from garden centers. A homemade wormery needs only a large plastic bin with a few holes for drainage and ventilation, a large amount of shredded paper and card and a few thousand worms, which can be bought separately. Place the kit bin or a homemade version on bricks in a plastic tray. Site it inside or in a sheltered location outside. All the maintenance required is to keep the bedding damp, but not saturated, and to add kitchen and garden vegetable waste regularly.
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