Home composting--Worm composting

Worm composting is easy, rewarding and fun!
Given the right environment and a little routine attention, a handful of worms will multiply rapidly and digest your kitchen scraps faster than any other method. Even in cool winter weather, where outdoor compost piles lie dormant, you can compost your food scraps with worms and reduce the volume of your household garbage by as much as 25%.

To get started you'll need:

A Worm bin
Bedding material
Some water and food scraps
A crew of hungry worms

Worm bins

Food wastes and worms are bedded in shredded and moistened newspaper, cardboard, peat and brown leaves.
What to compost: Food wastes
Cost: $35 for new materials.
Materials:Plywood and 2x4 construction or use an old shipping crate from a local manufacturer. Or, buy a plastic storage container. Make sure your worm bin has a lid to keep out flies and rodents.
Where to put your worm bin:Because worms like moderate temperatures (between 55 and 75 degrees F), place your bin in a shaded location where it will not freeze or overheat and that is protected from the rain (e.g., back porch, garage, basement, patio or laundry room).
Tips:Your bins need to be only 8"-16" deep, since compost worms are surface feeders. Make sure your bin has a lid to keep out flies and rodents. The rule of thumb for bin size is two square feet of surface area per person, or one square foot of surface area per pound of food waste per week. A family of four may want two or three bins.
To maintain the system, rotate burial of food wastes through the bins. Every 3-6 months, the compost should be moved to one side of the bin and new bedding added to the empty half. At this time, start burying wastes in the new bedding only. Within one month, worms will populate the new bedding, finished compost may be harvested from the first half, which can be rebedded. During the winter, worm bins may be kept in a cool indoor space such as a basement or warm garage to avoid freezing. A properly maintained worm bin is odorless. Bins may be placed in a shady outdoor space the remainder of the year.

Troubleshooting


Symptoms	Problems	Solutions

Worms are disappearing	Not enough food	Bury food into bedding

	Too dry	Moisten until slightly damp

	Too wet	Add bedding

	Bedding is eaten	Harvest compost Add fresh bedding

	Too hot	Put bin in shade

Bin smells rotten; attracts flies	Food exposed	Secure lid; cover food scraps with bedding

	Not enough air circulation; too much food	Add dry bedding under and over worms; do not feed for 2 weeks.

	Non-compostables present	Remove meat, pet feces, etc.

Where to find worms
Red worms are found in old compost piles and under leaves. Purchase them at gardening stores, fishing supply stores, mail-order outlets and these local suppliers:

Gene Adams
5427 Enterprise Rd. | Glen Ellen | 707-546-6041

This site is sponsored by the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency.
Contact us at eco-desk@recyclenow.org