Harvest Time

Depending on your bin size, conditions and worm

population, it can several months to have usable
compost. Do not leave your worms in compost that
has no bedding—the castings are toxic to them.
You have two basic options to separate worms from
compost:
Single Bin Manual Separation Method
Spread out a plastic tarp and empty the entire
contents of the bin onto the tarp. Form several small
piles of compost, removing any organic material
that hasn’t been consumed. Light-sensitive worms
will naturally move to the bottom of the piles. Skim
compost from the top of each pile. Add new bedding
to the bin, return the worms with handfuls of rough-
age to the bin.
Trouble-Shooting
Good neighbor or pesty interloper?
Vermicompost:
Kitchen Composting With Red Worms
The worm bin is a mini-ecosystem. Lots of creatures,
visible and not to your naked eye, will happily coexist
with your worms. Why Worms?
• Reduce household garbage.
Except in the case of specific allergy, these community
• Create a compost rich in beneficial nutrients, bacteria
members are generally harmless to you, your worms,
and enzymes—improves plant germination, growth,
and plants: Fungi, spiders, mites, mold, gnats, and
yield, root growth and structure; increases water
flies. White worms (a.k.a. pot worms) are also gener-
holding capacity of soil and attracts deep-burrowing
ally harmless but may indicate an acidic bin or appear
earthworms if present in soil.
when starchy food ferments. Adding citrus and starch
• Requires less space and maintenance than traditional
waste slowly and in small amounts will curb their
backyard composting. A good method for people
population.
without significant yard waste, and apartment dwell-
ers.
Common problems
Foul odor: Anaerobic bacteria creates bin funk. Too

Stacking Tray Method

much moisture or overfeeding create anaerobic bac-
teria. Stop feeding, aerate bedding, check ventilation The Right Worm for
Create a second worm
bin, identical to the
and moisture level. Give the worms a week or two to
stabilize their system before you begin feeding again.
the Job
first—drill aeration and The best composting worms are known as redworms,
drainage holes, add bed- Ants: Bedding is too dry. Mist surface lightly or add a red wigglers, manure worms, red hybrids, striped
ding, and a few cups of layer of moistened newspaper. worms, or fish worms.
clean soil or sand. Set the
new bin flush on the sur- Worms dying, escaping: Worms may climb bin walls, They have big appetites and are comfortable in
face of the compost (the especially when first moved into a new environment. contained, shallow environments. The redworm
bottom of the new bin Worms should never be found outside the bin unless naturally exists in the litter layer of soil—the very top,
must make contact with conditions inside are highly unfavorable. Check tem- beneath leaves or in manure piles. A deep-burrow-
the compost—worms perature, aeration, moisture and food levels. ing night crawler would not adapt to a shallow worm
can’t climb through air). An an example of a bin—they’re better off outside to help aerate your
Begin feeding the new bin. stacking wooden worm Remember the keys to make your worms T.H.R.I.V.E.: garden soil.
The worms will migrate to bin with several working Temperature (ideal 68–77oF, overfeeding can cause
trays.
the new bin through the overheating), H2O (moist but not dripping wet), Recy-
drainage holes in the bottom. In 1–2 months, most cle (organic materials only), Invertibrates & microbes
of the worms will be living in the second bin. Any (good neighbors present in a healthy system), Venti-
remaining worms will be at the surface closest to the lation (living creatures need air), and Environment
food source and can be gently moved. (bedding, pH 5.5, dark).

Worm Tea
Nutrient-rich liquid will drain directly from the bot-
tom of your worm bin. It’s an excellent fertilizer when
diluted, one part liquid to 3 parts water. Never pour
water directly into your worm bin—your worms can
drown. To make more liquid fertilizer, steep a few
cups of worm castings in a gallon of water overnight.
More resources
• www.redwormcomposting.com
• www.wormdigest.org
• forums.gardenweb.com/forums/verm/
• Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof Eisenia Foetida is built for kitchen composting.

HOW MANY,
HOW BIG?
To determine the size of your bin and initial worm
population, you need to know how much kitchen
waste your household produces in an average week.
The best and most accurate method is to spend a
week collecting kitchen waste and weigh it at the
end of the week. The collected food will start to
break down, kickstarting the cycle of decomposition
that makes people-food into worm-food. When you
set-up the bin and add worms, you’ll already have
a week’s worth of worm-ready scraps. You can also
estimate about one pound of kitchen scraps per
person per week.
Worms can eat up to three times their weight in a
week. If your household produces 2-5 pounds of
kitchen waste, you’ll need a pound of worms. If
you find your worms can’t keep up with your waste,
get more worms or wait for their breeding cycle to
catch-up, steadily increasing the amount you feed
them to support a growing population.
A pound of worms needs a surface area of about
two square feet. The more surface area, the more
worms you’ll end up with and the more waste they
will compost. Remember, redworms are litter dwell-
ers–your bin just needs a depth of 8–12 inches to
keep your worms happy.
Redworms are quick to mature and reproduce. Ma-
ture worms can lay two or three cocoons per week.
A cocoon hatches in 21 days, producing 2–3 worms
that will be ready to reproduce in 60–90 days. With
the right care and abundant resources, your popula-
tion of worms could double every three months.
The worm population will stabilize based on avail-
able food and space. You do not have to expand
your worm bin if you do not wish to support more
worms.
.....................
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A standard 14-gallon plastic storage container
will house 1-2 pounds of worms and compost
kitchen scraps for a household of 2-4 people.
The Bin
You can use a plastic bin with a lid (thoroughly
washed and rinsed), build your bin from scrap wood
(avoid chemically treated or aromatic varieties), or
buy a commercially produced worm bin. A wooden
bin will help regulate the internal temperature if you
plan to keep your bin outside.
Make sure your bin can be kept dark and temperate
(ideal 68–77oF, under 40oF and over 85oF not recom-
mended). Drill 1/2 inch holes in the bottom of your
bin for drainage, and 1/4 inch holes along the top
of each side and in the lid for aeration. Place a tray
under the bin to collect “worm tea”.
Next choose a non-toxic bedding material that holds
moisture and allows air to circulate. Good choices
include shredded paper (black-and-white newspa-
pers, paper bags, computer paper, or cardboard);
shredded, decaying leaves; peat moss (which in-
creases moisture retention); coir (dried, shredded
coconut husks), or any combination of these. Do not
use glossy paper or magazines. Add a few handfuls
of clean soil or sand per pound of worms to supply
roughage. Crushed eggshells provide roughage and
calcium, and lower acidity in the bin. Add enough to
bedding to fill your bin 8–10 inches. Worms will eat
the bedding, so you will need to add more as it disap-
pears, until your compost is ready to collect.
Redworms will
Good feed on a wide
variety of organic
material. To keep
Eats
your bin from at-
tracting pests or
producing strong
odors, it’s best to
consider the redworm a somewhat picky vegan.
Worms love to eat:
•Fruits and vegetables (citrus in moderation)
•Crushed egg shells
•Coffee grounds & filters, tea leaves & bags
•Paper or cardboard--shredded and moist
Feed in moderation:
•Cereal, pasta, bread
•Citrus, onions, garlic, spicy peppers
Thoroughly rinse anything sprayed with pesti-
cides. Any new food introduced should be intro-
duced in a small amount to see how the worms
respond.
Worms are ready for more food when you see
them actively engaged with what you’ve already
fed. You should not feed in layers thicker than
one inch to avoid putrification or overheating.
Food can be buried in dampened paper, card-
board or clean soil to avoid odors and pests.
What to Avoid
Dairy, Fish and Meat: Worms will eat these, but
they are the most likely to attract pests and
smell rotten.
DO NOT EVER SERVE: Oily or salty foods. Pet
waste or litter. Non-biodegradable items such
as rubber bands, aluminum foil, bottle caps or
glass.