Posted by Alan Brenner
Do you know what vermiculture or vermicomposting are? These are the terms given to describe the process of using special worms to breakdown organic waste into functional compost.
You can't just use any worms however; you need to use certain composting varieties such as red wigglers. This process is an organic, environmentally friendly way of making fertilizer for your garden and helps reduce the amount of garbage you send to the landfill.
Making use of vermiculture to create worm compost is similar to having an ant farm or raising bees. You basically give the creatures the substance they want and need. In our case a comfy environment and organic leftovers and they simply go about their business living. The leftover product, compost, is in return something you want. Both sides win!
And what you want is the worm castings. This excellent marvelous, organic fertilizer is like high octane racing fuel for your garden. Red wigglers will thrive in a storage bin eating their food (your scraps), processing the scraps, and leaving behind outstanding, environmentally friendly worm compost in a pretty short amount time.
Many of the greenhouses will offer worm compost. Various forms of compost are often referred to as "black gold" and worm compost is some of the best "gold". It is sterile, nearly odorless, and clean. There are no health risks when handling it with your bare hands and it will not harm your pets or other natural creatures in the backyard. Finally, if you haven't guessed, it will considerably improve your soil, promoting growth and the health of your plants.
Aquiring Some worm castings - As mentioned earlier you can buy worm castings from your local greenhouse. If you want to take full advantage of vermiculture you can get started quickly by investing in a pre-built worm composting bin. Several of those sold online will come with some red wigglers to get started.
If you're feeling a little adventurous or a regular DIY kind person making your own worm bin can be completed in a single evening. A DIY worm compost bin should only cost a small fraction of a commercial bin and red worms can be purchased obtained from a range of suppliers, local and via the Internet.
Caring for Your Worms - Vermicomposting can be a simple process if you obtain the proper information. It is quite effortless to take care of worms for composting. After no time at all you will get use to caring for compost worms and you may come to think of them as your pets. Only these worms should be considerably easier and cheaper to care for.
You may consider using this as a chance to educate your children about science, gardening, and helping to care for our environment. Learning opportunities are priceless moments.
For some resources on creating your own worm composting bin, information on building an army of worms, and much more visit us at DiscoverComposting.com. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
Tags: worm compost
Posted by Rhonda Abrons
Organic is widely becoming the most desirable way to garden and eat food. Using an organic fertilizer relieves the stress of worrying about chemicals contaminating your vegetables and fruits. One organic fertilizer is worm excretion or Vermiculture. Using worm compost will bring you a hardy, healthy crop. Here are the simple steps needed to create your own worm compost.
Get a Container
For best results, acquire a container that is eight to twelve inches deep. In addition, wood is an excellent material for your worm compost as it absorbs moisture and insulates the worms. There are some who prefer a rectangular shaped plastic container; however these tend to make the compost soggy.
Make Sure to Aerate the Bottom
Drill holes at least 2 inches apart all along the container bottom. Plastic containers may need more holes. Raise the bin off the ground with bricks. This provides air flow to the worms and prevents the materials from rotting. Keep a tray underneath the bin to catch excess moisture that can then be used for liquid fertilizer. If your compost comes out too wet, simply drill more holes.
Line with Newspaper
To line the bottom of the container, simply shred newspaper into one inch wide strips and spray with water from a spray bottle until damp. Once this is completed, you will need to add about one cup of sand to the container. The sand assists the worms with their digestion.
Collect and Save Kitchen Scraps
About a week before you purchase your worms, start collecting kitchen scraps to feed the worms. The kitchen scraps you save are just like for home composting. Do not use animal proteins like meat, bones, cheese, milk, or oil products like salad dressing or mayonnaise. All raw vegetable and fruit leftovers, coffee grounds, used tea bags and egg shells are good.
Purchase Your Worms
Red worms or red wigglers are best in a compost bin because they thrive off of organic material like rotting vegetables. You will need two pounds of worms for one day each of food waste, this is around 2,000 worms.
Cover Container
When placing your container outside, a wooden board works best as it keeps the worms in darkness just as they like it while keeping the soil moist. In addition, it also prevents predators from getting in. If your container is indoors, a simple plastic lid cover will suffice.
Collect Castings from Worms
Within four to six weeks from starting your worm compost you will start to notice the bedding becoming darker. Finally, in about two to three months, there will be very little of your original bedding remaining. If you wish to collect all of the compost or castings at once, simply pour the container onto a tarp or old shower curtain liner. The next step is to shine a light over the piles to ensure the worms move to the bottom. Once you are sure they are at the bottom, begin scooping the castings until all that is left are the worms. Place new bedding, the worms and some of the castings back in your container and start all over again.
Rhonda Abrons is a keen organic gardening enthusiast. She loves to share her gardening experiences and provide lessons about Organic Garden Companion Planting and DIY Recipes for Natural Pesticides on Clivir.com.
Tags: worm compost
Posted by Rhonda Abrons
by Rhonda Abrons
Organic is widely becoming the most desirable way to garden and eat food. Using an organic fertilizer relieves the stress of worrying about chemicals contaminating your vegetables and fruits. One organic fertilizer is worm excretion or Vermiculture. Using worm compost will bring you a hardy, healthy crop. Here are the simple steps needed to create your own worm compost.
Choose the Proper Container
You will need a container at least 8 to 12 inches deep. Wood is better as it absorbs moisture and insulates the worms. A rectangular plastic container is often used, but the compost tends to be soggy.
Aerate the bottom
Drill holes at least 2 inches apart all along the container bottom. Plastic containers may need more holes. Raise the bin off the ground with bricks. This provides air flow to the worms and prevents the materials from rotting. Keep a tray underneath the bin to catch excess moisture that can then be used for liquid fertilizer. If your compost comes out too wet, simply drill more holes.
Line with Newspaper
To line the bottom of the container, simply shred newspaper into one inch wide strips and spray with water from a spray bottle until damp. Once this is completed, you will need to add about one cup of sand to the container. The sand assists the worms with their digestion.
Collect Kitchen Scraps
Just as you would save leftovers for your home composting, you will need to save your kitchen scraps for your worm compost. This should be started at least one week prior to purchasing your worms. The best foods are egg shells, used tea bags, coffee grounds and raw fruit and vegetable leftovers. The foods you want to avoid are meat, bones, cheese, milk or mayonnaise and salad dressings.
Acquire Your Worms
Red worms or red wigglers are best in a compost bin because they thrive off of organic material like rotting vegetables. You will need two pounds of worms for one day each of food waste, this is around 2,000 worms.
Cover the Container
Worms like it dark and moist, so cover with a wooden board when outside. This will also keep away predators. Inside, heavy plastic will do.
Collect Worm Excretions
After two to four weeks, the bedding in the container will start to appear darker. By two to three months, nothing of the original bedding will be left. At this point, you can then harvest your worm castings or compost. First, simply pour the container out in piles on a tarp or old shower curtain liner. Then, shine a bright light over the piles to ensure all the worms move to the bottom. Now you can begin collecting. Scoop away all the compost until all that is left are worms. Finally, re-line the container with new bedding, add worms and some of their castings and begin again.
Tags: worm compost
