Vermiculture = Worm Composting

There are thousands of species of earthworm in the world, which feed on organic matter turning it back into the earth. These slimy wiggly creatures play a huge role in the ecology of our planet. They are mother natures biggest recyclers.

Worms can be divided into two different categories based on their preferences over habitat and the organic material which they digest:

Composters: which live in an organic rich environment, like a compost bin or a worm farm or rarely in a heavily mulched garden where moisture and food is maintained. There are only a few species of composter which include Tigers, Reds and Blues, Reds being most common in garden supply catalogs.

Earthworkers: These are the worms living in your backyard soil. They prefer a less controlled environment and a diet of soil and humus. These worms will not thrive in a worm composter or compost bin.

Both types of worms can be purchased from garden supply companies, local worm farms and possibly from your local garden center. It is important to understand that composting worms are for your worm composting bin and will not survive in your garden soil, and earthworkers are for working your garden soil and will not survive in a worm composting bin.

If you purchase a worm farm kit, they usually come with easy instructions and everything needed to begin. For beginners a prefabricated kit is the easiest way to begin, however, creating your own kit is also very simple.

Here is what you need:
1. A container for the worms to live in:
(This can be a plastic storage container or a plywood box. The container should be opaque and have a lid to keep in moisture. The size of the box will be determined by the room you have and by the amount of waste you eventually want to accommodate.)
2. Bedding material:
Shredded paper or cardboard or coconut fiber(commonly called coir in garden supply catalogs) or peat moss.
3. One pound or more of Red wigglers or other composting worms.
4. Food scraps and other organic materials.

To begin drill a series of drainage holes in the bottom of your container. Next, place a piece of cardboard on the bottom of your container which covers the entire bottom. This will keep the bedding and castings from falling through the drainage holes. Meanwhile, in a large bucket or your bathtub, begin soaking your bedding material so that it is damp thoroughly but not soggy. If your bedding material is too dry, the worms will not survive. Add the bedding material to the bin and spread it evenly across the bottom of the bin about 2 to 3 inches deep. Now add your worms to the top and allow them to settle in. Now your worms are ready to begin working for you.

Your worms will feed on the bedding material provided but you can begin to add organic material immediately.

Your worms will come to the surface at night to feed.

Worms can eat upto half of their body weight each night so one pound of worms should eat about a half pound of kitchen scraps each night. However when you first start your bin you should start adding scraps slowly to prevent odor. Over the first few weeks you will learn how much food to put in on a daily basis.

Over time your worms will reproduce and consume more and more scraps. Within 1 to 2 years you may have as many as 20,000 worms in your worm farm or more.

Be sure to check the moisture level in your worm composter at least weekly and to change your bedding material every few weeks.

Looking for a fun way to introduce the little ones to worm farming? This cute book teaches children about the value of worm farming as well as creativity and entrepreneurship.

Winnie Finn is crazy about earthworms and knows everything about them. When spring arrives in Quincy County, all she can think about is the county fair coming up. This year, she would like nothing more than to win a prize for her worms so that she might buy a shiny new wagon for transporting them around.

Trouble is, there is no prize at the fair for worms. Learn how, with a little creativity, Winnie turns this obstacle into a profitable endeavor, while teaching the town about the value of her little worms.

Buy Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer Today