Worm Farms for Composting

by admin on 22. Jul, 2010 in worm farms

As we consume more products and generate more waste over the years, the need for a more aggressive waste reduction also escalates in proportion, and composting becomes feasible in both large and small scales so that everyone can actually contribute to the green campaign. The method is called vermicomposting. Dating back to the ancient times, vermicomposting has always been a part of culture and civilization. But of course, this method of reducing and recycling waste would not be possible without worm farms. From the word itself, vermi from the Latin vermis means worm and composting means the breaking down of organic waste into soil.

Worm farms

Basically, worm farms are compost bins with worms inside. It is something we can all do in our homes and apartments since it is a cheap, easy and absolutely beneficial method of getting rid of our organic waste. Some people may not think of it as hygienic, let alone a fun hobby, but keeping one is actually clean, odor-free and fulfilling. How does it work?

Worm farms

The worms collectively will be your lean mean garbage-eating machine. These are not your common garden worms, but the earthworms, red worms and nightcrawlers that eat organic or biodegradable waste all their lives. They are placed in a bin with gravel at the bottom, shredded newspaper or cardboard as bedding and food scraps underneath. Worm farms speed up what each worm naturally does, eat and compost. The end product of their digestion is called worm castings or worm manure. It is noted to be one of the best and safest fertilizers. Castings look, feel and smell like the good soil that it is. Compared to the ordinary top soil, it is richer with nutrients excellent for fruits and vegetables to be planted and grown. Another environmentally valuable product of worm farms is called leachate. It is the brown-colored and odorless fluid drained through the compost bins as the worms digest, which makes a compost tea for our plants.

But worm farms wouldn’t be that efficient without its correct preparation and maintenance. If you purchase one, it may have removable panels and other features for you to easily and less messily keep up the work. If you build one yourself, you need to drill small holes on the plastic bin to provide air, prevent foul odor and allow drainage which requires a catchment pan and spacers. In any case, the same composting principle applies. Worm farms greatly help our ecosystem.

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Basic Guide on Worm Composting Bins

by admin on 25. Jul, 2010 in worm composting

Worm-friendly habitats in the being of worm composting bins do not seem gross at all for people who have lived by the ecological and economic benefits of worm composting in their households. It is a way of reducing and recycling waste, saving money on high quality fertilizers for your own land, having a stand-by supply of worms for fishing, and on a larger scale, cutting your town’s landfill costs short and bringing organic matter back to our earth.

But for people who have just come to understand this aspect of the green lifestyle, here is your basic guide on the worm composting bins that you plan to have.

There are many different types of worm composting bins available in your local gardening and hardware stores, and on the internet. You can even build one on your own if you have the time.

It is a self-contained system which requires worms that consume food, paper and yard wastes, a suitably dark, dry and warm environment, your household waste and regular maintenance.

Creating worm composting bins

There are important things to remember in worm composting with the use of these bins. It must be stored in a temperature of 50°F to 80°F ideally which means clearing out some space. Aside from its holes, it also helps to elevate worm composting bins for adequate ventilation since worms need to breathe, too. The appropriate bedding materials are brown leaves, peat moss and shredded newspaper or cardboard. It must be damp to make it conducive for the worms to grow. They must be fed with your organic waste every two to three days only, and it must be mostly buried in the bedding. An overload of organic waste and insufficient ventilation would cause a foul-smelling bin when it should be odorless.

The most efficient and most recommended worm species for worm composting bins are the red wriggler worms also known as red wrigglers, red worms, manure worms, brandling worms, and fish worms.

What goes into your worm composting bins

What to feed your red worms with? Worms mostly eat all the organic waste from your kitchen and backyard such as leftovers, spoiled food, fruit and vegetable scraps from food preparation, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and newspaper. Onions and citrus fruits are not among their top preferences, but you may put small amounts. Meat is a no-no because decaying meat would stench, and this would make worm composting bins susceptible to pests like rats. Do not forget that worms can only be fed with biodegradable wastes, meaning no aluminum foil, bottle caps, glass and plastic.

With these in mind, your worm composting bins will be effective in its purpose.

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Ways of Setting Up Worm Compost Bins

by admin on 28. Jul, 2010 in worm compost bins

Compost bins are very familiar units in the light of living green. These innovations are designed to promote human involvement in reducing waste or composting, a natural biological process of decomposing organic materials like leaves and food waste with the help of bacteria and other naturally occurring organisms. Its end product called compost is utilized as a soil conditioner, fertilizer and natural pesticide. While it can be done through several methods, the cheapest and easiest way is to use worm compost bins. It simply takes advantage of the garbage-eating powers of worms.

Example of worm compost bins

There are three basic ways of setting up worm compost bins. The first is by using a container drilled with holes on the bottom and along the sides. A layer of gravel is placed at the bottom of the container and covered with strips of newspaper, some organic matter like kitchen scraps and then the worms. Cover the bin with a newspaper, garbage bag or metal lid. Raise it up with a pan or pots at the base to drain any liquid. Once the waste is almost consumed and the bin is ready for refilling, the worm castings can now be removed and the process is started over.

Worm compost bins

Worm compost bins have two other variations. In this next set-up, two containers of the same size with holes on its bottoms and sides are being used and put on top of each other. It is likewise raised over a pan, or an empty third container of the same size. Once the top bin is half full, exchange its place with the middle container. Add some food and organic matter to the new top bin. The worms will crawl up, and the original bin will be left with compost.

A variation of worm compost bins

Lastly, worm composting can be done in a different system called swag. It consists of a sack with a wide top and narrow bottom. The top is kept open with a metal ring while the bottom is tied close. A bucket is positioned under the bottom of the sack to catch the liquid that drains from the process. Worms are put and fed in the same way, and it is just as effective as any other worm compost bins. The castings are collected by untying the bottom and squeezing it out.

Other types of compost bins come in stationary and rotating structures that apply other composting methods and bring out different results, depending on the desired compost. But worm compost bins prove to be easy to handle, inexpensive and odorless while creating high-quality compost and fertilizing liquid.

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Building Your Own Worm Compost Bin

by admin on 31. Jul, 2010 in worm compost bin

Worms are obviously not appealing to many people. They are dirty and slimy, but greatly significant in the cleanest and simplest way of reducing waste. This method is called worm composting. It allows worms to eat up your food, paper and yard wastes which end up into worm castings or worm manure. A teaspoonful of this end product of composting mixed in a gallon of water makes a compost tea excellent for fertilizing your garden, the pot soil in your house plants and the top soil of your lawn. But this idea works better using a worm compost bin instead of a filthy, smelly and exhausting compost pile on your backyard. Because it is cheap, clean, odorless and simple, a worm compost bin can be kept indoors like under the kitchen sink of your apartment, without any trouble, or outdoors if you have some concerns about having worms in your living space. These features made some people consider buying or building a worm compost bin. You can even build your own because it’s relatively easy. Here’s how.

You would only need 3 dark-colored plastic storage boxes, a drill with 1/4″ or 1/6” bits, a pound of red worms, food scraps, shredded paper and these steps.

  1. Drill small holes in the bottom of 2 plastic boxes, and along its top edges. This is to provide drainage and ventilation.

Drilling for a worm compost bin

  1. Fill one of the drilled boxes half full of damp strips of paper like newspaper and/or boxboards. It should be loosely packed because this is where you will hold the worms in your worm compost bin.
  2. Stack the 3 plastic boxes with the undrilled box at the bottom, the empty drilled box in the middle, and the paper-filled one on top.
  3. Add in the worms on the top container, making use of the damp shredded paper as its bedding, and keep it in a place with no direct heat.
  4. Bury the food scraps such as banana peels or lettuce under the bedding, and there you have your worm compost bin.

Worm compost bin

As additional instructions, do not overload your bin with food at first so that the worms will reproduce. You can feed them every other day after two weeks. In about three months, swap the positions of your active bin on the top and the empty bin in the middle. Add bedding and food scraps to the empty bin as your new top layer. You can now use the worm castings on the active worm compost bin that you built.

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The Evolution of Worm Bins

by admin on 03. Aug, 2010 in worm bins

The idea of a worm bin began in the ancient times. Drums, pails, windrows and wooden bins were traditionally used to contain a massive number of earthworms to benefit from its garbage-eating ability. These structures were continually used throughout history in a process called vermicomposting as a proper waste management method. It is still being used to date, but with the aid of purposely designed and specifically named structures called worm bins.

Worm bins

In 1990, simple plastic bins were introduced in a North American marketplace. It were said to be the first worm composting system in the form of plastic. Later in 1993, a stacking tray system appeared in Australia. Some time after, downscaled variations of the large stacking tray system were developed in the United Kingdom. Known as the continuous flow through system designs, it can effectively process hundreds of pounds of organic waste in any given day. It was not until when the lateral movement systems finally came out, that the home-built designs used by worm growers in the last two decades surfaced as all new and improved worm bins. All of these can still be utilized today but with the presence of ecological awareness and affordable systems to choose from.

The simple plastic worm bins now are recycled plastic boxes with air holes for ventilation and can contain food wastes of a family of four. The stacking tray system of multiple nesting trays also has liquid collection trays, and the continuous flow bins which are rather deep containers have welded wires. The lateral movement worm bins still employ the simple method of vermicomposting but in a cedar material.

It must be pointed out that vermicomposting or worm composting, waste reduction and even worm farming can be done both indoors and outdoors with the simple use of these worm bins. It can be done regularly in the home, apartment, office or backyard so it would not be a waste to invest on it. It does not require much time and effort for maintenance while your household’s leftovers and other kitchen scraps and organic waste are consumed by the worms up to its last weight and volume transforming it into a rich compost.

You can even create your own worm bin. Whether it’s a home-made or commercial vermicomposting system that you have, you can still take part in nature’s cycle and be able to give back some organic matter to our environment.

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A Worm Bin for the Environment

by admin on 06. Aug, 2010 in worm bin

Ever wonder what happens to the food scraps, yard waste and shredded papers in our garbage after we have disposed them? Yes, these biodegradable materials are being recycled. Waste papers usually go through a process of remaking it into new paper products, but what about our yard and food wastes? Recycling this organic waste needs some digging into the world of worms and making use of a worm bin. This major solid waste component can actually be recycled in our backyards with the use of “traditional aerobic backyard composting techniques”. However, those techniques could also be the source of odor and pest problems in the neighborhood. It’s not really convenient and logical especially during winter.

Worm bin

A worm bin, on the other hand, is the structure that is suitably designed for vermicomposting or worm composting which is the process of creating compost or fertilizers using worms. It is different from the traditional composting because it involves earthworms that consume organic waste and turn it into an odorless compost product, soil conditioner and topsoil additive. Bacteria and millipedes also contribute to this degradation. It does not produce a very high temperature that could kill pathogens in the process, which is why it works well for food, paper and yard wastes.

With a worm bin in your backyard, you can save money on fertilizers, top soil, and potting soil for your house plant attractions, lush garden and lawn. It will even benefit your town as it saves money on landfill costs. Vermicomposting with the use of worm bins is great for recycling food scraps in the apartment as well because it is very easy compared to any other composting techniques. Worms can eat garbage much more quickly, and it doesn’t take much of an effort to maintain a worm bin than a compost pile outside.

Worm bins are without a doubt environment-friendly. Its compost helps fruits and vegetables to grow healthy without having to resort to chemical fertilizers. It forms a much healthier soil without the need for pesticides and frequent watering. The soil will automatically absorb runoff and protect itself from erosion and pollution. Because of this organic matter, any fruit and vegetable planted on it will be packed with all the nutrients undisturbed. All that with a worm bin in your backyard! Some people and businesses even create their own worm bins so they could grow organic food, live healthy and contribute to a greener environment.

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The Worm Compost Store – Compost Bin Worms, Live Fishing Worms, Coir Coconut Fiber

by admin on 19. Oct, 2010 in worm compost bin

www.TheWormCompostStore.com We offer the finest quality natural organic composting products and accessories for us all to lower our carbon footprint! We have a large variety of worms, compost bins, tools, books, informational articles, and much more! We have magic worm bedding, nightcrawler books,organic worm casting products. Earthworms live in ideal conditions to produce premium vermicompost material. Compost Bin Worms Waterloo, IA – Cedar Falls, Iowa Produced By Visible.net media@visible.net

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Kimbriki EcoGarden Tour & Composting Workshop

by admin on 19. Oct, 2010 in worm farms

Some cool Worm Farms images:

Kimbriki EcoGarden Tour & Composting Workshop
Worm Farms

Image by Mosman Council

The mega compost and worm farm
Worm Farms

Image by leighblackall

Using sex to sell worm farms
Worm Farms

Image by kerryj.com

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Making a Worm Compost Bin

by admin on 18. Oct, 2010 in worm compost bin

Worm Compost Bin
by j-No

Making a Worm Compost Bin

One of the best ways to improve your garden is to stop throwing out your garbage. That’s right, your used coffee grinds and banana peels can help your tomato and cucumber plants grow larger and stronger. When that same garbage is eaten and digested by a worm it becomes a powerful plant supplement known as worm castings. Starting a worm compost bin is a great way to create a steady supply of worm castings for your flower and vegetable gardens.

First thing you’ll need is a bin. You can buy a commercially made worm bin but where’s the fun in that. Those plastic or rubber storage bins make great worm bins. Drill a few holes in the bin so your worms get plenty of air. Just be sure to cover those holes with small pieces of window screen or something else that will keep the fruit flies out. And if you have any plumbing experience, why not add a hose spigot near the bottom of the bin to take advantage of worm tea. Worm tea is even better than compost tea for your plants. All you have to do is add a cup or two to a large watering can and fill the rest with water. Then water as normal.

Next you’ll need some worm bedding. Most commonly used worm bedding for home bins is shredded newspapers. The bedding must stay moist but not water logged. Use a spray bottle to keep the bedding just right for your worms. When your order worms in the mail they will usually ship in a container filled with peat moss. Some people have stopped using peat moss as a political statement. You see peat is not a replenishable resource. Peat takes centuries to develop in swampy regions and it’s just being used up too quickly. Other’s argue that Peat is now created in a safe quick way and what’s all the fuss about anyway. The two sides contradict each other so it’s up to you to decide if you want to use it. Newspapers are readily available and you probably have a stack of them in your house already. So why not avoid the whole controversy and go with what’s on hand.

And don’t forget to put some dirt in the bin too. Worms don’t have teeth, so they need some grit to help grind up their food. You can also use rock dust or powdered limestone instead of dirt if you like, but regular dirt from your yard will work fine.

And of course, let’s not forget the worms. Digging up some worms from your yard will not work in a worm bin. Worms that come from the soil, like to live in the soil. For worm bins, you’ll need red wigglers. They’ll love the environment that you’ve created in your worm bin. How many should you buy, that depends on the size of your bin. Let’s assume that you’ve created your worm bin for the worm castings and not to have tons of worms for your weekends fishing. That means that you’re going to leave the worms in the bin until they’ve turned most of the bedding and food waste into vermicompost. The worm to garbage ratio is usually 2:1. That means that if you’re going to put a half pound of garbage into the bin on a daily basis, then you should start with a pound of worms.

Check your bin everyday to ensure that you get off to a good start. Keep the bedding moist and the bin should stay in a spot that’s about 60 to 70 degrees. Leaving the bin outside in the summer sun is a good way to cook all of your worms. And remember if the worm bin starts to smell, then you probably need more bedding.

Starting a worm bin is a fun project for everyone in the family. Get your kids involved, they’ll love watching those little worms wiggle around your bin. And if you’re lucky, you may see one of the kids chase your mother in law around the house with a handful of worms. Like I said, worm bins are good times for the whole family and great for your garden too.

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