Apartment size composting

4.22.09 (happy earth day)

A beginner's guide to vermicompost(composting with worms)

Tania Hutchinsontania.hutchinson@gmail.com

My boyfriend and I live in a small apartment in Washington DC. We are making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of trash we produce and contribute to landfills. We consume fewer overly packaged products; recycle everything possible and we've recently started vermicomposting our organic waste.

Four months into composting and we are still excited about it. I hope you enjoy our photos.

Can you find our compost?

Its under the sink!

What is vermicomposting?

Known also as worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, vermicompost is similar to plain compost, except that it uses worms in addition to microbes and bacteria to turn organic waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Vermicompost, or vermiculture, most often uses two species of worms: Red Wigglers or Red Earthworms rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/green-basics-vermicompost.php

In addition to increased nutrient levels, worm castings contain millions of microbes which help break down nutrients already present in the soil into plant available forms. As the worms deposit their castings, their mucous is a beneficial component absent from compost produced by hot or cold composting. The mucous component slows the release of nutrients preventing them from washing away with the first watering. Worm compost is usually too rich for use alone as a seed starter. It is useful as a top dressing and as an addition to potting mixes at a rate of one part castings to 4 parts mix. Your plants will love it.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/green-basics-vermicompost.php?page=2

The benefits of composting with worms

Unlike compost, which can work its magic in a pile in your backyard, vermicompost requires a bit more structure to work, usually in the form of a bin. Bins can be made out of just about anything, but they require drainage and air flow to be built in, so things like styrofoam (very insulating, and may release toxins into the worms' environment) and metal (too conductive of heat and cold) are generally less desirable, and plastic requires more drainage than wood be that it cannot absorb moisture. The design of a bin usually depends on where you want to store the bin (in your kitchen, basement, backyard, etc.) and how you wish to feed the worms.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/green-basics-vermicompost.php?page=2

Using vermicomposting bins

Our 3 bin system

1st bin- food scraps and worms2nd bin- digested food (a.k.a. soil) falls through, however this bin is mainly an extra strainer for the worm tea3rd bin- worm tea

3 stackable plastic storage containers

*Worms like the dark. Our bins are clear, but we keep them in the dark cupboard.

Drill holes on the sides of the 1st bin and lid so the worms can breath.

Drill holes on the bottom of the 1st and 2nd bin for the dirt and tea to fall through. The 1st bin has larger holes, about 1/4 inch. The second bin has smaller and more holes, about 1/8 inch.

1st bin

Organic matter, worms and shredded newspaper

The shredded newspaper is "bedding" for the worms and is placed on the top and on the bottom of the bin. It should be damp, like a wrung out sponge.

If the bin becomes too moist, dry newspaper can be added.

Rather than throw fruit and vegetable waste in the trash, we feed it to the worms. Worms eat the organic matter and turn it into soil. The smaller the food scraps the faster the worms will digest it.

What to compost:

Some suggestions, not comprehensive

Compost Avoid Composting

all fruit and vegetable trimmingscoffee grounds and filtersteabags (remove staple)finely crushed dried egg shellssoft green plant trimmingsnewspaperegg cartonscardboard

meat, bones, and fishdairy products and greasepet feceskitty litterwoody pruningsdiseased or artificially colored plantsbleached papernon-biodegradables

*the smaller the scraps the better

We keep our scraps in a tupperware container and add it into the compost every 3-4 days (allowing the worms time to eat the food and not drown in it).

The new food should be introduced 2-3 inches below the surface, so bugs don't get at it. Dig a hole, dump your scraps in and cover them up... the worms will find it, but the bugs won't.

*the food does not smell in the vermicompost, but as a precaution we add finely crushed egg shells.

WORMS!!! Our worms are red wrigglers, given to us by a local friend.They can be found online and I think at bait shops.

** please do your research on what kind of composting is best for your life style and region.

Not much to look at. Some dirt falls though from the 1st bin, but this level acts mainly as an extra strainer for the tea.

Sometimes the worms come down here to hangout, but don't worry they know how to get back.

2nd bin

Worm tea is basically naturally produced miracle grow, the plants LOVE it. It is the liquid produced by the worms during digestion. You can buy it for $7 a bottle...or you can make it yourself ;o)

3rd bin

I like to strain my tea again through an old coffee filter.

Our house plants began growing new leaves and limbs when we started feeding them worm tea.

I usually dilute the worm tea 1:1 with water.

Happy Plants

Happy House

Happy World

Thanks for viewing!

Web Resources:

http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/worm_composting.html http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/green-basics-vermicompost.phphttp://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/vermicompost107.shtmlhttp://cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html#wormcompost