Regional Recycling Backyard Composting Guide

Worm Composting

Let Worms Eat Your Yard Waste
Another method of composting, separate from the backyard bin or pile method, is known as vermicomposting. This is the practice of using worms to do your composting. Worms are macroorganisms that feed on your yard waste and fruit and vegetable trimmings, and decompose them for you. The goal of vermicomposting is to create the ideal environment for worms to thrive so they can efficiently decompose yard waste material. Worm composting is simple. You need a box, bedding, yard waste, fruit and vegetable trimmings, and worms.

The Box

You can either buy a worm box or make your own. You can purchase a plastic storage box from a local retailer. A homemade worm box should be a sturdy wooden box with a tight-fitting lid. It can be made from scrap wood or constructed with plywood and two-by-fours. A tight-fitting lid keeps pests out and protects the worms. (The worms will not escape from their box. They are not attracted to light; hence, they migrate toward the center of their box.) It is best to drill ¼-inch holes in the bottom of the box to allow for drainage.

The box should be sized to provide one square foot of surface area for each person in the household. For example, a 2' x 2' x 2' box will handle the food waste of a four-person household.

The Bedding

Common bedding materials include shredded newspaper, corrugated cardboard, coarse peat moss, and partially decomposed leaves. Worm boxes should be filled with bedding to provide the worms with a balanced diet as well as a damp, aerated place to live.

Tear newspaper or cardboard into one-to-two-inch strips before using as bedding. Bedding material should be thoroughly moistened by soaking it in water for several minutes. Squeeze out the excess water before adding bedding material to the worm box.

Always cover food waste with a few inches of bedding to prevent flies from becoming a problem. Rotate the location where food is buried in order to provide the worms with a balanced diet of kitchen scraps and bedding.

The Worms

Red worms, known as red wigglers or manure worms, are the best for vermicomposting. They thrive on organic material such as yard waste and fruit and vegetable trimmings. Red worms are not the same as earthworms or night crawlers, which need mineral soil to survive.

One to two pounds of worms are needed to start a worm box. Worms regulate their own population based on how much food is available. In other words, if they have a lot to eat, they increase their population. If food is scarce, their population decreases until the food supply increases. Worms reproduce very quickly. It is estimated that eight worms can multiply to 1,500 worms in six months. Once your system is established, there will be plenty of worms to help your friends get started.

The Harvest

Harvesting worm compost is very easy. Simply feed one end of the box for a week or more. The majority of the worms will migrate to that side of the box. Scoop out two-thirds of the worm castings from the opposite end and put fresh bedding in its place. Start burying food waste in the new bedding, and the worms will migrate back.

Worm Farms

Red wigglers can be purchased at local bait shops, from worm farms, or by mail order. Search online using the keyword "VERMICOMPOSTING" or "WORM COMPOSTING."