Contrary to general belief all worms are not alike! A compost worm is of the
genus Eisenia and the species Fetida (pronounced “i see nee a fet id a
). The most common name is red wiggler or red worm. We have also heard them
called manure worms.
These worms, together with many microorganisms, process large amounts of organic
material to make rich dark compost, which when dried has aproximately the same
consistently and look as coffee grounds.
The process by which the organic waste is broken down is called vermicomposting.
It is estimated that in ideal conditions, a worm (with soil micro-organisms)
will process it's own weight in food and bedding every day. In other words,
a bin with a pound of worms could process a pound of food in 24 hours. Of course
that is in idealistic (and unattainable circumstances) We have found that
it is more realistic to say that a pound of worms can handily process a
half pound daily.
This is a simple way to turn organic kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, tea bags and coffee grounds into a useful soil conditioner. This can be used on houseplants, flowerbeds, lawns etc.
WHAT FOODS CAN BE PUT IN A VERMICOMPOST BIN?
The general rule is “If grown in the ground or its ingredients came from
things grown in the ground, then it can be fed to the worm bin".
There are a few exceptions to this rule. Excess quantities of citrus fruits
can kill the worms, so we do not put them in our bins at all. Remember, this
includes coffee grounds and filters as well as tea bags. With the latter, cut
them open and remove string and staple if necessary.
Obviously NO MEAT, NO DAIRY AND NO FATS (A little quantity such as mayonnaise
or margarine on bread leftovers is okay.)
The one addition to this rule is eggshells, dry them, crush them and add to
worm bin to balance the PH. We also put a few intact eggshells in our bins,
(we find many worm curled up inside the shell). Most of the time I dry the shells
and crush them in an old plastic bag with a rolling pin or pulverize them in
a blender. The purpose of doing this is to make the calcium carbonate more available
to the microorganisms in the bin. This is also useful to plants when the compost
is put in the garden.
As a rule, include all your peelings, leftover grain
products (including cereal & breads), and fruit and vegetable leftovers,
to the worm bin.
We find that the smaller the particle, the faster it breaks down. We keep a
stainless steel pail in our kitchen with an old pair of scissors on the top
and cut our waste down before putting it in to thumb nail size. It may sound
like a lot of trouble but once you get into the habit, it is easy, and makes
the work a lot easier for the worms. Others use a food processor or grinder
do break the waste down before feeding the worms.
Freezing the food before adding it to the bin is an ideal way to prevent fruit
flies, as this kills the eggs that might be on the skins. Bananas are particularly
bad for carrying fruit fly eggs.
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