![]() Red wigglers used to only be available at bait shops for fishing, but today they have become so popular, there are many companies that will ship them to you by the bag. Unlike your typical garden earthworm, they don’t mind living in a small bin and won’t try to burrow down deeper. ![]() The red wiggler species ( Eisenia fetida) loves living in rotting organic material and manure and is extremely efficient at breaking it down. That’s why this method of vermicomposting is also called red worm composting. The type of worm most commonly used for is the red wiggler. With any worm bin design, the goal is good ventilation, darkness, and drainage.īuying your worms: getting what you pay for The pallet bin should simply have one pallet on the bottom as the floor. The one thing this design doesn’t include is elevation, which can be achieved by gluing a few small plastic food containers (such as for cream cheese or sour cream) upside down on the bottom. Instead, the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended a great bin design with a short bin acting as a tray to catch any drippings from the larger bin. In my experience, however, I have found that this closed-up environment completely counteracts the ventilation holes and makes the bin retain too much moisture. In fact, this design often leaves out the lid on the first, inner bin and uses the large lid of the second bin for protection. A plastic bin can be set inside a slightly larger second bin, and many people recommend a large tote that will completely envelope the first bin. This is lined with a heavy-duty plastic, such as greenhouse plastic, which is punctured with holes for drainage and airflow.īoth types of bins need to be raised up. If you decide you want your worm bin outside, many people have been successful using a simple wood box with gaps between the planks (like a pallet). The side wall holes are for better air flow. Worms don’t need light, and even though there shouldn’t be much moisture coming out the bottom, the holes are there in case it needs to drain. Simply drill a series of holes in the sides and bottom a few inches apart, not including the lid. It’s almost always made with plastic and raised off the ground to allow water to drain out the bottom.įor indoor worm bins, this is done with a plastic storage bin or tote with a lid. Worm composting is now also used widely by large commercial dairy farms as one of the most efficient ways of processing manure.Ī worm composter is, at its simplest, a bin with holes for ventilation and moisture. The proof is in how many municipalities promote vermicomposting as a way of diverting food waste away from landfills. The biggest time investment is harvesting your worm castings (the precious poop/garden fertilizer), and that happens about every 3-6 months.Ĭan worms truly be the panacea of stink-free composting that many people claim? Yes, if you do things the right way. Worm composting, also known as vermicomposting or vermiculture, produces natural, odor-free compost that takes about 30 minutes per week to maintain. If you consider the cost of purchased organic fertilizer for your garden, even the most expensive composter could pay for itself in one growing season. A homemade worm composter costs about $30 and a luxurious store-bought worm hotel usually won’t cost more than $150. The good news is that you can harness this incredibly efficient composting power for yourself and change the way your family disposes of waste, with very little investment of time and money.
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