KEEPING WORMS
Worms can be kept for composting (vermicomposting) or soil improvement, and require some specific care practices to ensure they thrive.
THE WORMS
Red Wigglers
(Eisenia fetida)
Ideal for composting, red wigglers are efficient at breaking down organic matter.
Blue Worms
(Perionyx excavates)
Also called Indian Blue Worms or Rainbow Wigglers, these are another species of composting worms commonly used in places like Hawaii. They are not typically used because they are active and tend to escape, but they work better in Hawaii and other tropical regions than red wigglers.
European Nightcrawlers
(Eisenia hortensis, old name Dendrobaena veneta)
Larger than red wigglers, these worms are good for composting, improving garden soil, and as fishing bait.
Common Earthworms
(Lumbricus terrestris)
Earthworms are great for enhancing soil structure but less effective for composting.
THE SETUP
Worm Bin
Use a well-ventilated bin, container, or outdoor worm bed. The container should have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging.
Bedding Material
Provide bedding made of shredded newspaper, cardboard, straw, or coconut coir. The bedding should be moist but not soggy.
Temperature Control
Worms thrive in temperatures between 13-25°C (55-77°F). Avoid extreme heat or cold, as it can stress or kill the worms.
Protection
Use a lid or cover to protect the worms from pests like ants, rodents, and flies.
Don’t add too much food at once, and avoid foods that can attract unwanted insects.
FEEDING
Feed worms a variety of kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggshells. Avoid adding meat, dairy, oily foods, or salty/spicy items. If adding a new food and you don’t know if the worms can tolerate it, add only a little bit and observe what happens.
Avoid Overfeeding. Only feed your worms what they can consume within a few days. Overfeeding can lead to bad odors and attract pests. Smaller pieces of food are easier for worms to consume.
BEDDING
The choice of bedding in a worm bin is crucial for maintaining a healthy environment for your worms.
Best Materials
Shredded Newspaper
Newspaper is readily available, affordable, and easy to use. It provides good carbon content and helps control moisture. Avoid colored or glossy paper, which can contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals.
Cardboard
This is another excellent carbon source. Shredded or torn cardboard helps with aeration and moisture control. Remove any tape or staples before adding it to the bin.
Coconut Coir
This material is highly absorbent, retains moisture well, and is a good source of carbon. It also helps maintain a balanced pH level. Soak coir in water before adding it to the bin to achieve the right moisture level.
Shredded Leaves
Leaves provide a natural material and are a good source of carbon. Leaves break down slowly, providing long-term bedding. leaves can be shredded or crushed, which will speed up decomposition.
Straw or Hay
Both straw and hay provide excellent aeration and carbon. They work well in larger worm beds or compost piles. Ensure it is free of chemicals and pesticides. Some newer pesticides are persistent, don’t break down, and are not tolerated by worms.
Bad Bedding Choices
Glossy or Colored Paper
These papers can contain harmful dyes, chemicals, or heavy metals that may be harmful to worms and soil health.
Tissues or Paper Towels
These paper products are often treated with chemicals, and they break down too quickly, leading to potential odors and excess moisture. However, it’s okay to add a paper towel now and then as part of the food scraps.
Fruit or Vegetable Scraps
Food scraps have high moisture content and the potential to attract pests. Better to use these as food rather than bedding.
Manure or Pet Waste
These can contain pathogens or parasites that might be harmful to the worms and the compost. Larger composting systems are better at handling manures than small worm bins because their decomposition is being handled by a host of microbes and other creatures, not just worms.
Wood Chips or Sawdust
Wood products often are too coarse for the worms’ bodies, and sawdust can compact, leading to poor aeration. Sawdust can also create a very acidic environment.
Bedding Tips
Avoid Chemical Contaminants. Always ensure that bedding materials are free from pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals. Worms absorb through their skin and can be very sensitive.
Maintain Moisture Balance. The bedding should be moist, like a wrung-out sponge, but not soaking wet. Proper moisture helps the worms thrive and prevents odors.
Changing & Adding Bedding
The frequency of adding bedding to a worm bin depends on several factors, including the size of the bin, the amount of food being added, and the condition of the existing bedding.
Monitor
Check the top layer of bedding regularly. As the worms consume food and bedding, the volume will decrease. Add fresh bedding as needed to maintain a suitable depth and prevent the bin from becoming too compacted or wet.
Add Bedding Regularly
Typically, you should add bedding every 2-4 weeks. This can vary based on how quickly the worms are processing the material and how much food you're adding.
Add Bedding with Food
Each time you add a significant amount of food scraps, it's a good practice to add a layer of bedding on top. This helps balance the moisture levels and provides additional carbon for the worms.
Moisture Control
If the bedding is becoming too wet or soggy, adding dry bedding can help absorb excess moisture.
Odor Control
If you notice unpleasant odors, it may be a sign that the bedding is breaking down too quickly or is too wet, and additional fresh bedding can help.
MOISTURE & pH
Moisture
Keep the bedding moist, like a wrung-out sponge. Add water if it feels too dry, but ensure it’s well-drained to avoid excess moisture. If the bedding is too wet, the worms will not be able to breathe. They breathe through their skin. This is why they come up out of the soil when it rains, otherwise they drown. Materials like shredded newspaper, cardboard, straw, or coconut coir may need to be moistened before adding to the bin.
pH Balance
Worms prefer a slightly acidic to neutral pH (around 6.5-7). Avoid too many acidic foods like citrus to prevent the bedding from becoming too acidic.
WORM CASTINGS & LEACHATE
Harvesting
Every few months, harvest the worm castings (rich compost) by moving the worms to one side of the bin and harvesting the other side. Some people have more than one bin for this purpose. Most setups have a drain catchment to collect the liquid leachate as it drains from the bin.
Using Worm Castings
Use the castings as a natural fertilizer for your plants, either by mixing it into the soil or brewing worm compost tea.
Worm Compost Tea
Worm compost tea is made by steeping worm castings in water, often with aeration, to create a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer. It is sometimes referred to as worm tea, which is sometimes used interchangeably with the liquid that naturally drains from a worm bin. We use the term Worm Compost Tea to differentiate it from the leachate.
Worm Leachate
This term describes the liquid that collects at the bottom of a worm bin. It's a byproduct of the decomposition process and can contain nutrients, but it might also harbor harmful bacteria if the bin is too wet or if the decomposition process isn't going well. Worm leachate from a healthy worm bin is highly regarded as perhaps one of the best sources of nutrition that can be given to plants.
If you collect worm leachate, it's recommended to dilute it before using it on plants and to apply it to the soil rather than directly on the foliage. Some gardeners prefer to discard worm leachate if it has an unpleasant odor, as this can indicate the presence of harmful bacteria.
MAINTENANCE
Monitor the bin regularly to ensure it stays clean, with no foul odors, and that the worms are healthy. If the worm population grows too large, consider expanding the bin or setting up additional bins.
OUTDOORS
If keeping worms outdoors, consider raised beds with good drainage. In cold climates, insulate the worm beds or move the worms indoors during winter to prevent freezing.
IN SITU WORM COMPOSTING
In situ is a phrase that literally means “on site” or “in position.” This method feeds worms and composts food scrapes directly in the planting soil.
Worms need organic matter to be in small pieces in order to consume it. When I did this I used a blender for the daily food scrapes in the kitchen, adding just enough water to blend it into a fine slurry. Finely chopping scrapes would have been much more work.
I then poured the compost slurry along a row of tea a little further each day. This was a small scale experiment just to see how well it worked.
I added the worm slurry along the row of tea for two to three weeks, moving down the row each day. The tea was still quite young and in a growing phase. I noticed that the part of the row that received the worm slurry was growing faster and taller than the untreated tea in the same row. The difference was quite dramatic. The first few plants were almost twice as tall as the untreated plants. I also noted that the soil was a bit softer, indicating the presence of more worms. I did not, however, do a quantitative worm count to support this theory.
The problem came in the form of vermin. Although I had covered the slurry with mulch, the mongoose could smell it and came in and started digging up my tea plants, ending the otherwise successful experiment early. My conclusions were that this method is very effective, but that vermin must be controlled. Simple mulch will control flies, but for larger vermin, the slurry needs to be covered with dirt, or other controls must be used.
THE BOOK: MY FRIEND WORM
I came across a fascinating old book called, “My Friend Worm.” It was read in a social audio room, but I have not been able to find the book. The point of bringing this up was the method used for keeping worms. Details are subject to my memory.
The center of the barn was lower than the rest of the barn, and the manure and straw were moved into the center of the barn where the worms lived, offering continual recycling of the barn wastes and affording them a constant source of compost and an income from selling worms. This idea is meant to inspire more ways to use worms to turn waste into resources.
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