Pets that Do Chores: Worm Composting

Worms are nature’s best recyclers. They turn garbage into the real “black gold” –  rich, fertile soil. Worm composting, known as vermiculture, is one the easiest ways to recycle food waste and can be done indoors, ideal for those who do not have space for a backyard compost pile.

Here are the amazing things worms can do with your trash:

• Worms quickly eat up food waste and transform it into nutrient-rich castings. This “vermicompost” is an ideal fertilizer for gardens and potted plants.
• Two pounds of worms can recycle one pound of food waste in 24 hours. In ideal conditions, some can process twice that, recycling their own weight in food each day.

Vermiculturists agree that Red Wigglers (Eisenia foetida) and Red Earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) are the best composters. You can buy or make your own worm bin out of wood, plastic, or brick. Fill the bin with a bedding of shredded cardboard and/or paper and moisten with water. Place the worms inside the bin and bury food scraps under sections of bedding. There should be enough room to bury the food in a different location each time.

What to feed your worms:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps such as peels, tops, and cut ends
• Coffee grinds and used tea leaves
• Rotting fruits and vegetables
• Some leaf waste from house plants

Avoid feeding your worms:

• Meat, bones, oily fats (these items can emit odors and attract unwanted visitors such as mice, rats, or flies)
• Citrus peels (too acidic for worms; go easy on onion/garlic scraps for same reason)
• Nonorganic banana peels (pesticide residues can kill worms)
• Stickers or rubber bands from produce (will not decompose)

Avoid overloading the worm bin with too much food at once, as this can be harmful to the worms if the food putrefies. Stir regularly to provide enough oxygen, and maintain proper moisture. The bin should have some mechanism for draining excess moisture, or you can add more bedding. Too much moisture will drown the worms.

Before harvesting the nutrient-rich worm castings, shine a light source on the soil for a few minutes. Worms turn away from light, and they will scurry away from the surface so you can gather the soil.

In addition to adding the vermicompost directly to soil, you can make “compost tea,” a liquid plant fertilizer made by steeping some vermicompost in water for a few hours and straining.

Many cities and municipalities provide free information, training, and materials for home vermiculture. Some will even give you the worms! The incentive is less trash they have to haul to the landfill. Contact your local government office for more info, but you can get started on your own with little investment. Vermiculture is practical, inexpensive, and good for the planet.