thetwigster

For the past two weeks my home worm compost system has been up and running, and I couldn’t be happier with the results from this super simple DIY project. In the post, Worm Compost: Part I, I had all the materials needed for the system, two large paint-bucket type containers, a drill, and worms. To continue, I stacked the bucket with drilled holes (see picture) into the other bucket. Next, I added my worms with a bit of newspaper and cardboard bedding and some fermented sheep manure. Finally, I topped it off with the bucket covers. Now, while cooking, I add my veggie scraps to feed my happy worms. It’s that simple.

Some more tips…

DO take note of your ratio of  “greens” and “browns.” Greens consist of such things as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, plant waste, tea leaves and bags and veggie peels and cores. “Browns” include shredded newspaper, egg cartons and cardboard. You want a pretty even ratio of “greens” and “browns.”  If you see your compost is too watery, add some “browns.”

DO chop up large pieces of fruits and vegetables for faster breakdown. The worms actually eat the bacteria and fungi in decomposing food, so the older the food and the more exposed to air, the faster the worms will get to it.

DO harvest the worm juice at the bottom of the bucket for foliar application. This is the reason for those holes in the stacked bucket! The juice is invaluable as a natural pest repellent and fertilizer. Water down the juice with a 15:1 ratio of water:juice.

DO aerate the compost every few days using a wooden spoon or a stick to turn the materials.

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DON’T add kitchen scraps cooked with oil or with high amounts of salt.

DON’T add meat, dairy products, or highly acidic products. I don’t even like adding orange or lemon peels. Garlic and onions also don’t typically appeal to the worms, and can stink up the containers.

DON’T feed fresh manure to your worms. The heat from uncomposted animal manure can burn the worms. Also, only use manure from vegetarian animals – cows, sheep, rabbits, etc.

* Worm compost is very concentrated (1 ton of worm castings is equivalent to 10 tons of animal manure)

* The land that is passed by worms has 5 times more nitrogen, 7 times more potassium, and double the amount of calcium and magnesium.

* The worms can live up to 16 years

* Worms double their population every 40 days

the twigster,

Josephine

PS: In order to limit fruit flies in my worm compost, I dry my banana peels in the sun before adding them to the bin. Fruit flies LOVE to lay their eggs in banana peels. If you’re not living in the desert like this girl, you can also give the peels a quick rinse before adding them to the compost.

Make your holes smaller than I did. I had some worm escapees.