Vermicomposting or Worm Composting
Gardener's just love worms. They know that worms are like a factory, constantly
churning out rich worm compost, or vermicompost.Their raw material is vegetable
waste, including kitchen scraps. That means worms play an important role
in the "Going Green" effort. They help reduce materials that would
otherwise go to the local landfill.
Did you know? Some insecticides are harmful to worms. Among them is
Sevin, a very popular garden insecticide.
Unraveling Confusing Terms:
Common terms used in worm composting and vermicomposting are often
confusing. That's simply because many terms are synonymous. Let's take the
confusion out of these terms:
Worm Composting = Vermicomposting: This is the process of using
worms to convert vegetable matter into a rich manure.
Worm Farm: This is the location, or container where your worms live
and perform the process of vermicomposting. Whether you know it or not, a
compost pile in your garden is a natural worm farm.
Worm Castings = Worm Compost = Vermicompost: That's right, these
three terms describe the very same thing. Worm castings is the ecrement of
worms. It is one of the richest of all manures.
We will use the terms interchangeably, to help you get used to them.
What to Feed your Worm Farm:
You can put just about any vegetable matter into a worm farm.
You can feed just about any vegetable kitchen scrap to your worms. This includes
coffee grinds and the coffee filter, tea bags and egg shells. It is suggested
that you rinse the egg shells first.
Do not put meats or dairy products into your worm farm.
Did you Know? Worms consume about 50 % of their weight in food each
day.
Worm Farms:
Worm farms can be created from just about any container. Plastic containers
are perhaps the most durable for worm farms.Metal containers, or boxes, can
get too hot, if left in a sunny location. Wooden boxes can rot quickly.
Buy a Worm Composter
Best Worms for Vermicomposting:
Any and all varieties of worms. (there are many varieties) create vermicompost.
Some are more efficient than others.
Red wigglers are the best for worm farms. Like other varieties, they are
very efficient. Red wigglers tolerate crowding in a worm farm. And, importantly,
they do not burrow, like many other varieties of worms. Rather, they eat
their way up through a pile of compost, leaving worm compost behind as they
move upwards. This makes harvesting the vermicomposting an easier task.
Did you Know? Worms are on the diet of skunks, raccoons, and a few
other wild animals.
More Information:
Worm Castings are commonly available in the marketplace.
Buy worm castings now.
Worm compost also makes a good compost tea. They are great for your indoor
and outdoor plants.
Buy worm castings tea now.
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