For the
Worms
Want to help keep some of our food waste from ending up in the garbage? Feed it to worms!
Rating: HARD
Adult Supervision Required? YES
What you need
- Rubbermaid tub (15 gallons) with lid
- Electric drill and 1/4 - 1/3 inch drill bit
- REDWORMS (available for purchase at various locations. See below)
- Soil, leaves or other organic material for bedding (about 8 cups)
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- 2 sections of newspaper (about 15 pages)
- Spray bottle with water
- Sink with water
Before you begin, learn as much as you can about worm composting. There are many great books at the library, or you can search
online. One great resource is the City
of Tacoma's Solid Waste site.
How to make it
- Drill holes around the top of the bin. Worms need to have fresh air
circulating through their bin. (See photo)
- Add soil, leaves or other organic material to the container. It should be 3-4 inches deep.
- Add 2-3 pounds of REDWORMS. REDWORMS eat and break down organic matter much faster than the standard earthworm - about half their body weight a day. The ratio for worm composting is 2:1. That means there should be 2 pounds of worms for every one pound of food.
Before you begin, figure out how much food waste as a family you will create in a week. Worms will eat half their weight in food a day. So if your family creates 7 pounds of fruit and vegetable scraps a week
(roughly 1 pound a day) you would need to begin with 2 pounds of worms. The worms will multiply according to their food supply.
- Shred newspaper into 1-inch strips. Soak the strips in water. Gather up strips, drain and squeeze out excess water.
- Un-crumple the damp newspaper and spread over the top of the compost like a blanket. When you go to feed your worms, simply pull the newspaper back and bury the food in the soil/compost, lay the paper down and replace the lid.
- After 3 months or so your compost will be nutrient-rich and ready to use. Separate out your worms from the compost. One way to do this is to spread out the compost on a sheet of plastic and pick out the individual worms. Return the worms, along with some of the castings
(poop) back to the bin. Use the compost as a soil
enricher for your plants or garden.
TIPS
- Keep your bin out of direct sunlight and where the temperature will remain between 55-77 degrees Fahrenheit.
- REDWORMS do best inside. Put your worm bin in a place that's easy to get to and see so you remember to
feed them.
- Make sure there is adequate ventilation for your bin (don't block the holes you drilled out).
- Keep your compost moist, but not wet. Spritz with a spray bottle
every other day to dampen the compost (if needed.)
FOOD TIPS
- Feed the worms fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and filters, paper and napkins.
- Avoid meat or dairy products as they will smell when they decompose and they may attract pests.
- Avoid sugary, sweet, spicy foods or sauces.
- Do not add any hazardous chemicals or things which will not biodegrade (such as glass or plastic).
- Chop the food scraps into small pieces. It will rot faster that way and be easier for the worms to eat.
Around Tacoma REDWORMS can be purchased from the Yelm Earthworm & Castings Farm. Visit
www.yelmworms.com or call 1-877-339-6767 for more information.
More projects
|
|
