Ya Gonna Eat That? Worms Will

Step 1

The cool thing about vermicomposting (that\'s composting using worms) is that it doesn\'t have the smell usually associated with traditional composting, so, you can easily store your worm bin indoors or in your garage. So, a worm bin can be an easy and space saving alternative to a compost. Pre-made worm bins come in various sizes, or you can make your own. Start your worm bin now and in a few months you\'ll have rich soil perfect for gardening.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous to set up a worm bin but with a \r\nlittle bit of learning it was a straightforward and fun process. My \r\nworm bin came with easy to follow instructions, both for putting the \r\nbin together (just a few components to snap together) as well as for \r\nmaking a comfortable home for the worms. If you want more detailed \r\ninfo about building your own worm bin and worm \r\nbin management you can take a look at Worms Eat My \r\nGarbage by Mary Appelhof.

Step 2

Most worm bins consist of stacked trays that have holes in the bottom. \r\nThis photo shows the holes in the bottom of one of the trays. You \r\nstart the process by using only one tray in your worm bin. Worms live \r\nin this tray where you put food scraps for them to \r\neat. The holes at the bottom are initially covered with cardboard \r\nso the worms don\'t fall through. Once the worms have eaten enough food \r\nto fill one tray, a second tray is stacked on top of it and new food \r\nscraps are place into this upper tray. The worms will migrate through \r\nthe holes up to the top tray to eat their new food source. Then the \r\nbottom tray is removed and harvested for the rich soil (technically \r\nworm castings). This process usually takes several months.

Step 3

Here\'s the initial worm bedding where the worms will live \r\nand your food scraps will be buried. Worm bedding can be made out of \r\nmany materials -- shredded black and white newspaper, decaying \r\nleaves, coconut fiber, wood chips, peat moss, etc. My bin came with a \r\ncompressed block of coir (coconut fiber) that I soaked in a bucket of \r\nwater where it expanded and broke apart. The material was then laid \r\ndown evenly in the tray.

Step 4

Here comes the fun part! Worms!! Even if you buy a pre-made worm bin you\'ll probably need to buy your worms \r\nseparately. You can start off with 1 or 2 lbs. of \r\nworms (about 1,000 worms per pound!). Worms are a bit pricey at over \r\n$25 a pound but it\'s a great investment. My worms arrived within two \r\ndays packaged in some bedding material. The next step is to spread the \r\nworms even in the worm bin. Here I am holding a clump of worms (break \r\nit up guys!). I was a little squeamish at first but I got over it. \r\nWorms are cool! The process of putting the worms in the bin is done in \r\nthe sun or under lights. This is because worms do not like light and \r\nso within 10 minutes or so they will all bury themselves in the \r\nbedding material.

Step 5

The next step is to spread some food scraps over the surface of the \r\ntray as \"starter food.\" It\'s important not to over feed the worms \r\nduring the first week as they acclimate to their new home. Otherwise, \r\nfood scraps may become moldy and will need to be removed from the bin. \r\nOver time you should be able to feed the worms about 1/2 pound of \r\ngarbage per day but they are not picky about being fed every day and \r\nthe number of worms can be adjusted for your household\'s needs. One \r\ncool thing about vermicomposting, is that when managed properly the process does not smell \r\nbecause an aerobic process is used (oxygen present). Worm bins can \r\neven be kept inside the house. This is opposed to many compost piles \r\nthat use an anaerobic process (no oxygen) that can give off quite a \r\nstench.

Step 6

The last step is to cover the tray with moist cover material. I \r\nused a few layers of newspaper and sprayed it down with a spray \r\nbottle. The paper cover can be replenished if the worms start to eat, \r\nwhich they might! Another cover option are burlap sacks. The \r\ncover keeps out flies, allows the food and bedding to retain moisture \r\nand keeps the worms in the darkness they enjoy. Now you are all set to \r\nhave fun with your new pets and feel good about keeping tons of food \r\nwaste out of landfills while creating rich new soil in the process! \r\nThe worm bin featured in this essay is a Wriggly Wranch purchased\r\n from a municipal program in San Mateo County, California. Check with \r\nyour city and county for possible worm bin subsidies as well as \r\nclasses. If they don\'t have them, encourage them to get it started!

Photographer Mike Kahn is passionate about sustainability and happy to \r\nbe a new worm \"wrangler.\" He runs the Green Stock Media photo agency.