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Worm Bins 101

This year more and more people are interested in having a worm bin. Red worms, Eisenia fetida, turn food waste into vermicompost, a healthy addition to your garden. Growing healthy plants requires healthy soil; by mixing vermicompost (also known as worm castings) into your vegetable garden and perennial garden you are feeding your soil and plants. Also, worm castings make a nutrient-rich mulch or blanket. You simply lay a half inch over the top of your soil. Just delicious for your plants! Let's get going! The staff at Sky is here to help with advice for your specific situation.

Step 1: Purchase or make a worm bin. Sky offers a nicely constructed cedar bin which is 30" x 15" x 15". This is a great size for a family. We have two bins at Sky which readily gulp all of our lunchroom scraps. One of the bins has held up reliably for over ten years and the other is three years old. The ideal placement for your worm bin is a shady area protected from extreme temperatures (below freezing or above 86oF). Offer protection in extreme cold (an old blanket or mound of leaves inside fencing) or move your bin into the garage or basement.

Step 2: Create bedding for your red wigglers out of cardboard, newspaper, coconut coir, dried leaves and a touch of soil. Please use wax-free, pesticide-free cardboard and newspaper (no slick paper) torn into foot-sized pieces. Soak newspaper and cardboard, and then drain the excess water. Fill your bin within a couple inches of the top. Toss in dried leaves and sprinkle in some soil. Mix it all up and there you have it: a nice home for your worms.

Worm bedding should have an even moisture content like a squeezed out sponge. If the bedding feels too moist add coconut coir, which we carry at Sky in three different sizes. A little coconut coir goes a long way. Roll the coconut coir between your hands and mix into your bin. In drier weather, sprinkle in water.

Step 3: Purchase red wigglers. We sell healthy worms year round (weather permitting) at Sky Nursery. Add one to two pints of worms to jump start composting. Naturally, in warm weather worms can work faster than in cool weather.

Step 4: Bury your food waste. Food scraps can be everything except proteins. No cheese, meat, bones, pet feces, etc. in bin. When burying food waste, lift up bedding and place food waste underneath, rotating around the bin. Typically you can feed one pound food waste per square foot per week.

Step 5: Harvest your vermicompost. Push all food waste to one side of your bin and place fresh bedding in the other half. Start to bury food waste under the fresh bedding and leave the other side to rest. The red wigglers will move toward the new food waste and now you can harvest the vermicompost.
Another method for harvesting castings is on a sunny day, empty worm bin contents onto a tarp. Form a pyramid shape with the castings. The worms will gradually move down away from the light. You can then skim the vermicompost off the top of your casting pyramid as the worms migrate down, until you are left with mostly worms. Then, add new bedding and the worms to your bin.

At Sky we have Master Composter Soil Builders and experienced staff on hand to answer your questions. Also, Worms Eat my Garbage by Mary Appelhof can offer troubleshooting suggestions. Now you are on your way!

By Kristel Dillon
Skylights Spring/Summer 2009, Vol 24, No. 2

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