Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage … · tions for your worm bin, such as a ga-rage or carport, porch...
5
Using worms to process food discards offers several advantages: • Reduces the amount of garbage that needs to be collected from your home, and thus, it may reduce your garbage collection bill; • Produces less odor and attracts fewer pests than putting raw food scraps into a garbage container; • Saves the water and electricity that kitchen sink garbage disposal units consume; • Requires little space, labor, or maintenance; • Allows you to compost food discards in- doors year-round; • Produces a free, high-quality soil amend- ment (vermicompost); • Spawns free earthworms for fishing. Equipment and Supplies e materials needed to start a vermicompost- ing system are simple and inexpensive. All you will need are an earthworm bin, bedding, water, composting earthworms, and food scraps or any appropriate organic materials. Worm Bin. A suitable bin can be con- structed of untreated wood or a plastic container can be purchased. Wooden earthworm bin- construction plans are posted on several Internet sites. Manufactured worm bins can be purchased online or at some garden centers. Otherwise, you can make your own plastic worm bin by buying a storage bin with a tight-fitting lid. Make sure the bin is a dark color because earthworms are highly sensitive to light. If a plastic container is used, it should be thoroughly washed and rinsed to remove manufacturing residues before earth- worms and bedding are added. e bin size de- pends on the amount of food discards produced by your household. e general rule of thumb is one square foot of surface area for each pound of food discards generated per week. So if your household creates two pounds of food scraps weekly, you will need a 2-foot by 1-foot worm bin that is 8 to 20 inches deep. Homemade worm bins will need holes drilled for aeration and drainage. To provide Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage Vermicomposting (earthworm composting) turns many types of kitchen food scraps into nutritious soil amendments or growth media for plants. When vermicompost is added to soil, it boosts the nutrients available to plants and enhances soil structure and drainage. Vermicompost helps plants grow bigger and produce higher yields, and it can reduce the impact of some pests and diseases.
Transcript of Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage … · tions for your worm bin, such as a ga-rage or carport, porch...
Using worms to process food discards offers several advantages:
• Reducestheamountofgarbagethatneedstobecollectedfromyourhome,andthus,itmayreduceyourgarbagecollectionbill;
• Produceslessodorandattractsfewerpeststhanputtingrawfoodscrapsintoagarbagecontainer;
• Savesthewaterandelectricitythatkitchensinkgarbagedisposalunitsconsume;
• Requireslittlespace,labor,ormaintenance;• Allowsyoutocompostfooddiscardsin-
doorsyear-round;• Producesafree,high-qualitysoilamend-
ment(vermicompost);• Spawnsfreeearthwormsforfishing.
Equipment and SuppliesThe materials needed to start a vermicompost-ingsystemaresimpleandinexpensive.Allyouwillneedareanearthwormbin,bedding,water,compostingearthworms,andfoodscrapsoranyappropriateorganicmaterials.
Worm Bin.Asuitablebincanbecon-structedofuntreatedwoodoraplasticcontainercanbepurchased.Woodenearthwormbin-constructionplansarepostedonseveralInternetsites.Manufacturedwormbinscanbepurchasedonlineoratsomegardencenters.Otherwise,you
canmakeyourownplasticwormbinbybuyingastoragebinwithatight-fittinglid.Makesurethebinisadarkcolorbecauseearthwormsarehighlysensitivetolight.Ifaplasticcontainerisused,itshouldbethoroughlywashedandrinsedtoremovemanufacturingresiduesbeforeearth-wormsandbeddingareadded.Thebinsizede-pendsontheamountoffooddiscardsproducedbyyourhousehold.Thegeneralruleofthumbisonesquarefootofsurfaceareaforeachpoundoffooddiscardsgeneratedperweek.Soifyourhouseholdcreatestwopoundsoffoodscrapsweekly,youwillneeda2-footby1-footwormbinthatis8to20inchesdeep.
Homemadewormbinswillneedholesdrilledforaerationanddrainage.Toprovide
Worms Can Recycle Your GarbageVermicomposting (earthworm composting) turns many types of kitchen food scraps into nutritious soil amendments or growth media for plants. When vermicompost is added to soil, it boosts the nutrients available to plants and enhances soil structure and drainage. Vermicompost helps plants grow bigger and produce higher yields, and it can reduce the impact of some pests and diseases.
Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage
2
oxygenforyourearthworms,drillholesontheuppersidesofthebinnearthelid.Donotdrillholesinthelid,astheywillletinlightanddryoutyourbedding.Therearethreeoptionsfordrillingaerationholesintheuppersidesofthebin:1)usinga3-inchholesaw,drilloneholeoneachupper,nar-rowendofthebinandinserta3-inchscreenedsoffitvent(availableathard-warestores),OR2)drillfour½-inchholesontheupperlongsidesofthebinandeitherleavetheholesopenorgluehardwarecloth/screenoverthem,OR3)drillanumberof1/8-inchholesallthewayaroundtheuppersidesofthebin.Fordrainage,drillsix¼-inchholes,equallydispersed,inthebot-tomofthebin.
Thereareseveralsuitableloca-tionsforyourwormbin,suchasaga-rageorcarport,porchordeck,kitch-en,basement,bathroom,closet,orapartmentbalcony.Makesurethereisroomforairtocirculatearoundthebin.Ifyourwormbinisprop-erlymaintained,itshouldnotemitodorsorattractpests.Ifyouchoosetokeepyourbinoutdoors,placeitinalocationthatisalwaysshady.Yourwormbinshouldneverbeplacedinthedirectsunbecauseitcancausethesystemtooverheatandkillyourearthworms.Whereveritislocated,thetemperatureinsidethebinshouldbemaintainedbetween59° and 77°F (15°to25°C).Thereareseveralwaystomaintainthebinabovetheminimumtemperature,suchasgluingblueboardinsulationtotheouterwallsofthebin
fromahealthygardentointroducebeneficialmicroorganismsandaidtheearthworms’digestiveprocess.Theearthwormswilleatthebed-dingalongwiththefooddiscards,soyouwillneedtoaddmorewithinacoupleofmonths.Useaplantmistertospritzsomewateronthebeddingtokeepitmoist.Neverpourwaterintoyourwormbin!
Also,donotagitate,turn,orstirthecontentsofthewormbin.Itdoesnotneedtobeaeratedlikeacompostpile,andearthwormscanbekilledifhandledroughly.Earthwormcastingsshouldbeleftundisturbedonthebot-tomofthewormbin.
Composting Worms.Itisimportanttousethetypeofearth-wormsthatwillthriveinawormbin.Therearemorethan4,000speciesofearthworms,andonly6specieshavebeenidentifiedassuitableforvermicomposting.Ofthose,onlyonespeciesofearthwormisusedforvermicompostingbymostpeopleworldwide: Eisenia fetida (common
orsurroundingitwithstraworotherinsulatingmaterials.Alternatively,cutaplasticgallonjuginhalf,fillitwithwater,in-sertanaquariumheaterandplaceitinsidethebin.Ifitishotandyouneedtocoolthewormbin,mixinsomedrybeddingorputiceinacontainer and place it in yourbin.
Bedding.Toprovideasuitableenvironmentfortheearthwormsandtocoverfoodscraps,youwillneedtoaddbeddingtotheearthwormbin.Beddingshouldbeanontoxicfluffymaterialthatholdsmoistureandal-lowsairtocirculate.Suitablemateri-alsincludeshreddedpaper(suchasblack-and-whitenewspapers,paperbags,officepaper,orcardboard),decayingleaves,orcoconutpithfiber(coir).Donotuseglossypaperormagazines.Fornewspapers,foldasectioninhalfandtearofflong,half-inch-widestrips(gowiththegrainofthepaperanditwilltearneatlyandeasily).Soakanybeddingmaterialfor5to10minutesinabucketofwaterandthenwringitoutsoitisalittlewetterthanamoistsponge.Aimforthebeddingtobeverydamp,butnotsoakingwet(onlytwotothreedropsofwatershouldcomeoutwhenyousqueezethebeddingmaterial).Fluffupthebeddingasyouaddittothebin,fillingthebinnomorethanhalfway.Mixinahandfulofsoil
Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage
3
name:redwiggler).Youneedtostartwithatleastonepound(about1,000)ofredwigglerstoonesquarefootofsurfaceareaofthewormbintohaveachanceofdevelopingasustainablesystem.Donotgettheearthwormsfromabaitshop(youwouldneedtobuy33to83baitcups!)oryouryard(howcouldyoutellwhatspe-cies is Eisenia fetida?).Instead,buythemfromawormgrower.Foralistofearthwormgrowersbystate,gotohttp://www.bae.ncsu.edu/topic/vermicomposting/vermiculture/directory-by-state.html.Besuretocheckaround,aspricesforearth-wormsvarysignificantly.Whenyouacquiretheredwigglers,gentlyplacethemontopofthebeddinginthewormbin.Theearthwormswillimmediatelymoveunderneaththebeddingtoavoidthelight,buttheyneedafewdaystoacclimatetotheirnewhome.Iftheredwigglerstrytoleavethebin,keepthebininabrightareaaroundtheclockforafewdays,whiletheearthwormsgetusedtotheirnewenvironment.
Afterawhile,otherorganismswillappearinyourwormbin—theycometoeatandhelpbreakdownorganicmaterials.Mostoftheorganismswillbetoosmalltosee,butyoumayspotpotworms,springtails,pillbugs,pseudoscorpions,molds,andmites.
Food Scraps. Oncetheearth-wormshavesettledintotheirnewhome(afteracoupleofdays),addasmallamountoffoodscrapsonthesurfaceofthebedding.Theamount
shouldnotexceed1-inchhigh.Thiswillpreventthefoodscrapsfrombuildingupheat.Feedyourearth-wormsanynon-meatfoodssuchasvegetables,fruits,crushedeggshells,teabags,coffeegrounds,shreddedpapercoffeefilters,andshreddedgardendebris.Redwigglersespeciallylikecantaloupe,watermelon,andpumpkin.Donotaddcitrusfruitsorpeelstothebin,astheycancausethebinenvironmenttobecometooacidic.Chopfoodscrapsintosmallpiecessotheybreakdowneasier.Never addmeatscrapsorbones,fish,greasyoroilyfood,onions,garlic,fat,tobacco,citrus,saltyfoods,orpetorhumanmanure.Onceyouhavefedyourearthworms,useathree-pronggardentooltocoverthefoodscrapscompletelywith1to2inchesofbed-dingtopreventfruitfliesfromfindingthefood.
Foodscrapscanbestoredforafewdaysbeforeaddingthemtothewormbin.Manypeoplestorefoodresidualsinacontainerwithalidnexttoorundertheirkitchensink.Othersstoretheirfoodscrapsinacontainerorbaginthefreezer.
Onepoundofredwigglerswilleatuptotwopoundsoffoodscraps
aweek.Ifyouaddmorefoodthantheearthwormscanconsume,itwillstarttorotandbecomesmelly.Ide-ally,donotaddmorefooduntilthewormshaveconsumedthelastfeed-ing.Ifyouproducemorefoodscrapsthanyourbincanhandle,buymoreearthwormsorstartanotherwormbin.It’sagoodideatohaveaback-yardcompostingbininadditiontoyourwormbin,becauseyoucanputexcessfoodscrapsinit,alongwithcitrus,onions,andgarlic.
Thewormsmaybefedanytimeoftheday.Donotworryifyougoonvacation,astheearthwormscanbefedasseldomaseverytwotothreeweeks,dependingonhowmanyearthwormsareinthebin.Ifyouaregoingawayforacoupleofweeks,ap-ply1/2-inchlayeroffoodscrapsandcoveritwithtwoinchesofmoist-ened,shreddedpaper.
Harvesting the VermicompostAfterafewweeks,youwillbegintoseevermicompostonthebottomofthebin.Vermicompostissoil-likema-terialcontainingamixtureofearth-wormcastings(feces)andpartiallydecomposedbeddingandfoodscraps.Inaboutfourmonths,itwillbetimetoharvestthevermicompost.Youmayharvestthevermicompostbyoneofthreemethods:
Method 1: Sideways Separation.Feedtheearthwormsononlyonesideofyourwormbinforseveralweeks,andmostofthewormswillmigratetothatsideofthebin.Thenyoucanremovethevermicompostfromtheothersideofthebinwhereyouhavenotbeenaddingfoodscraps,andaddfreshbedding.Repeatthisprocessontheothersideofthebin.Afterbothsidesareharvested,youcanbegin
Food Scrap ConsiderationsParticle size: chop or grind it into small piecesAmount of liquid contained: coffee grounds, canned goods, and cooked food are wetter
pH: degree of acidity
Hardness: broccoli is harder than lettuce because it takes longer to be consumed
Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage
4
thebeddinginthebinfitssnugagainstthebottomofthebinyousetaside,simplyfitthesecondbininsidethefirstone,andbeginonlyfeedinginthetopbinforthenextseveralmonths.Mostoftheearthwormswillmoveupintotheupperbintoeat,andeventuallythelowerbinwilljustcontainvermicompost.
Beonthelookoutforearthwormeggcapsules;theyarelemon-shapedandaboutthesizeofamatchhead,withashinyappearanceandlight-brownishcolor.Thecapsulescontainbetweentwoandsevenbabyearth-worms.Placetheeggcapsulesbackinsideyourbinsotheycanhatchandthriveinyourbinsystem.
Using VermicompostVermicompostisafullystabilizedorganicsoilamendmentthatismuchmoremicrobiallyactivethantheoriginalorganicmaterialthatwas
consumed.Ithasafineparticulatestructureandgoodmoisture-holdingcapacity.Vermicompostcontainsnu-trientssuchasnitrogen,phosphorus,potassium,calcium,andmagnesiuminformsreadilytakenupbyplants.Italsohasplantgrowthhormonesandhumicacids,whichactasplantgrowthregulators.
Youcaneitheruseyourver-micompostimmediatelyorstoreitanduseitlater.Thematerialcanbemixedintothesoilinyourgardenandaroundyourtreesandyardplants.Youcanalsouseitasatopdressingonoutdoorplantsorsprinkleitonyourlawnasaconditioner.It’sbesttoprotectthevermicompostfromdirectsunlightbyincorporatingitinsoilorcoveringitwithmulch.
Forindoorplants,mixvermi-compostwithpottingsoil.Fortopdressingindoorplants,youmaywanttoremovedecayingbeddingand
addingfoodscrapstobothsidesofthebinagain.
Method 2: Light Separation. Emptythecontentsofyourwormbinontoaplasticsheetorusedshowercurtainwherethereisstrongsunlightorartificiallight.Waitfiveminutes,andthenscrapeoffthetoplayerofvermicompost.Theearthwormswillkeepmovingawayfromthelight,soyoucanscrapemorevermicompostoffeveryfiveminutesorso.Afterseveralscrapings,youwillfindwormsinclus-ters;justpickupthewormsandgentlyreturnthemtothebininfreshbedding(withtheoldbeddingmixedin).
Method 3: Vertical Separation. Beforeyoubeginvermicomposting,eitherbuyamanufacturedstackingbinormakeyourownbypurchasingtwoidenticalstoragebinsanddrill-ingextraholesinthebottoms.Setonebinasideandvermicompostintheotherbinforafewmonths.When
Worm Bin TroubleshootingProblems Causes Solutions
Bin smells bad Overfeeding Stop feeding for 2 weeksNon-compostables present Remove non-compostablesFood scraps exposed to air Bury food completelyBin too wet Mix in dry bedding; leave lid offNot enough air Drill more holes in bin
Bin attracts flies Food scraps exposed to air Bury food completelyRotten food Avoid putting rotten food in binToo much food, especially citrus Don’t overfeed worms. Remove citrus.
Worms are dying Bin too wet Mix in dry bedding; leave lid offBin too dry Thoroughly dampen beddingExtreme temperatures Move bin where temp. is between 59° F and
77° FNot enough air Drill more holes in binNot enough food Add more bedding and food
Worms are crawling away Bin conditions are not right See solutions above; leave lid off and worms will burrow back into bedding
Mold is forming Conditions are too acidic Cut back on acidic foods; remove mold; moisten bread products
Bin is too wet Mix in dry bedding; leave lid off
Bedding is drying out Too much ventilation Mist bedding; keep lid onLiquid collecting in bottom Poor ventilation; over-watering Leave lid off for a couple of days; add dry
beddingFeeding too much watery scraps Cut back on coffee grounds and food scraps
with high water content; mix with bedding material before feeding
Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage
5
foodscrapsfromthevermicompost.Makesuretherearenoearthwormsoreggcapsulesinthevermicompost,becauseredwigglersdonotsurvivetypicalconditionsinaplantpot.
Youcanalsomake“vermicom-posttea”tosprayonyourplants.Simplyaddtwotablespoonsofver-micomposttoonequartofwaterandallowittosteepforaday,mixingitoccasionally.Wateryourplantswiththis“tea”tohelpmakenutrientsinthesoilavailabletotheplants.Besuretousethevermicompostteaonyourplantswithin24hoursof
makingthebatchofsolution.Donotusevermicompostteaontheedibleportionofaplantunlessyouareab-solutelycertainthatthesolutiondoesnotcontainpathogens.
Large-Scale VermicompostingVermicompostingcantakeplacewhereverorganicmaterialsaregeneratedordelivered.Wormbinscanbefoundinclassrooms,offices,colleges,prisons,hospitals,nursinghomes,militarybases,andotherinstitutions.Large-scalewormfarmsarefoundthroughouttheUnited
States,processinganimalmanures,foodscraps,andpaperfibers.
NorthCarolinaStateUniversityhostsNorthAmerica’sonlylarge-scalevermicompostingtraining.Anan-nualtwo-dayconferencehasbeenheldsince2001,drawingparticipantsfromallovertheworldwhowanttostartorexpandawormfarm.
Sources of Additional InformationInNorthCarolina,contactyourlocalcountyCooperativeExtensionCenter.
OntheInternet,gotohttp://worms.ncsu.eduwhereyouwillfind:
-NorthCarolinawormresources(listofwormgrowersinN.C.)
-Directoryofvermiculturere-sourcesbystateandcountry
-Leader’sguideto5th grade ver-micompostingcurriculum
-Additionalinformationonsmall- to large-scale vermicomposting
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Prepared by
Rhonda Sherman, Extension Solid Waste SpecialistDepartment of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
North Carolina State University
Published byNORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
4/12—VB/BW 12-CALS-3061 AG-473-18 (Revised)
Optimal Conditions for Raising Red Wiggler EarthwormsTemperature: 59° - 77° F (15-25° C) (limits 32° - 95° F, 0°-35° C)Moisture: 80% (limits 60% - 90%)Oxygen requirement: AerobicpH: >5 and <9Ammonia content of waste: Low; <0.5mg/gSalt content of waste: Low; <0.5%
