Vermicomposting
I’m giving vermicomposting a try after a great presentation at the The Backyard Gardeners meeting last month at the Chesapeake Public Library.
William Jowers, Chowan County, NC, Master Gardener Volunteer will present, “There Are Worms in My Kitchen…”, a program on vermiculture and vermicomposting. Raising worms for compost is a fascinating topic and is something that can easily be accomplished by anyone. Bill will define vermiculture, explain the needed components, give direction on how to start, and show how it can be done to meet your specific needs. He will also discuss the benefits of vermicomposting and its positive effect on your soil health and gardening productivity. This is an informative program that is a must for all gardeners. Bill has been an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer since 2004 and is a lifelong Organic Gardener and long time practitioner of Vermiculture and Vermicomposting.
Following Bill’s advice I found a source for red wigglers on the internet. I chose www.compostcritter.com and decided to make my own boxes following the design of the sample boxes he brought to the lecture. Compost Critter seems to have gone out of business, but you can get worms for vermicomposting at https://unclejimswormfarm.com/.
I’d expected a notification of when they shipped, planning to build the box once I knew they were on the way; no notification, but they were shipped within a reasonable amount of time, and the seller has to try to judge what the weather is going to do so they don’t get damaged or stuck in a truck somewhere. In any case, when my worms got here, I had no box.
My worms arrived via priority mail from Pennsylvania looking rather dry and withered, but the insert included with them said that was to be expected and that warm water and food would perk them right up. I put them into a temporary home (an ice cream bucket) and within a day they were thriving.
A quick trip to the big orange home improvement store and I had all the materials I needed. Not a complicated project. Here’s what my box looks like:
I then added bedding: a mixture of shredded newspaper (damp, but not dripping wet), sand and some compost from my outside bin. Once I got the bedding in, I dumped the worms in on top.
Then some food and then bedding on top.
Have a peek of my little guys in action…