Start a Vermicomposting System
Do you have a lot of food scraps at home? Is your soil lacking fertility? Maybe it’s time to stop throwing your food scraps away. Red wiggler worms are ready and willing to turn your trash into rich, nutrient-dense vermicompost that is an excellent soil amendment!
Worm composting is a fun and easy way to transform your food waste into the best organic fertilizer nature can provide. Worm compost bins can be kept indoors or outdoors and are perfect for schools or for those living in small spaces.
You can make a bin out of wood or plastic or buy one. There are loads of instructions to make your own online. You can also check out our School Gardens page on our website for a DIY Worm Bin.
To learn how to have a successful vermicomposting system, we caught up with our resident Worm Wrangler, Angie Ouellette. Angie takes care of the large scale Vermicompost Bins at all of our School garden sites.
Here are her tips on keeping your worms happy and thriving!
- Keep them cool. Worms are just like us! They are quite content between 65 and 75 degrees.
- Don’t overfeed. 1 lb of worms can eat 1/2 lb of organic matter each day (that includes carbon and nitrogen sources) If you don’t want your bin to get smelly, wait to feed until they’ve consumed most of their last meal.
- Let let them breathe. Since worms breathe through their skin, proper moisture is important! Too much water or juice from fruit can create anaerobic conditions and make it hard for them to breathe. If it gets too dry worms also have a hard time breathing. If your bin seems too wet you can add dry paper scraps to soak up the extra moisture. If it seems too dry, you can add wet paper scraps. Good moisture in a bin can be tested by squeezing a handful of bedding, it should have the consistency of a wrung out sponge.
- Trust their guts. They will tell you if something is not right. If you open up your bin and it’s very smelly and/or you see worms all over the sides and the lid, something is not right. You may need to adjust the temperature, amount you’re feeding, or moisture level. Happy worms will be deep down, minding their own business, munching away turning your trash into treasure.
Happy Vermicomposting, everyone!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
