Worm Composting

                                              If you would like to try your hand at worm composting,here are the four things youll need to get started.

  A worm bin  There are two basic options. The first is  to have a series of shallow, stacked bins with screening on the bottom of each bin. When the worms are finished digesting the food scraps in the first bin, they will move into the bin below, in search of fresh, undigested food. Once the worms have moved out, thefinished compost can be removed. Move the empty bin down and refill it with fresh bedding and kitchen scraps. A commercial of this design is the worm bin by Gusanito.

 The other option is to use one large, shallow box with a lid, ventilation holes on the side and drain holes on the bottom.The bin should be opaque ( worms dont like light) and have a cover to retain moisture and keep out light. Food is added to one side of the bin at a time so the worms have time to consume each new addition. A larege storage container works quite well ( 18"x 24" x 8" deep) is a good size to start with. Remember to drill plenty of holes in the bottom or one in the side as close to the bottom as you can get and plenty of holes in the sides,for air. Tip the container and put something underneath to catc the drippings (worm tea).

 Bedding Material (carbon)

                                        Just like in a regular compost pile. Its important to maintain a balance of carbon and nitrogen inside your bin. The purpose of the bedding material is to provide a food sourse for the worms, to moderate moisture levels in the bin, to control odor and to ensure good aeration. The bedding for a bin is usally shreded newspaper or crumbled dry leaves

                                        To avoid odors and keep your worms working efficiently, add a handfull of cabon rich material every time you add kitchen scraps This is easy if you stockpile a few garbage bags of shreded newspaper or crumbled dry leaves. To prevent mating  pieces should be no longer than one inch, so if your using shreded newspaper you may have to cut in shorter pieces..

  Kitchen scraps (nitrogen)

                                           Most worm bins are appropriately sized to compost one household's kitchen waste.  Yard and garden refuse is best dealt with in an outdoor bin (your worms won't be able to handle the volume).  You can feed your worms any kind of vegetable scraps (either raw or cooked), coffee grounds and tea bags.. To avoid problems with fruit flies, make a habit of putting all fruit in your outdoor compost bin.  Other things to keep out of your worm bin  (add them to your outdoor compost bin instead):  eggshells (the worms can't digest them),  bread  (it absorbs moisture and gums up), meat and dairy products, oils and any very fatty foods (difficult for thw worms to digest).

    Worms. The right worms for a worm bin are called red wigglers, also known as Eisenia foetida and euro nightcrawlers. Unlike other types of worms these special species.of worms thrive in the temperature range of 55to75 degrees F. When provided with adequate food  and the right living condtions, a pound of these worms will eat and digest 1/2 to 1lb. of kitchen scraps a day. Within a few weeks after they get settled into the new worm bin, the worms will start to mate, lay eggs and begin to multiply. You should have plentiful supply of worms for many years to come.

                      We have plenty of worms to get you started.

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       Raise worms and help clean the enviroment