Worm composting
Worm composting is composting done by the power of …wait for it… worms! So, what exactly is worm composting? It is the process of recycling waste (newspaper, cardboard, food scraps, leaves, plant waste, dryer lint, etc) into a rich, organic soil. Your houseplants, garden, lawn, or shrubs will love this composted worm soil. It’s home-made fertilizer, of sorts….and just think, without worm composting, it would just be future landfill!
I have a larger composting bin outside for composting grass, leaves, dead shrubbery, etc. (Note: my first attempts at composting were just big piles of waste…piles of grass clippings, etc. I find the composting bin works faster and I have yet to notice any bad smells). Anyway, I use this lawn waste (along with old newspapers, cardboards, shredded paper from my printer, hair from my haircuts – honest!) and let it compost for a few months, getting wonderful soil out of it, when the composting process is complete. I use this in the garden and have had wonderful results.
This outdoor composting bin works great in the summer months. Unfortunately, I’ve spent most of my life in states with long winters (from Alaska to Wisconsin). So, indoor worm composting is a great way to keep composting waste into worm castings and organic soil all year round. Since the indoor red worm composting bins are in my basement, without the fear of freezing to slow the worms down, they work all winter long and keep producing the richest soil enhancer I could ask for. Worm composting is easy, cheap and beneficial to my plants and the environment.
Worm Composting produces worm castings (vermicompost)
This worm compost is called vermicompost and my plants eat it up. Literally! So, all winter, the worm composting is being fed (my veggie table scraps, fruit rinds, etc) and producing wonderful, dark, rich vermicompost soil (worm castings). I just separate the worms from the composting bins, when it’s time, and either use the organic soil immediately on my house plants and indoor herbs or save the worm compost in a bag for the garden and lawn during spring/summer. There are a ton of benefits of worm composting, as described here: Worm Composting Benefits
I want to point out: every spring I used to go to the local hardware store to purchase bags of worm compost and other compost. Now, using worm composting, I create my own. I have less garbage going to landfills, and create year-round compost for my indoor plants and summer garden. I feel like my worm composting is a way to help reduce pollutants, decrease landfills, and is my own way of saving the world. And guess what? It doesn’t need to cost anything or very little! Composting Bins And guess what else? Worm composting is free to maintain for as many years as you want. So, I get free soil from my worm composting. My plants are happier, my wallet is heavier, and landfills are emptier.
Worm composting in an apartment
You can compost with worms in an apartment….it’s not as though this is for farmers only. Repeat after me, "worm composting is easy, environmentally healthy and for everybody!" I’m a system analyst…I don’t spend my days in nature or getting dirty. My wife is a stay at home mother (she got a degree in chemical engineering). We should be the last two people in the world who would consider worm composting in our house….but it’s not gross at all. Plus, it’s fun when friends come over, and ask about pets. “Oh, I have several thousand pets right now.” People love to see the worm composting bins and, once they overcome their first reaction to the process, are very interested in it and have tons of questions. I guess, that’s why I decided to build this web-site. Using photos and personal stories, I want to explain how to build (or buy) worm composting bins, how to feed the worms, harvest the vermicompost, and how to keep worm composting all year round.
So, welcome to the red-worm-composting website! I will outline below a few of the major topics of importance for one to consider with worm compost. These are based off of my research into worm composting, but also, through my personal experiences while working both my outdoor compost pile and my indoor red worm composting. Hopefully, my success (and a few of my failures) can help you get started with your own worm composting and save you some time and effort. First step: this website….next step: your own rich, organic worm composting soil Worm Castings!