One of natures most amazing creatures is eisenia fetida or red wiggler worms. These creatures are typically found in organically rich soils and help create some of the best soils in the world specifically in Europe and North America. These worms are able to take vegetation that is currently in a rotting stage and process it so that it becomes valuable compost and organic matter. Here are a few tips on creating the best vermicomposting system.
Organic gardening is all the rage. People are trying to go natural and steer away from foods that are created with chemicals and fertilizers. It is definitely a more healthy attitude but it can cost a lot of time and money especially if you do not know what you are doing. What red wiggler worms do is they take all of your food scraps and they process it into a rich compost that can be added regularly to your garden.
For people that are trying to do this the first time, they need to remember a couple of things. First of all, red worms are a living population. You must care for them or they will die. They need certain climate conditions with in their bins in order to survive and thrive within the closed unit area.
By adding the proper amount of soil, organic material, water, and air to your bin, you can create a compost producing machine that will make some of the richest compost that you will ever put in your garden. The result will be larger and better tasting vegetables and fruits.
When you are first trying this out, it is good to use a simpler system. The easiest system is a single bin that you can stack easily on your kitchen counter. Don't worry about the worms. They cannot bite. They don't even have mouths! What you want to do is add bedding such as newspaper to the bottom of the bin. You then want to add soil, the worms, and then another layer in of organic material along with bedding to help them digest and process the food.
You can use a moisture content meter if you wish but over time as you stir the bin with your hand or a shovel, you will get a feeling for how wet the soil feels and looks. The idea is to not allow the band to become too saturated which will increase the probability that your food scraps will begin to rot in the worms will begin to die.
In regard to our planet, vermicomposting is an essential and helpful hobby that can help stop the filling of our landfills. Most people throw out all of their organic kitchen material which gets taken away by the garbage disposal company. What better garbage disposal to have been one that allows you to have a free byproduct of nurturing nutrient filled compost that will help you provide extra food for your family.
One of the best components to a successful garden is making sure that it has enough vitamins, minerals, and what are called phytonutrients that can help your garden grow. Red worms will do all of this for you through their processing of the organic waste.
Always make sure that there is air flow within the bin and that it does not become stagnant. Even though you have drilled holes into your bin for proper aeration, you still need to remember to turn the bin. The lid on the bin protects your composting colony from flies double a larger in the mix which can cause a great problem.
When placing your composting worms somewhere in your home or in the garage, always remember that these creatures come from a natural environment that is typically warm. You would not want to need your worm bin outside if you live in a 5000 foot level and expect them to be alive in the morning.
Other bedding materials that you can use other than newspaper our peat moss and dried manure. Also keep in mind that the ratio between nitrogen and carbon in the bedding mix needs to be maintained. This is about a 30 to 1 ratio for all vermicomposting units.
Once all of this has been placed together, you're ready to go. The bin works all by itself like a subculture or colony. As long as you provide it with food and water, it will work for you and make you the best compost in the world.
