Print
Email
Please fill out this form. We will email the link to this page to your friend right away. All fields marked
are required.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Personal Message:
|
Make a Worm Compost Bin
Red wigglers will devour banana peels, apple cores, lettuces, leftovers-gone-bad, and other things--and then they'll poop them out as black castings. The castings make great fertilizer for gardens and houseplants.
What You Need:
- Plastic storage bin and lid: 10-gallon size or bigger
- Tray for under the bin
- Sharp-pointed scissors or cordless drill
- Newspaper
- Water
- Handful of soil
- Red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida)
What You Do:
- Use the scissors or drill to make air holes in the bottom and lid of the bin. Slide the tray under the bin to catch drips.
- Tear newspaper into strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Fill the bin about half-full with this bedding.
- Add water to the bedding. Keep adding and mixing until all the paper is damp but not soggy.
- Toss in a handful of soil. This will help the worms' digestion. Then add the worms and put the lid on. (They like the dark)
How to Feed Your Worms:
Bury a small amount of food underneath the bedding and add more when that's gone. You'll also want to add more newspaper strips from time to time. Don't let the bin get too wet or too dry. You'll know when everything's just right: The bin won't smell, and the worms will be healthy and having babies.
When you have lots of castings, scoop them out and add them to your garden. And when you have plenty of worms, give some to friends so they can start their own worm bins!
DO feed the worms...
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Crushed eggshells
- Coffee grounds and teabags
DON'T feed the worms...
- Meat or bones
- Dairy products
- Greasy things
- Big servings all at once
For answers to all your questions about worm composting, check out Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof (Flower Press, 1997).
Activity by Kate Hofmann
More Garden Activities: