earthcare balloon

| vermicomposting |

One of Earthcare Connections’ regional co-ordinators for the Earthcare Balloon also maintains a vermicomposting project that can be displayed upon request. What is vermicomposting? You may have heard of it before, or it may be greek to you. It’s not greek, though, but it’s close. “Vermi” comes from vermis, latin for worm. Earthworms from your garden will not be effective for vermicomposting because they do not reproduce well in captivity and cannot survive in warmer environments. Thus, to properly vermicompost, redworms or African night crawlers are needed to break down material.

Wayne Schidlowsky raises a batch of redworms, otherwise known as red wigglers. Red wigglers, unlike earthworms, like 20 to 25 degree Celsius temperatures. Because of this, these worms can be kept in the house year-round or put outdoors for summers. Unless the bins are insulated properly, redworms will not survive outside in winter. This type of worm grows to be about three to four inches long and can double or triple its population under proper conditions. Redworms are also not fond of bright light, although they do not have eyes.

Vermicomposting with redworms requires a specific environment for the worms to flourish. The bin is generally shallow, eight to twelve inches deep, as material may become anaerobic and smell at the bottom of deep bins. The bin is also filled with a bedding material of newspaper, leaves, soil, etc. Worms also require a moist, properly aerated environment. The bin should generally be kept at room temperature and away from direct light.

Vermicomposting is generally used for kitchen waste; garden waste should not be fed to the worms. The food scraps should be buried in and covered by the bedding. This reduces odour and keeps other pests, like fruit flies, away. The composting process will take less time and produce less odour if you chop materials into fine pieces for the worms to digest. Worms will eat vegetable scraps, tea bags and loose tea, coffee grounds, pulverized egg shells, fruit and fruit rinds, bread and baked goods, rice and grains, nuts, pasta, etc. Worms should not be fed bones, fish, meat, butter, cheese, very oily food or yard waste.

In the end, vermicomposting is an environmentally friendly means of converting waste into a usable fertilizer rich in nutrients.

***The above statements are for information only. To begin your own vermicomposting, please talk to someone who has experience on the topic or see the selection of books available at bookstores and libraries.

***Information from this section has been taken from: Cullen, Mark and Lorraine Johnson. The Real Dirt. Penguin: Toronto, 1992. This book is available through our resource library.