[Dryerase] Madison Insurgent - Nov/Dec articles - story #7

[the madison insurgent]

Compost This!
Getting down with worm composting
by Ginny Goldberg

There is more to worm composting than meets the eye.
It looks like a strangely nice-smelling box of
decomposing food waste in a basement or garage, but it
is more. It is so very much more.
Vermiposting or worm composting is a fantastic way to
reduce the amount of waste entering landfills and
limit water pollution. In addition, worm castings
(a.k.a. worm poop) are extraordinarily high in usable
nitrogen and therefore make excellent fertilizer and
potting soil additive. 
A worm bin can be a multi-disciplinary teaching tool
for people of all ages. It is useful for classrooms,
homes, churches, and community gardens, as well as a
host of other sustainability-minded organizations.
Worm bins are easily mobile and are an ideal way for
apartment dwelling humans to compost.
The necessary items for a worm bin are a container,
bedding, worms, and food waste. There are many ways to
create a usable worm composting system. Here is one
very simple process. Find a 20–30 gallon dark plastic
container with a tight fitting lid. The bin must be
dark, because worms are photophobic – unable to
function in light. Drill small air holes in all the
sides, around the bottom, and on the lid; in all,
50–100 holes should suffice. Because plastic is not
absorbent, it will have a tendency to create wet
conditions inside the bin. If this occurs, check to
see if any air holes are blocked, and drill more holes
if necessary. 
Next, fill the bin with bedding material. This is
“brown” or dry material like shredded junk mail,
newspaper, and/or cardboard, fallen leaves, sawdust,
straw, or any dry plant material. The more diversity
in bedding material, the richer the worm castings will
be. Bedding helps aerate the habitat as well as
control odor. Add a handful of soil to the bedding
material to create grit for the worm’s digestion.
Dampen the bedding material with enough water that it
feels like a wrung-out sponge. 
It is important to use composting worms (Eisenia
foetida, or red wiggler worms), which are typically
found in manure piles. Regular earthworms will not
survive under the conditions necessary for composting.
Purchase worms online, from a purveyor of fine
composting worms, or collect them from a friend who
has a working worm bin. Bury the red wigglers along
with a pound or so of food under the bedding.