Using composting worms is a great way to increase the turn-around time of your compost. The worms eat the compost that you add to the pile and then produce nutrient-rich castings for your garden. The worms live in an area of the composting pile called "bedding", which should make up the majority of the compost pile by volume. You will have to create the bedding for your worms, but do not worry, it is easy to do. Here is a list of things that make great bedding:
Using just one of those ingredients to make your bedding is not the best idea. Ideally, you would have a bit of everything. The finished bedding should take up about three quarters of your compost bin; that is right, 75%. It may seem like a lot, but the worms need a place to live.
The bedding must be moist (like a wrung-out sponge) and you will want to cover your compost bin to reduce evaporation. Make sure the bedding is loose with lots of pockets of air because the worms need air to survive.
Now that your bedding is finished you can add the worms. For every pound of compost you plan on adding per day you will need two pounds of worms (roughly 2000 worms). You should be able to buy them at your local garden store or from a farmer. You may even have a friend who can give you some worms to get you started. Once they are settled into your compost bin they multiply rapidly, but you will want to stick to the 1 pound of compost to 2 pounds of worms rule. That means, if you do not have two pounds worms you have to reduce the amount of compost you add every day. It is tricky measure how many worms you have, you will have to go buy how much compost they can consume. If you find that your worms cannot keep up to the amount of compost you are adding you will have to reduce your daily compost addition until you have enough worms. You will get a feel for it after a while.
- Shredded newspaper or cardboard
- Saw dust
- Shredded, fallen autumn leaves
- Dead plants
- Mature compost
- Aged manure
Using just one of those ingredients to make your bedding is not the best idea. Ideally, you would have a bit of everything. The finished bedding should take up about three quarters of your compost bin; that is right, 75%. It may seem like a lot, but the worms need a place to live.
The bedding must be moist (like a wrung-out sponge) and you will want to cover your compost bin to reduce evaporation. Make sure the bedding is loose with lots of pockets of air because the worms need air to survive.
Now that your bedding is finished you can add the worms. For every pound of compost you plan on adding per day you will need two pounds of worms (roughly 2000 worms). You should be able to buy them at your local garden store or from a farmer. You may even have a friend who can give you some worms to get you started. Once they are settled into your compost bin they multiply rapidly, but you will want to stick to the 1 pound of compost to 2 pounds of worms rule. That means, if you do not have two pounds worms you have to reduce the amount of compost you add every day. It is tricky measure how many worms you have, you will have to go buy how much compost they can consume. If you find that your worms cannot keep up to the amount of compost you are adding you will have to reduce your daily compost addition until you have enough worms. You will get a feel for it after a while.
Henry Allpas
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