Composting recycles organic matter into nutrient-rich soil. In order to turn discarded apple cores and coffee grounds into soil, worms are needed to break down the organic matter into helpful fertilizer for plants.
Worms play a crucial part in plant production. While it is possible to compost without worms by burying food in soil in compost containers, worms break down the food and enrich the soil, creating the best food for plants.
If you’re new to composting or already have a compost bin going, composting with worms is actually quite simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
• A compost bin. The bin needs holes to let in oxygen, so either choose bins that already have holes, or use any regular plastic bin and poke the holes yourself.
• Shredded paper and leaves. Paper will help to absorb excess water that moves to the bottom of the compost bin. Layer the paper and leave alternately, replacing the layers when needed.
• Soil. Soil is the starting ingredient for composting. Mix in a bit of sand to provide a grainy texture that will help the worms to break down food better.
• Worms. Once the compost bin is ready to go, bring in the worms! Worms work best when the soil is moist, but not watery. Also beware of temperature; the bin needs to stay at room temperature, so don’t place the bin in the hot sun, and maybe move the bin into the garage when the weather turns cold.
• Food. Start with coffee grounds (you can include the filter) and slowly, over the course of a few weeks, add small bits of food. Keep adding bigger chunks of food until the worms appear to be acclimating nicely to their new environment.
After several months, your worms will create for you wonderfully rich, fertilized soil that can be used in your own garden. If you don’t garden, donate the soil to local growers or community-shared gardens.
Getting The Worms
Redworms are the preferred choice for composting because they adjust well to new environments. They can be purchased at bait or feed shops by the pound. Start out with one or two pounds, depending on the size of your compost bin. If the worms are not acclimating to the compost-bin environment, check the temperature and consistency of the soil.
More from GLI:
I work at a daycare on a college campus. We get food from a state program that does not allow us to re-use our leftover food, resulting in a mind-blowing amount of waste going straight into the garbage. We have tried to get a compost pile of some sort but since we are on the campus we can’t make one for sanitary/health issues. Is there anything we could do?