Vermicomposting are a process whereby kitchen scrap are turned into garden soil using worms. In order to sucessfully performing vermicomposting, there are specific step that should be followed. The flow chart make clear the entire sequence of steps that should be taken to vermicompost kitchen scraps.
The flow chart allow for each individual step to be seen in relation to the other steps of the process. Additionally, the flow chart help to avoid making mistakes during the process of vermicomposting that may lead to unpleasantly smells from the bin or flies entering the bin. Before you add the worms to the vermicomposting bin, specific materials must first be prepared for the bin.
How to Make Compost with Worms
The correct materials for an vermicomposting bin are fruit and vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, and shredded paper. These materials will create the proper environment for the worms to live in the bin. Incorrect materials to be used in a vermicomposting bin are items that contain meat, dairy products, or onion.
The presence of these ingredients in the bin can lead to unpleasantly smells from the bin due to the anaerobic environment that may result from adding those ingredient. The flow chart can be used to determine which material should go into the bin and which materials should be avoided when adding to the bin. The species of worms that should be added to the bin are known as red wigglers.
Red wigglers can tolerate indoor temperature and can quickly process the waste that is placed into the bin. After you place the red wigglers into the bin, they will begin to turn the kitchen scraps into worm castings. The flow chart makes clear the timeline that should be followed to allow the red wigglers to produce the worm castings, and ensure that the worm castings are not harvested too soon.
If worm castings are harvested that still contain some food scraps, they are not yet mature and may negative impact the plants that use these castings as fertilizer. In order to vermicompost successful, specific steps should be followed regarding the feeding of the vermicomposting bin by the red wigglers. To ensure that the worms continue to move through the bin, you should bury food scraps in different section of the bin instead of dumping all of the the food scraps into one spot within the bin.
In addition to burying the food scraps in different areas of the bin, you should always cover the food scraps with a layer of bedding. This ensures that the flies will not lay egg on the food scraps, since flies only lay eggs on food items, but not on paper or leaves. Finally, maintaining the proper temperature and moisture within the bin are two of the most important factor in maintaining a vermicomposting bin.
If the moisture within the bin is too low, the worms will slow down and attempt to escape the bin. If there is too much moisture within the bin, the material within the bin will become slimy, and begin to smell bad. Using the wrung out sponge test will allow you to check the moisture within the bin, and you should perform this test every few days to ensure that the moisture within the bin remains steady.
The worm castings that are created within the vermicomposting bin can be used in various ways to increase the success of your garden. For instance, you can mix the worm castings with the potting soil, you can apply the castings as a top dressing to your plant, or you can steep the castings in water to create a tea that can be poured into the soil. For example, you can add the worm castings to the soil within the starting trays for your seedlings, or you can apply the castings to the soil around your established vegetable bed plant.
Vermicomposting is a process of maintaining a steady temperature and moisture within the bin. Once the bin reaches a steady rhythm of adding food scrap and removing the castings, the worms will perform the work of breaking down the food scraps. During this process, it is important to avoid adding the wrong material to the bin, and to maintain a steady moisture and temperature within the bin throughout the process.
Each cycle of vermicomposting will create another steady supply of worm castings that can be utilized within your garden.