Wigglers at work

With a vermicomposting box, gardeners let earthworms do the dirty work of building fertile soil

Despite his sister Katie Mainard O’Connell’s enthusiasm, Kevin Mainard O’Connell (left) isn’t convinced Aug. 8 that the mail-order worms they’ve just unpacked are still alive. The red wigglers will live in a commercial worm compost stand in the basement of the Mainard O’Connell home in Little Rock.
Despite his sister Katie Mainard O’Connell’s enthusiasm, Kevin Mainard O’Connell (left) isn’t convinced Aug. 8 that the mail-order worms they’ve just unpacked are still alive. The red wigglers will live in a commercial worm compost stand in the basement of the Mainard O’Connell home in Little Rock.

Whenever I am working in my garden and I find an earthworm in the soil, it gives me great joy. Earthworms are a sure sign that the soil is healthy and good for our plants.

Earthworms not only help to aerate the soil by burrowing tunnels as they feed, but they also help to break down organic matter in the soil, and the byproduct they give off is also beneficial for the soil.

Today many home gardeners are composting, taking all their yard and kitchen wastes and turning that into a usable product called compost, which is then incorporated back into the garden to enrich the site and add organic matter. But if you don't have the space or time to do large scale composting, you can compost in a more manageable space by letting earthworms do the work for you.

Vermicomposting is the word for this, and all it takes is a few simple materials, a bucket of worms, and you are off and running.

MAKE A WORM BOX

While there are commercial operations that market large wooden or plastic worm bins, a simple plastic tub is all you need to get started at home.

• Use a dark-colored container that is 8 to 14 inches deep.

• Drill air holes into the sides, and cover the holes with hardware cloth or fine mesh. While you could leave the air holes open, sometimes a worm may escape, or some soil can spill out.

• Also drill small holes in the bottom of the bin for drainage. You don't want the bin to stay too wet.

• Prepare the bedding. Shredded newspaper is the best material to use.

Don't make the shred too fine or it will tend to clump. Pull the newspapers apart by hand and do a rough shred. Shredded junk mail can also be used if you have a shredder.

Moisten the newspaper so that it is thoroughly moist but not dripping water -- like a moist sponge or slightly wetter. Put the moist paper in the

container until the tub is about half full. Make sure you don't pack it too tightly.

Mix in one cup of garden soil from the garden, and if you have it, add a rinsed and crushed egg shell.

• Add your worms.

RED WORMS

When choosing worms, you don't want to go to the local bait store, but you do want to use red wigglers or red worms.

There are several online suppliers. You also might ask a friend who is vermicomposting to give you some worms -- over time, worms multiply in a healthy worm compost box, and so your friend might have more than he needs.

One pound of earthworms will support one square foot of surface area.

HELLO, NEW HOME

Place the worms on top of the bedding and leave the lid open. Since worms don't like light, they should immediately begin to work their way down into the bedding.

Once they have moved into the bedding, add some food.

Worms aren't picky eaters but do better on soft foods. Feed the worms:

• vegetable scraps

• coffee grounds and filters

• tea bags

• fruit scraps and peels -- but not citrus

• grains and leftover bread products -- but moisten them first to help the worms break them down.

A little bit of citrus can be used, but use it sparingly since it is acidic.

Do not use:

• meat

• fish

• dairy products

• greasy foods

• bones

• smelly foods like onions and garlic -- since they can cause odors.

DON'T OVERFEED

Under ideal conditions, a worm can eat half its weight in food per day. If you have a pound of earthworms in your bin, they can eat up to half a pound of food a day. Don't add more until you see that what you have fed them has been used up.

Make sure you bury the food in the bedding by covering it with at least an inch or two of bedding.

Worms will work best between temperatures of 55 and 77 degrees. Placing the bin outside in the shade next to the house works well. If the temperatures get really cold, you can add extra mulch around the container or move it into a garage.

Some people actually keep their worm bins in a classroom or mudroom. If you keep your bin indoors, make sure you have a catch basin under the bin to catch any moisture that may come out of the drainage holes. (That moisture can be poured on plants.)

HELP THEM BREATHE

Keep the bin moist by occasionally adding water. If you have the bin indoors, you may want to add ice cubes. The slow, steady melt will wet the bin nicely without the water moving through too quickly.

Earthworms don't have lungs, but they do breathe -- through their skin. For this to occur, their skin must be moist. So never let the bin dry out.

CASTING CALL

Continue to add food as the scraps you have added are eaten. In three to six months, or when you have seen that most of the bedding has been eaten, it is time to harvest the castings -- the byproduct of your worms.

There are several methods for harvesting the castings. One is to simply move what is in your bin to one side and add fresh bedding to the other half, placing the new food only on that half.

The hungry worms will move over and start feeding there, leaving behind the rich castings, which you can then harvest and use.

Note that it can take a few weeks before they move over.

If you want to harvest all at once, place a tarp in a brightly lighted room and dump the bin onto the plastic. Place fresh, moist bedding back into the bin. Lightly spread out the materials and turn a bright light on the pile. The worms will move deep into the pile, leaving the rich castings empty at the top. Harvest the top layer and dump the bottom part with the worms in it and what is left into your fresh bedding to begin the process again.

Some people just take half of their bin and add it to the garden every three weeks, but over time this could reduce your worm population, although you can always acquire more worms.

If you tire of worm composting, you can just add the whole bin to the garden, gently working it into the soil.

Worm castings are a rich source of organic matter and can be added to flower beds, incorporated while transplanting new plants, added to a vegetable garden and even mixed into potting soil for houseplants -- but I prefer to use it outdoors where it will make the most difference.

For more information on vermicomposting, look up the Cooperative Extension Service's brochure at uaex.edu. Search for "Worm composting" and you'll get a link to the brochure "Worm Composting Bin" (FSA-6032.pdf).

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality also has information. Go to adeq.state.ar.us and look under "Information" on the left-hand side of the page for "Brochures." Under the heading "Solid Waste" there are five brochures: "As the Worm Turns," "Worm Suppliers in Arkansas," "Vermicomposting 101," "Troubleshooting Your Worm Bin" and "Worm Facts."

Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

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