Adventures in Vermicomposting...

That's right folks, you are reading correctly, for under $15 you too can have a limitless supply of worm poop! Oh wait, the politically correct term, within the gardening community anyway, is "worm castings."

I undertook this composting project with two aims in mind: first, to produce some affordable organic fertilizer for my garden and second, to further cut down on the amount of garbage our household produces. We are already avid recyclers, electricity savers (otherwise known as "Laney and Tyce, the two person light-turning off crew"), water conservationists, and all around nature enthusiasts, so the kids were eager to help with this project and excited about the fact that they get 100 pet worms. I am already plotting my garden in my head and can hardly wait to pick up my promised "all you can haul" rabbit manure from my friend Molly. So, I am really hoping that this project works out and that these worms get busy and make copious amounts of "black gold" (as compost is known by gardeners) for my precious little seedlings.

I was chatting with an old high-school friend about composting and she recommended adding "red wrigglers" to my compost bin, for faster results. After doing further research, I decided to make a bin designed especially with worms in mind (called vermicomposting). The worms used are Eisenia foetida, commonly called red wrigglers. These are different than Night Crawlers or other larger worms which would be unable to survive in a bin due to their need to burrow deeply. Since I wasn't sure how well these little wormies would survive the grueling Kennewick heat (they thrive at 55-77 degrees Fahrenheit), I decided to do a portable bin so that I can have them inside or in the garage whenever the weather seems like it might be too much for them. Supposedly, when worms are involved, this process is odor free. Check with me in a month to see if that ends up being the case...

So here is the system that I decided on and that the kids helped me assemble:

First, for $7, we got this 19-gallon tupperware and a smaller tupperware for it to drain into and allow us to collect the "compost tea," which is also a valuable by-product of vermicomposting. After a fruitless search of the local bait shops, we finally were able to purchase $8 worth of worms (100 worms) at PetCo. Who would have guessed? The worms and microorganisms that turn organic scraps into compost require oxygen to live, so a drill was used to put small holes in each side of the tupperware and also a few holes along one end of the bottom of the bin to allow for drainage.
Next up, preparing the worm bedding. We decided on some damp old leaves and some shredded paper, which also had to be soggy. Here Laney is preparing the bedding.

The bedding goes into the compost bin and the kids "release" the red wrigglers. Very exciting moment.


Here are the little beauties:

Now we are supposed to wait patiently while our worms burrow through their bedding and adjust to their new home. As anyone who knows me can attest to, waiting patiently is not my forte. Instead, I decide to hurry along their homecoming by adding a first meal. Since they are still babies, I blended up their celery snack which will help them break it down more quickly.

And here is the finished product and my two proud little composters.