Worm Composting In Small Containers
con't by Larry Feltz


Also begin to save some of your old newpapers for recycling. Torn newsprint makes excellent “bedding” for your new worms. Paper can easily be torn into strips.You will eventually want to dampen the paper prior to adding it to your worm box. The rule of thumb is a ratio of 1:3: one pound of paper to three pounds of water. This measurement is not critical.

Remember that a gallon of water weighs a little less than 8 pounds. Therefore, you would mix about 5pounds of paper to 2 gallons of water.

Once the worms arrive, you are ready to begin. You have your container. Add your dampened bedding, the worms, saved household waste, and a small amount of soil to serve as grit for the worms. (See Worms on the Move) Cover the bin with a dark sheet of plastic. The plastic will help retain moisture and provide a dark environment for the worms (they avoid light). Composting worms are most efficient at a temperature around 70 degree F.

Place your worm bin out of direct sunshine and in a suitable location.

Another tool you may want to make while you wait for the worms to get established is a sifter to separate finished compost from unfinished compost. You can also use this if you need to gather a large amount of worms at one time (otherwise just pick the worms out one at a time from the top of the heap – be quick, when you lift the cover, if exposed to light, the worms will be startled and burrow downward to avoid the light).

I use a large sifter (30 x 60 inches) for big jobs and a small one (about 2 foot square) for smaller jobs .

I hope you enjoy composting with worms. If you are going to feed the worms to your fish, I am sure they will love them. As a bonus, you will also have “black gold”, earth worm castings that are a great growing medium for your garden or house plants. Good luck to you, the,worms, the lucky fish, the happy plants! the end

return to education home page