INFO:

Replying to @Teresa Moon ☼ Composting Series: Part Something…. STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO VERMICOMPOSTING 1. Build or buy a stackable bin system for your worms. (Note: you can also vermicompost using in-garden terracotta pots as I discussed in this newsletter. It will just be on a smaller scale). 2. Start with a small amount of soil medium (dampened coconut coir or pH-neutral soil), worms (I like red wigglers), and some compostable food or yard clippings (see list below). 3. As the worms start to fill up the first layer with vermicompostu002Fworm castings, you add a second layer of medium and start adding your compostable items (see list below) to this second layer only. 4. The worms gradually move up into each new level to the feed, allowing the lower levels to be worm-free. Once you have a worm-free lower layer, you can begin to use the compost for your plants as needed. 5. Keep adding layers to the top of the stack as needed and removing the bottom layers to use the compost after the worms have migrated upwards. Things to learn the easy way from me before you start: 1. Temperature matters. Anything below about 40-50°F will slow your worms WAY down and make them go dormant. Anything above 85-95°F can kill them. In the winters here in Florida I keep them in my greenhouse. During the summers, I make sure they have a deep area to dig to get out of the heat andu002For provide a well-shaded area. If you live in a northern climate, look for vermicompost systems that are made for indoor use. 2. If you Pre-chop your compostable food items for the worms and they will convert it to compost much more quickly, but in reality I don’t frequently do this personally 3. Provide them with grit or sand. Fun fact: worms don't have teeth. Grit helps them digest their food. 4. Don't add too much food at once or it will rot and smell instead of being consumed. Red worms can eat about half their body weight per day. 5. Feed them at least weekly! I feed mine twice weekly during the r Summer, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so I don't forget and once weekly in Winter. As your worm empire... I mean... the colony grows you'll get a better feeling for whether they need more or less food during each feeding. They will need to be fed at least once weekly or you risk starving them. 6. Don't add too much food at once or it will rot and smell instead of being consumed. Red worms can eat about half their body weight per day. 7. Moisture level matters. Your compost materials should be damp like a partially wrung-out sponge. 8. Worms require a pH-neutral environment. ADD: fruit and veggie scraps, plant clippings, eggshells, small amounts of coffee grounds, shredded non-glossy paper and cardboard, tea bags. AVOID: dairy, citrus, meats, pet or animal waste, oily foods, highly salted foods, plastic or metals, or glossy paper.