We've got worms- and they are the good kind!

Last spring, I was looking through my Family Fun magazine and came across an article that described a fun project to do with your kids over the summer-worm composting. It looked fun so we gave it a shot. I know it sounds kind of yuck but don’t be afraid, you don’t even have to touch the worms if you don’t want to. Worm composting is an excellent way to reduce your food waste, create your own all natural fertilizer, and get your kids interested in gardening. It also opens your eyes to how much garbage we create.

Worm composting, or vermicomposting for you gardening gurus, helps kids learn about ecology while turning your food scraps into usable compost. Using worms (typically red wigglers), vermicomposting processes organic food into nutrient-rich soil. You can start with a small bin (such as a 12-gallon plastic storage tub) and a pound of worms, or go larger if you have a large family. You could also do this for a science fair project or classroom activity.

There are fancy worm composting bins you can buy on the internet, but being what my husband calls “frugal to fault” we made our own and it’s very easy all for under $20.00.
Here is what you need: -An aerated container (we used a black plastic bin and drilled holes every 2 inches all over the bottom, lid and the top 3-4 inches on each of the side) -Bedding which is fancy talk for shredded newspaper or any non glossy paper. -Moisture and proper temperature (worms don’t like it too hot or too cold). -Small amount of soil and last but not least-Redworms (Eisenia fetida) Here is what you do:
Start by drilling holes into the bottom, lid and top 3-4 inches of your bin with a drill, about every 2 inches. Use a 1/8 inch drill bit. Next, shred up some newspaper, fill the worm bin halfway up with the newspaper strips and then get them nice and wet. Once the newspaper is all damp, push it to one side of the bin and repeat the process until the bin is full BUT you want the newspaper to be fluffy not packed down. Make sure there are no standing puddles collecting at the bottom. Add half a cup of sawdust or soil so that the worms have some grit to work with. Then add your pound of worms and watch as they wiggle their way down into the soil and newspaper. To encourage them to burrow down leave the lid off and they will skedaddle on down. Next, bury your food waste into the bedding a few inches deep and cover the bedding back up with the shredded newspaper. Worms love cardboard too. Just make sure that it is moist when you put it in. After a few days you should notice some cool results – the worms are digging in and out of the bedding, eating the food waste, soil and newspaper, digesting it and leaving behind worm castings or worm poop! Your kids will love that! It’s the worm castings that you really want for your garden. To keep your worms happy keep adding food wastes every few days or so and they’ll keep producing that great soil for you. It’s fun to go out and check on them and see how much they have eaten and what their favorite foods are. Now don’t ya just want to go get down and dirty!

Some of you may be asking the question, doesn't it smell? Odor is minimal if you don't overload the system. Worms in a 16"x19"x12" bin can process 2-3 pounds of garbage a week. Capacity of a 20" x 24" x 12" bin is up to 5 pounds of garbage a week.

Plan on about six months from the time you set up your bin to be able to use the finished product. As you compost your garbage every week, the worms will process the garbage and bedding, the contents of the bin and it will turn dark brown. You can then harvest the vermicompost to use on your plants and in your garden.

If you treat your worms right they will reproduce. You will find cocoons in your bin from which baby worms will hatch. After several months, you may have twice as many worms. You can use them to go fishing, or help a neighbor set up a bin, or just leave them in your bin. Overpopulation will not be a problem.