Vermicomposting is the technical title for what’s extra generally often called worm composting—the method of utilizing numerous species of worms to digest and convert natural materials into useable backyard compost. Industrial vermicomposting bins are a handy method to begin turning your meals scraps into compost for the backyard, however there will be two issues with these ready-made bins. First, they’re costly, costing upward of $100 or extra in lots of shops. Whereas they do work nicely, most gardeners would reasonably spend their cash on vegetation.
Second, most industrial bins are additionally fairly giant, creating an area concern. Usually, probably the most handy place to retailer a worm bin is inside a kitchen cupboard—a spot that’s out of sight however nonetheless handy for dumping meals scraps. However kitchen cupboard area is normally at a premium and a big, tub-type bin takes up an excessive amount of useful area.
The answer to each the monetary and area points is to make your individual worm bin. With simply three plastic five-gallon buckets out of your native house enchancment retailer and slightly time, you can begin vermicomposting in an efficient manner.
Earlier than Getting Began
Learn by way of the supplies and steps required to find out the place to deal with your vermicomposting set-up. In case you’re considering of inserting the buckets inside cabinetry, guarantee you could have the peak out there to accommodate them.
Whereas any sort of earthworm will progressively break down natural supplies into useable compost, worm composting is finest executed with a kind often called purple wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida and E. andrei.) These species produce a significantly bigger quantity of digestive waste than do customary earthworms, they reproduce in a short time, and so they have a tendency to stay on the floor whereas feeding, which signifies that they shortly start consuming new supplies as they’re added to the bin. Pink wigglers additionally thrive at customary indoor room temperatures, making them supreme for indoor vermicomposting.
This DIY vermicomposting bin is structured in order that the worms begin out with bedding and meals on one degree. As that degree is stuffed so the worms can digest it and switch it into vermicompost, you start including meals and bedding to the subsequent degree. The worms instinctively migrate up into that degree, abandoning completed vermicompost so that you can use in your backyard. The continued observe includes switching backwards and forwards between the 2 buckets, emptying completed compost then including contemporary meals and bedding because the worms break it down for you.
The third bucket types the underside of the stack and is used to catch any moisture created as a byproduct from the opposite two bins. You’ll be able to harvest this “vermicompost tea” from the bottom bucket and use it to fertilize your vegetation.