Collecting and Using Your Compost

Methods for Collecting Your Finished Worm Compost

After you have been feeding your worms for three to six months, you may notice the bedding has been eaten, and you can begin harvesting the brown, crumbly worm compost. Harvesting the compost and adding fresh bedding at least twice a year is necessary to keep your worms healthy.

Method 1:

Move the contents of your worm bin to one side, place fresh bedding in the empty space and bury your food wastes there for a month or so. Harvest the other side after the worms have migrated to the new food and bedding.

Method 2:

Remove one-third to one-half of the contents of your bin, worms and all, and add the worm compost to your garden soil. Add fresh bedding and food to your bin.

Method 3:

Spread a sheet of plastic out under a bright light or in the sun. Dump the contents of the worm box into a number of piles on the sheet. The worms will crawl away from the light into the center of each pile and you can brush away the worm compost on the outside by hand. Soon you will have wriggling piles of worms surrounded by doughnut-shaped piles of worm compost.

Using Your Worm Compost

Worm compost is more concentrated than most other composts because worms are excellent at digesting food wastes and breaking them down into simple plant nutrients. Use it sparingly for best results.

Mulching and Amending Soil

To mulch with worm compost, apply a one-inch layer to the soil around plants. Be sure the worm compost is not piled against plant stems. To amend soil, worm compost can be spread one-half to two inches thick over garden soil and mixed in before planting, or mixed into the bottom of seeding trenches or transplanting holes. You can also mulch your worm compost into:

1. Houseplants: Sprinkle worm compost around the base of plants to fertilize. Each time you water, plant nutrients will seep into the soil.
2. Potting Mixes: For healthy seedlings, mix one part worm compost with three parts potting mix or three parts sand and soil combined. Peat moss, pearlite and worm castings are also good ingredients to add.

 

What Kind of Worms are Best

The best kind of worms for composting are “red worms” or “red wigglers.” They are often found in old compost piles, but are different from the earthworms you would normally find in the ground. These worms have a big appetite, reproduce quickly and thrive in confinement. They can eat more than their own weight in food every day! When purchasing red worms, one pound is all you need to get started.

Feeding Your Worms

Worms like to eat many of the same things we eat, only they aren’t so picky. Some of their favorites include:

• Stale bread
• Apple cores
• Orange peels
• Lettuce trimmings
• Coffee grounds
• Non-greasy leftovers
• Vegetable scraps

Begin feeding your worms only a little at a time. As they multiply, you can add larger quantities of food waste. Bury the waste into the bedding regularly, rotating around the bin as you go. When you return to the first spot, most of the food you buried there should have been eaten. If not, don’t worry. Just feed the worms less for a while.

 

What Kinds of Bedding Do You Need

Black and white newspaper is the most readily available and easy-to-use bedding material. Tear it into strips about one inch wide and moisten so it is as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Cow or horse manure can also be used to lighten bedding and absorb excess moisture.

A handful or two of soil, ground limestone or well-crushed eggshells every few months are good for providing grit and calcium. Fill your bin with moistened bedding, toss in a few handfuls of soil, and you are ready to add the worms and food. Over time, the bedding and food are eaten by the worms and turned into dark worm compost.

You can always add these items to your compost and you are unlikely to negatively affect your composting efforts.

• Cardboard or clean paper
• Dried Out Egg Shells
• Leaves, Yard Trimmings
• Fruits and Vegetables, Coffee and Tea

 

I’m A Leaf Thief And A Composting King

By Anthony Tripodi

Every autumn, home owners rake up their leaves, place them in bags and put them out on the curb. Every autumn I gas up my mini-van, drive around my neighborhood and steal them. Im a skilled leaf thief and can usually fill the van two or three times in a weekend. Unlike regular thieves, I dont fence the goods on the black market because the leaves are more valuable to me and to my garden. Leaves are a great ingredient for making compost and gardeners cant get enough of them.

I had to include this article because I’ve done this exact same thing. I had to wonder if I was the only one that did it.
A person becomes a leaf thief because you can only produce so much yard waste on your own. You rake up your leaves, mow your lawn, clean up your flower and vegetable beds and it just isnt enough yard waste to make compost for a moderate sized garden. Remember that after its decomposed itll be a lot smaller. So when I see people throwing out this excellent garden resource I have to take the law into my own hands.

Not only is compost a nutrient rich soil amendment but its also a great soil enhancer. It can loosen up hard clay soil and itll allow sandy soil to retain more water. Compost can be used as a replacement for fertilizers and will also improve pH balance and soil fertility. And all of this means that you will have healthier plants and a nicer looking garden.

To make compost for the garden youll need to collect Browns (carbon-rich) and Greens (nitrogen-rich). Fill your compost bin with 1 part Green to about 20 parts Brown. With fallen leaves being a great Brown a large supply is a necessity for gardeners.

Without adding a source of nitrogen to your leaves you will get something called leaf mold when it decomposes. Leaf mold is still very good for your garden and can be used as a mulch. But if you want to make real compost and enjoy the full benefits that come with it then youre going to have to add some Greens to the mix. The grass clipping from your lawn mower are a great source of nitrogen. Empty the lawn mower bag into your compost bin whenever you mow the lawn. Another good source of nitrogen is coffee grinds. Dont worry if you only have a few cups a day, you can get more grinds from your local coffee shop or coffee chain store.

If you keep your compost pile moist and remember to turn it here and there you should have usable compost by the time spring comes.

If your neighbors arent smart enough to take advantage of their yard waste and make compost with it then its up to you to make sure these gifts from the trees dont get wasted. Give those leaves a home in your compost bin and eventually in your garden. Your plants will thank you.

Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of WatchItRot.com – The Compost Guide. For more information about Compost including ideas and equipment, visit http://www.watchitrot.com