In an attempt to fill the farmer void of my away beau and also as an alternative to maintaining a compost heap (argh, all that blasted stirring – apparently I’m a pirate composter) I turned to vermicomposting: utilizing worms to convert my kitchen scraps into nutrient plentiful soil. I purchased a four tiered bin and starter kit from Eco-Outfitter called the Worm Factory 360 and had a local worm farm Already Been Chewed Composting set me up with a pound of Red Wigglers. The kit included a scraper, thermometer and hand rake, materials to start the moist bedding that worms love to braid through (coconut coir brick to mix with water, shredded newspaper and I added some dry leaves I found hiding out beneath our lilac bushes) plus plenty of instruction (in video form too!). Once my bag o’ worms was delivered, I prepared the bed with handfuls of on its way out food and eggshells in the corners, dumped the worms in the center, and covered the stew with three layers of soaked newspaper. According to the experts, it will take about 3 months of feeding the critters leftovers and fiber for the mix to transform into grade A topsoil for houseplants and garden plots. Also, worm castings can be used to make Worm Tea – an excellent nitrogen rich fertilizer – by diluting the sifted vermicompost in a permeable bag with two day standing water, adding molasses, and letting it aerate for 24 hours using an aquarium pump. Lifting your pinky while you spray your plants into restorative bliss is optional…unless you’re English, then you’re probably forced by properness to do so. Ahoy, landlubbers!
The Decomposer Station
Knapsack of worms
Red Wigglers breaking it down!