Vermicomposting and Vermiculture: Worms, Bins and How To Get Started

just a question.

i know that in traditional composting system, the heat generated by the microbel's decomposition activities can be very high which actually do good by killing some harmful microbes and weed seeds. and the compost heap is turn over from time to time to introduce oxygen to aid the aerobic decomposition.

however, in vermicompost sytem, both the worms and microbes are doing the decomposition. Will the worms be killed by too much heat resulted by the decomposition by the microbes? How to avoid this by controlling the microbial decomposition activity? Is it by controlling the volumn ratio of inert soil /bulk and organic biomass?

In my experience with worm composting on a smaller scale (with a bin about the size of two DVD players stacked on top of each other), the heat from nitrogen rich materials breaking down has not been an issue. I suppose it might be if you had a bin as large as some of the ones pictured.

I have an entire web site about worm composting at home, complete with online video. You are welcome to check it out. http://www.wormcompostingtips.com

Click on the "worm bin diary" section to see the videos, and photos of the bin I use.

I have a 7lb bag of compost my wonderful worms have made and I need info on storage life and the best way to keep compost for give aways. Please help!!

Thanks a bunch, Kellie

So the next question is... where do you get the worms?

For those interested in more information and local locations to find worms, you might want to check out http://www.findworms.com - which serves as a directory of listings for local businesses around the country that provide worms for your region.

Check out http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/2247392/ . There is a video that explains how to set up a pretty cheap and easy compost in your apartment (or even a home). I have been doing this for over a month and it really works well.

Thank you for this thorough and helpful article. I have linked to it in my post on soil science, the Gaia hypothesis, and composting, at my green blog Wild Orchids for Trotsky http://trostomaten.blogspot.com/2008/03/tales-of-transformation-soil.html

I have read that bats are great for tending a garden, if you build them the correct housing and mount it on a pole facing southeast (so they get warmth during the day). I read that they keep away vegetation predators by feeding on them and that their guano makes excellent fertilizer. So, both pesticides and fertilizers become unnecessary.

Do you have additional information on this? Thank you.

Any Canadian vermicomposters out there?

I'd love to get started but wondering if there are any worm suppliers on this side of the border that anyone could put me in touch with.

Thanks!!
Sue.

Hi Sue!

I found this site with great links for purchasing worms across the country.

http://www.vermiculture.ca/vermiculture_resources/vermiculture_resources_canada.htm

Elegant wormfarming for Japanese ladies and people who would otherwise freak out

I'm a permaculture teacher running an eco-sharehouse, and I'm a woman with a mission: to make worm composting attractive to the Japanese. They currently BURN their foodscraps. As you know, food is mostly water, so they use the same weight in fossil fuel to get some combustion happening.
The big obstacle is, Japanese think worms are disgusting. And that part of being a cute lady is being horrified by something so uncouth.

Being an artist, I managed to do something spectacular with the worm's residence, so thats one step closer to getting them to lift the lid. (image : http://balconyofdreams.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

Keeping choice scraps chopped small, in a lidded container in the fridge, and feeding the worms weekly also works well - everything gets eaten and disposed of Quickly, so they don't see vegetables looking like roadkill in there: very disturbing to elegant Japanese ladies.

Permaculture is about making the most of How Things Are: if ladies are squirmy about worms, and we designers reduce the squirm factor, the world is greatly on its way to being saved.

I've started my own bin and the worms are multiplying but I am concerned about harvesting> the vermicompost seems to be full of the worms' eggs which I guess will hatch into more worms in the plant vases where I put the compost. I guess that the baby worms will start off by eating through whatever they can in the vase and eventually the roots of my plants?

Also I just read that the worms produce a lot of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) which is pretty harmful as a greenhouse gas> does anyone actually try to collect this gas somehow or do we simply have to admit that we think we're helping the environment but are actually doing more harm than if we were to send the greens into the landfill?

Correct me if i am wrong, if we are all worried about the amount of Nitrous and Methane these little guys make, what bout the carbon dioxide that we humans make everyday? i think that is more devastating than the amount the worms make. just my opinion, let me know if i am being misinformed.

Hey Sue, I noticed you were looking for other vermicomposters in Canada. I set up a little online map as an experiment several weeks ago to find out how many people have worm bins. People have started using it to connect with people locally who vermicompost and there are lots of people in Canada on the map so I thought you might find it interesting. http://vermicomposters.com.

I built a really easy food composter following a plan at Seattletilth.com. When I dug into the ground to bury the composter, as per the directions, I noticed that there were no worms in the ground. I was really surprised by this. Should I buy worms to add to the bin?

Re: Carlos, I have been trying to get worms to do vermicompost in Puerto Rico. So far I have not found any place in the U.S. that will ship here, If you find a way to get some worms, let me know.

Interesting and helpful thread. I've also gotten very interested in vermicomposting and esp the "continuous flow" method. After getting inspired from an article at www.redwormcomposting.com, I came up with this fun bag which facilitates indoor composting - I just started my own blog related to vermiculture and other topics, and there is link related to the Worm Inn there:
http://nomadneedles.wordpress.com/

I found a several articles about worms contributing to global warming: Worms used in composting produce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas emissions that are 296 times more potent than carbon dioxide and 23 times more potent than methane.

I'm not really sure any solution has been sought out, but hope those who are interested in vermicomposting or those who already practising vermicomposting, do some research on this and perhaps stop it!!

Hi -- I live in a dorm room and I was wondering what would be the best way to compost here? It's in Boston, so it is difficult, but I feel awful throwing away food matter. Thanks!

In response to the question about the white bugs...

I have read that placing a piece of moist bread in the bin will lure these bugs to a small area for easy removal.
let me know if it works!

check out my attempt at vermiculture at http://green.urban-kitty.com

I was looking to start my worm composting, and I was wondering if the type of worm is a really big deal. Night crawlers are locally available and I was wondering if they would be good enough for the project. I'm sure I could obtain regular earthworms eventually, but if nigh crawlers are just as good then I can get those cheap and quickly. Thanks!

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