One of the best ways to improve your garden is to stop throwing out your garbage. That's right,
your used coffee grinds and banana peels can help your tomato and cucumber plants grow
larger and stronger. When that same garbage is eaten and digested by a worm it becomes a
powerful plant supplement known as worm castings. Starting a worm compost bin is a great way
to create a steady supply of worm castings for your flower and vegetable gardens.
First thing you'll need is a bin. You can buy a commercially made worm bin but where's the fun
in that. Those plastic or rubber storage bins make great worm bins. Drill a few holes in the bin
so your worms get plenty of air. Just be sure to cover those holes with small pieces of window
screen or something else that will keep the fruit flies out. And if you have any plumbing
experience, why not add a hose spigot near the bottom of the bin to take advantage of worm
tea. Worm tea is even better than compost tea for your plants. All you have to do is add a cup or
two to a large watering can and fill the rest with water. Then water as normal.
Next you'll need some worm bedding. Most commonly used worm bedding for home bins is
shredded newspapers. The bedding must stay moist but not water logged. Use a spray bottle to
keep the bedding just right for your worms. When your order worms in the mail they will usually
ship in a container filled with peat moss. Some people have stopped using peat moss as a
political statement. You see peat is not a replenishable resource. Peat takes centuries to
develop in swampy regions and it's just being used up too quickly. Other's argue that Peat is
now created in a safe quick way and what's all the fuss about anyway. The two sides contradict
each other so it's up to you to decide if you want to use it. Newspapers are readily available and
you probably have a stack of them in your house already. So why not avoid the whole
controversy and go with what's on hand.
And don't forget to put some dirt in the bin too. Worms don't have teeth, so they need some grit
to help grind up their food. You can also use rock dust or powdered limestone instead of dirt if
you like, but regular dirt from your yard will work fine.
And of course, let's not forget the worms. Digging up some worms from your yard will not work
in a worm bin. Worms that come from the soil, like to live in the soil. For worm bins, you'll need
red wigglers. They'll love the environment that you've created in your worm bin. How many
should you buy, that depends on the size of your bin. Let's assume that you've created your
worm bin for the worm castings and not to have tons of worms for your weekends fishing. That
means that you're going to leave the worms in the bin until they've turned most of the bedding
and food waste into vermicompost. The worm to garbage ratio is usually 2:1. That means that if
you're going to put a half pound of garbage into the bin on a daily basis, then you should start
with a pound of worms.
Check your bin everyday to ensure that you get off to a good start. Keep the bedding moist and
the bin should stay in a spot that's about 60 to 70 degrees. Leaving the bin outside in the
summer sun is a good way to cook all of your worms. And remember if the worm bin starts to
smell, then you probably need more bedding.
Starting a worm bin is a fun project for everyone in the family. Get your kids involved, they'll
love watching those little worms wiggle around your bin. And if you're lucky, you may see one of
the kids chase your mother in law around the house with a handful of worms. Like I said, worm
bins are good times for the whole family and great for your garden too.
Article Tags: Worm Compost Bin, Vermicompost
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/worm-compost-bin-36690.html
About the Author:
Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of WatchItRot.com. For more information about starting a
Worm Composting Bin, visit http://www.watchitrot.com
Worm Compost Bin
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