Indoor Composting With Worms Is Simple With These Steps
Indoor Composting With Worms Is Simple With These Steps: A worm compost bin, often known as a worm composter, can be reasonably priced and simple to manage. Worm composting comes in a variety of forms.
The steps for making an indoor worm compost bin are provided below. Worm composting bins can also be purchased. It would help if you kept your worm bin indoors since you don’t want the worms to freeze or overheat in the summer.
Because you will be creating compost and worm “tea” in the composter, you should keep it in a basement or other hidden location.
What you’ll require
First, purchase, borrow, or make do with the following supplies to get started with worm composting:
Two plastic containers, one higher than the other and designed to fit within the shorter container.
Why are there holes?
Holes towards the top of the bin allow air to enter, allowing the worms to breathe. The holes at the bottom of the container allow excess liquid to drain out of the container, preventing the worms from drowning. The liquid can be regulated manually, but it is challenging to get it right. Thus the perforations make it easy to maintain the tank.
To keep the worms from escaping, both types of perforations are covered with a fine vinyl screen.
The lid is not required for the shorter, lower container. A container made of rubber or plastic with a depth of around 15 cm, a width of 25 cm, and a height of 5 cm is suitable. Because of the extra length, you can skim off the excess liquid or “worm tea” and use it elsewhere (e.g., in the garden, for plants, shrubs, etc.).
The upper tub should have a lid to keep the worms from getting out of the container. It should also be relatively flexible so that you may drill holes in it. An 18-gallon tub with dimensions of 15 inches deep, 20 inches wide, and 15 inches high works well.
A practice run
A one-inch diameter drill bit and an eighth-inch diameter drill bit are required to drill the above holes.
Screen-making material
The kind used for window screens is acceptable; make sure you’re not using metal, which may rust if exposed to moisture in the container. Only four 4 inches by 4-inch fragments of the screen will be required. Why would you use a filter? Worms can escape if the openings are not covered.
The waterproof glue
To keep the screens in place even when wet.
Paper shreds
Fill the bin three inches deep, then add a bit more each time you feed the worms once a week. Almost any paper will suffice, but avoid using heavy, glossy, or coloured paper.
A speck of dirt
You only need one pound. Just make sure it doesn’t contain any potentially dangerous substances. If everything goes well, the worms will soon be producing their soil (compost).
A small amount of water
Water is required to moisten the paper and soil to provide a suitable environment for the worms to thrive. Before using the paper, soak it and then let it drain.
Worms
Because they devour waste quickly, one pound of red annelids is advised. Red annelids can be obtained from worm breeders online or another worm bin owner.
Be aware of invasive worm species like the Asian Jumping Worm, sometimes known as the Alabama Jumper or Georgia Jumper. Worm bins create other worms, but they also produce fantastic compost.
The trowel
As needed, I had to move compost about in the rubbish bin.
Container for food waste.
Collect vegetable and fruit waste in a compact container with a tight-fitting cover.
Why not just throw the food in the worm bin? Worms should only be fed once a week because they prefer to be left alone. Collect food scraps in the food scraps bin for a week, then feed the worms weekly.
Getting the containers ready
The steps for preparing the bins are as follows:
Drill a 1-inch hole on one side of the enormous container, about 5 inches from the top.
Drill a second hole on the opposing side.
Drill four 1/8-inch holes towards the container’s bottom, near the corners.
Cover each hole with a vinyl screen and secure it with waterproof adhesive. Before moving on to the following stage, ensure the adhesive is dried.
Place the tall container inside the small container. Drill no holes in the short container.
Make the paper, soil, and water, and then add the worms.
Sift together shredded paper, soil, and just enough water to moisten everything. Fill the large container about six inches deep with the mixture. Add your worms to the mixture and give them a day to become used to it before feeding them. Make sure the mixture is wet but does not produce water puddles.
Worms are being fed.
As you prepare and clean up meals, collect food scraps such as vegetable and fruit scraps, tea bags (without the clip), and coffee grounds in your food scraps container.
Animal by-products (fat, bones, dairy, meat, and leftovers) should not be used. Worms may also take longer to consume woody or dry substances like stems.
Worms will not consume plastic tea bags, coffee filters, or coffee grounds. and grocery store labels.
Do not add any extra food to the worm bin until the preceding meal has been consumed.
Transfer the garbage to the worm bin.
Carefully make a hole for the scraps with a trowel.
ALL food scraps should be covered with dirt and moist paper. Fruit flies are drawn to exposed food but not to covered food waste.
Continue to add soil and damp paper until the worms have produced enough compost to cover the food scraps.
Take note of what the worms will and will not consume. Remove any crumbs that your worms haven’t eaten in a while because they may dislike this diet. Cut the scraps into smaller pieces if they are too large.
Replace the worm bin’s lid.
Rinse out the food waste container for the week ahead.
Take care of the garbage can.
Once every several months, scoop out the liquid from the bottom container. When the worm bin is complete (i.e., the compost has reached the bottom of the top holes you drilled), proceed as follows:
For a few weeks, feed the worms on one side of the bin to attract them there.
When all worms are on one side, collect the compost on the other side and use it in pots, in your garden, or your yard.
You may also pour compost and worms onto a piece of newspaper and sift them that way, but it’s a little messier. Before you feed the worms again, make sure you harvest the compost at the end of the week.
