Global Worming Composting With Worms

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Global WormingComposting With Worms

• The Metropolitan Environmental Trust
• Shelley Umezawa

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What is Vermicomposting?

• The process of using red wigglers and
  microorganism to convert food scraps into dark
  earthy smelling, nutrient humus.

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Why Vermicoposting?

• Red Wigglers can consume their own weight in
  organic matter each day.
• Reduces household waste
• Provides a year round composting activity for
  home and/or school.
• Great option for apartment dweller.
• Amazing Fertilizer (Black Gold)
• Fun

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Your Worms Expect

• Moderate Temperatures
• 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit
• Moisture
• Breathe through their skin
• Ventilation
• Oxygen
• Darkness
• To keep them focused on eating and reproducing

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Feeding Your Worms

• Organic Matter / Non processed food
• Fruits Vegetables, Breads Grains, Leaves and
  Bedding, Coffee Grounds, Egg Shells, Tea Bags
• Food to Avoid
• Meats, Dairy, Oils, Salty Food, Sauces, Garlic,
  Tomatoes, Onions, Fruit pits,

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Using Your Castings

• Enrich Potting Soil
• Transplanting Seedlings
• Worm Tea
• Fertilize Mature Shrubs and Trees
• Lawn Fertilizer

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Harvesting Worms

• Dump and Sort
• Newspaper or plastic
• Light
• Container for castings
• Migration
• Feeding on different sides of your worm bin
• Divide and Dump
• Remove about 2/3 of your worm bin

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Reproduction

• Hermaphrodites
• They reach maturity in 2 to 3 months
• They produce 3 or 4 Cocoons a week
• Cocoons take up to 11 weeks hatch
• Cocoons average 3 hatchlings each

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What else lives in my bin?
isopod (sowbug)
fruit fly
mite
centipede
mold spores
white or pot worms
millipede
springtail