Vermiculture or vermicomposting comes from the Latin term vermis, meaning worms. Vermicomposting employs earthworms to change organic waste material into high quality compost. Vermicomposting changes many types of different kitchen waste into a into a nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden.

Vermicompost, or vermiculture, most often uses two species of worms, red wigglers or red earthworms, which are rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles.

Some of the benefits of Vermicomposting include:

Natural organic fertilizer being produced.

Minimal cost to start and continue, with little space required

Great for the environment

Simple, fun and educational

My Experience With Vermicomposting, The Art and Science of Keeping Worms

After reading about Vermicomposting (the process of using worms as a way to recycle discarded food scraps and make compost) online I was so intrigued by the idea that I just had to give it a go. I had been researching conventional composting practices because I wanted a way to cut down on the amount of garbage that I was throwing away, but was having trouble figuring out how I could do it.

For one thing, I live in an apartment so short of my balcony there's really nowhere else I could start a compost heap. It's not advised to have one so close to your house because they generally do produce something of an odor, but I was still willing to do so if it was the only way. Besides that though, all the yard maintenance of the complex was contracted out and conducted very efficiently. It would be hard to come up with the necessary refuse to supply the "brown" material for a compost pile.

Enter Vermicomposting

While I was browsing around I kept noticing mention of "Vermicomposting" or "composting with worms" and kept putting off reading about it. Something in the back of my head just kind of assumed "there's no way I'm doing that." Most people probably have a similar bias towards worms; sad but true. Finally I did read a few articles about it, and was intrigued by people saying how easy, mess-free and (most importantly) odorless it was. Worm bins are commonly kept indoors and produce no discernible odor whatsoever. This is what really got me interested, because my deck is often in full sunlight and thus not ideal for regular compost or Vermicomposting. If I could keep them inside, then that made it a viable option.

When I remembered that I'd seen the specific kind of worm used in Vermicomposting, "red wigglers" at the local PetsMart before, that pretty much sealed the deal. If you can't get worms locally then you have to have them shipped, which was somewhat off-putting. But since I could, that meant I could literally start Vermicomposting that day. Perfect!

My Vermicomposting Setup

It turns out that PetsMart was out of stock of red worms that day, but doing a quick search online I was able to find a store that sold live bait situated on a nearby river - voila. I drove out and purchased a single small plastic tub of worms (the woman who sold them to me said there was about forty in it, but I'm not so sure about that.) I figured one tub would be fine since I produce very little waste (one heaping handful of scraps or less daily, on average) and I compensated by buying a much smaller bin than most sites recommend, about 18" x 10". I accidentally goofed and bought a clear bin (worms don't like light), but I solved that by wrapping it in duct tape; after stealing some free classified newspapers from outside a local grocery I was ready to go.

The whole "micro-Vermicomposting" setup cost me under $10, including my new worm friends, and took about an hour to get everything assembled nicely. I introduced scraps I'd been saving immediately and did my best to resist the urge to go and look at them and check their progress. The morning after I set up the bin I was a little alarmed to see three renegade worms dried out on the carpet (only one survived) that had ventured out during the night - this typically means that conditions in the bin were unfavorable. It was apparently a one-time thing though, and I've had no additional problems in any way with my worms. I will be buying several more tubs to add in and speed up their consumption rate, but otherwise the entire system is beautifully self-contained.

I am a thoroughly convinced convert to the practice of Vermicomposting and intend to inform everyone in my family about it and hopefully get them started. I hope this article has helped clarify some of the mystery surrounding it for you and allows you to overcome any inherent aversion to the idea you might be harboring.

This article was composed CB Michaels:

CB is a long time writer and internet content provider, most recently covering subjects such as Bare Minerals eye shadow and mineral foundation products.

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