Zen and the Art of Worm Bin Maintenance

(cross-posted at GreenOptions.com)

Setting up your own indoor worm composting bin can be a fascinating and truly rewarding experience - but it’s not without its fair share of potential headaches, especially for the uninitiated.

I’ve been an avid vermicomposter myself for nearly 10 years, so I can honestly say I’ve developed a certain ‘feel’ for it by now, but it wasn’t always second nature. Sadly, it’s often during the first few months with a new bin that a lot of the frustrations tend to arise, thus leading many to throw in the towel before witnessing the beauty of a nicely balanced system.

While providing full instructions for the actual set-up of a bin is beyond the scope of this article *, I think it is still important to discuss some things you might want to keep in mind when getting ready to start a new bin.

First and foremost, we need to remember that our overall goal is to help establish and maintain a thriving, complex ecosystem. We’re not simply mixing a bunch of worms with food scraps and bedding and hoping for the best.
The worms of course tend to get the lion’s share of the glory, but there are countless other macro- and microorganisms that can also play a very important role in the process.

Something I highly recommend when starting a new bin is mixing waste material with bedding (eg. shredded paper, cardboard, peat moss etc) along with a pinch of compost or soil, then letting it sit for a week (or more) before adding the worms. This allows for the establishment of a thriving microbial community – remember, it’s the microbes that are the worms’ vital food source, not the actual waste material per se.

Once you’ve witnessed an attempted mass-exodus of hundreds of red wigglers from a brand new worm bin, the value of this advice may become a little more apparent. Of course, simply leaving the lid off with a bright lamp overhead will usually discourage this behavior regardless of the conditions in the bin, but we’re not trying to create a fascist regime here – we want to create a paradise for our little wiggler friends.

Simply put, successful vermicomposting is all about balance. As bin stewards, our role is simply to facilitate the process, while nature takes care of the details. Facilitation requires a certain amount of finesse – if you try too hard to be master of the universe, you may end up eating some humble pie, freshly baked by Mother Nature herself.

Assuming we do successfully achieve ‘lift-off’ (ie. creating a home where the worms want to roam), there are then just three main variables to keep in mind when it comes to nurturing a successful worm bin: food (ie. ‘waste’ materials), oxygen level, & moisture content. All three are closely linked to one another, especially moisture and oxygen, and each one has the potential to wreak havoc on our ‘worm paradise’ if thrown significantly off-kilter.

Here is a very quick run-down of the three factors, along with some advice to help guide you in the right direction.

Food – It can take some time before you start to get a feel for the level of waste input that’s ‘just right’ for your particular bin(s). When starting out, definitely aim to err on the side of ‘not enough’, rather than ‘too much’ since the worm habitat (aged mixture of bedding and waste materials) itself is a valuable food source. There’s definitely no need to go overboard early on. Aside from typically maintaining two or three small bins at a time, I also like to keep an ‘overflow bin’ – simply a bucket (with lid) containing lots shredded cardboard or paper where excess food waste can be allowed to age until there is room in one of the worm bins.

Moisture Content – High levels of moisture are vital for the success of a worm bin – even more so than in a traditional compost heap – but water content can be a double edged sword. In general we want to avoid the pooling of water in the bottom of our bin – thus adding adequate drainage and/or the addition of absorbent bedding material is typically recommended. Conversely, if our bin allows for a considerable amount of air exchange (eg. a wooden bin with spaces between slats), it may become necessary to actually add water, or at least greater quantities of water-rich waste materials.

Oxygen Levels – As mentioned, O2 levels are linked very closely with moisture content. If a bin becomes super-saturated with water, conditions will typically shift from aerobic (good) to anaerobic (not so good). One of the best ways to assess your bin’s moisture and oxygen levels is by conducting a simple ‘smell test’. Dig around in your bin and see what aromas waft up – if it smells earthy and pleasant you are in good shape, if there are any foul odors however, some intervention may be required. My usual solution simply involves the addition of dry, absorbent bedding material.

All in all, composting worms tend to be a very resilient bunch, so don’t let yourself become paralyzed with fear or overly discouraged if you encounter a few hiccups along the way. With a little bit of time and patience, you’ll be amazed how easy it becomes to maintain a healthy, productive worm bin.

I like to think of vermicomposting as a participation sport – as with most things in life, ‘the map is not the territory’, so to speak. Thus, while guidelines and advice can certainly help along the way, there’s no better way to hone your craft than by simply jumping in and getting involved with child-like abandon. The more time you spend getting to know your little ecosystem, the more quickly you’ll be on the path to becoming a full-fledged ‘worm whisperer’.

* If you’d like to learn more about vermicomposting, be sure to check out my other site: RedWormComposting.com.

Technorati Tags: composting, worm composting, red worms, red wigglers, eisenia fetida, worm bin, food scraps, vermicomposting, vermiculture

Written by Bentley on April 9th, 2007 with 3 comments.
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