Vermi-What?

This year I have big plans for my garden! One thing I struggle with each year is our terrible dirt.  It is so hard to grow anything in our neighborhood because when the homes were built, they stripped off all of the good topsoil.  So this year I have done lots of research on how to have good soil. The first thing I’ve decided to try is composting. You can compost with just dirt and food scraps and paper products, or you can add worms. When you compost with worms, it’s called Vermicomposting. The worms eat the scraps that you add to the dirt and in turn, “fertilize” the soil.

My husband has been juicing, which leaves lots of unused fruit and vegetable pulp which is great for composting.

Here is what I’ve done so far:

Step#1 Get a container. We went to the Wal-mart and found the PERFECT compost container:

  

You are supposed to drill holes in the top so that nothing molds.  My husband did this but as soon as he started drilling the lid cracked :(  Oh well.

Step #2 – throw the pulp in the bucket:

 

(this is from juicing several times.)

Step#2 – add good soil & mix (you could do this first but I didn’t have any when I started)

Step#3 – add worms!  I was going to go to our local bait store but we ended up having a rainy day so my kids and their friends went up and down the yard collecting them for me :)

Hopefully over time (and adding more dirt and scraps) this will make some super great compost! 

Here are some things you CAN compost with worms:

food scraps (including things like melon rinds, roots, stems, leaves, cores, husks, seeds, skins, peels, etc)

egg shells (not the egg protein), seaweed and rinsed seashells (like oyster shells; not shrimp peels)

old natural fiber clothing (old t-shirts, socks, boxers, etc)

natural yarn, twine and string

non-glossy paper products (cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazine inserts, most junk mail, envelopes, etc)

tea leaves and bags, coffee grinds and filters

dead plants, grass clippings, pine needles and leaves

natural non-treated wood and byproducts like wood ash, sawdust and shavings (no coal ash)

feathers and hair (human, cat, dog, etc.)

dryer lint

produce that is wilted or browned and slightly rotten (not to the point of moldy)

Here are some things you can NOT compost with worms:

• meat, fats, grease, bones or oils (no butter, lard, stocks, soups, etc)
• plastics and plastic coated paper (like glossy magazines)
• stickers, including veggie stickers (remove stamps from envelopes)
• bread or yeast products (no crackers or cakes)
• salt, pepper, and other spices (or only in VERY limited amounts)
• milk, dairy, or dairy products
• cat or dog droppings
• lemon, lime, orange or other citrus peels and juice (in excess this will make the soil too acidic)
• onions and garlic (a good rule of thumb is if it makes you smell, it makes your worm bin smell)
• diseased or infested plants
• treated wood products