What about large families, vegans, vegetarians, and juicers?

For intensive vermicompost users (e.g., large families, vegans, vegetarians, and juicers), you may need to implement my modified indoor vermicomposting instructions to accommodate your lifestyle. This is good news—you will make more compost than the typical user; however, you may have to spend more money initially.

You will probably need 2 or 3 bins and 4-6 pounds of worms to handle the volume of food waste you make. To find out how many pounds of worms you will need, weigh your food waste for a week. Double that number and that is how many pounds you will need. You can start with fewer worms if you have access to an outdoor compost pile (or don’t mind throwing away excess) while your worms multiply. The best method is to split your worms 1-2 pounds per bin, and rotate your additions among the bins so the bins rest at least 3 days between additions. You will likely have to add a lot of newspaper (or other bedding) with each addition. This is especially true for juicers—for whom I would suggest considering a wooden bin or a bin that does allow for drainage.

All of my other recommendations apply: start slowly, feed on the bottom, and monitor your bins for problems. You will soon be harvesting vermicompost and reaping the rewards of your efforts.

Cheers,

Mark

Can I go on vacation with a worm bin?

Absolutely. You don't even have to take them to a kennel!

If you've got a fairly mature bin (5-6# of worms and compost), you can leave your worms for 4-5 weeks if you feed them a lot (be sure to bury it deep) and be sure to include food that breaks down slowly (carrots, potatoes, onions, rutabaga, or fibrous things like broccoli stalks). Your worms will be fine, and you may be ready to harvest some vermicompost when you return.

If you are going to be gone for a longer period, you may lose some worms due to lack of food. You can of course have someone feed them while you are away. If someone is coming by to check on your home, they can add some food scraps (be sure they know what to add and how!). Who knows, you make introduce a friend to vermicomposting!

Cheers!

Mark

Starting with one pound or two?

People often ask whether they should start with one pound or two.

I sell both and I think this is a matter of personality more than anything else.

If you are patient, start with one pound. If you are not and can afford it, then start with two.

I generally recommend starting with one pound. Your up front costs are less (in the rare event that things go awry) and you get to know your worms as you build their population.

Twice as many worms simply means that you can put in twice as much food.

Both bins will eventually end up in the same place. The one pound will eventually catch up, because there is only so much space in a worm bin and you only have so much food to add.

Cheers,

Mark

Correcting wet worm bins

Every so often, someone will contact me for advice about fixing a worm bin that is too wet. This can occur in plastic worm bins with or without drainage. For the most part, my recommendations of monitoring your bin when adding food and keeping a fresh layer of dry newspaper on top will prevent this from ever happening.

These vermicomposters typically think they have to throw out the smelly, wet mass and start again. You could go that route, but as long as you have worms (assuming you haven't drowned all of them) you can fix this by drying out your bin by adding a lot of fresh newspaper and digging it all the way to the bottom of the bin. While you are in there, gently mix the contents of the bin thoroughly (this won't harm the worms). Then cover the damp mix with more freshly shredded dry newspaper. Don't feed them and watch to see if you need to add more newspaper (you want the bottom of the bin to be as wet as a wrung out sponge).

After week or so, you will notice that the smell is gone and the volume will decrease a bit. At that time, you can resume feeding as described in my blog-- http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2009/12/starting-your-worm-bin.html.

Vermicomposting is trial and error, and I hope you will benefit from my experiences rather than repeat my errors.

Cheers,

Mark

Fungus gnats

I get questions like this occasionally:

"When I took the lid off the bin I noticed tiny little black flies flying out... I don't think they are fruit flies because I put out a dish with mixture of cider vinegar, water and a little mild dish soap which always takes care of fruit flies but these guys could care less about it! Please help."

Most commonly these are be fungus gnats (see image). Fungus Gnats are very small 1/32 to 7/16 inch long, long legged and mosquito-like and are usually black, gray, or brown. The larvae feed on moist decaying organic matter and fungi growing in the soil.

I have found the best treatment of fungus gnats to be BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis israelenis) mosquito rings/dunks. To treat an infestation, make a solution of 2 cups of water for about 1/4 of the dunk. Remove the newspaper layer and spray about 1/2 of this solution on the soil daily for 10 days (make fresh solution every 2 days-- one piece of ring lasts 2 or 3 times). Vacuum any adults your can when you open
the lid (dust buster or shop vac work well). Keep the newspaper layer off your bin during the treatment period and do not add food. That should take care of them.

To prevent fungus gnats, be sure to bury any food scraps. If you see mold starting to grow in your bin, replace the newspaper layer and and hold food back until the worms catch up.

Cheers,

Mark

Barter is Better

For the past few years I have had a barter opportunity on my web site.

I've had some great barters that I'd like to share. I have bartered worms for

Honey
Eggs
Knit yard socks
Fresh vegetables
Herbal tea
Soap
Candles
Hand cream
Pies
Bay rum aftershave

These have been wonderful barters, and I am grateful to receive these items in exchange.

The list is not intended to state everything I will barter for. In fact ,I am surprised now how many things are on it!

If you want worms and have something to barter, let me know.

Cheers,

Mark

Interesting Vermibusiness Model

A grower in Taiwan contacted me to share a business model he uses. It was interesting, so I am sharing it.

Coordinate with local companies who have compostable trash, develop a group of friends to make vermicompost from the trash, sell vermicompost at the Farmer's Market.

Because businesses pay a lot in trash removal, this can be reduced if you find other people to take their trash and make worm compost to sell. You get the business to pay you to have members of your group members to take away the compostable trash ($1/kg). You sell your worms to your group and coordinate having them pickup the food waste. Then you pay the growers weekly to provide you with a fixed (2-5 kilograms) amount of vermicompost per month ($2/kg) and to pickup the trash (compost food removal at $0.25/kg).

You can sell the vermicompost for about $5/kg at a farmer's market in the city or online. Remember you also make money on the first sale of your worms to your growers and coordinating payment with the businesses.

Your growers will benefit because they only pay an initial start up fee and coordinate picking up food and delivering vermicompost to you. They get a monthly check from you for picking up waste and processing vermicompost.

If you can do this in a city (so you wouldn't spend a lot of money on gas), the whole group could make some decent money. Plus, if you coordinate food waste pickup at restaurants, you'll probably become a friend of the owner (because you save them money) and get some meals for free, too!

It takes some time to set this up, but it works!

Thanks Chen for sharing this. I would add that you could also make vermicompost tea and sell to local landscapers.

Cheers,

Mark