Why Worm Composting is Beneficial to Plants and Gardens
Worm composting is the process in which you recycle your table scraps into rich compost using live worms.
Here we will outline the steps to follow to get your compost pile built and operational.
Step one is to find a suitable box to use.
The box can be made out of wood or plastic, but it must have holes in the bottom, top and sides to allow airflow.
You don't want the holes too large or the worms will escape.
A hole size of an 1/8 of an inch will allow air into the container while keeping the worms inside.
You can place the worm composting box in your basement, shed, garage, or outdoors.
Where you keep the box depends on the space you have available and the climate you live in.
Worms don't tolerate extremes climates well.
If it gets colder than forty degrees it best to keep them inside.
What are the best composting worms? The most popular worm for composting is redworms.
It is also referred to as the red wiggler worm.
The red worm thrives on food waste and organic materials.
These worms can be easily found online or even at some gardening centers.
How many worms to start with.
These worms have a big appetite.
If you are going to add a pound of food waste a day to the container, you need about 2000 worms.
If you are going to begin with fewer than 2000 worms reduce the amount of waste you add.
The red wriggler is prolific breeder.
Redworms reaches sexually maturity between sixty and ninety days.
After that, their babies are mature within twenty-one days.
Worm composting bedding You want the worms to have an ideal environment so that they thrive and reproduce.
Shredded newspaper, grass clippings, leaves, straw, shredded cardboard and peat moss all make good bedding material for the worms.
Keep the bedding material damp, not wet.
Feeding the redworms These worms will eat almost of a vegetable of fruit origins.
In addition, tea bags, eggshells, and coffee grounds make a good food source.
You don't want to use any dairy or meat products, they tend to attract unwanted critters.
Over time, worm composting will provide you with the organic matter that will improve any area of your garden.
An added bonus it is environmentally friendly to recycle waste.
Here we will outline the steps to follow to get your compost pile built and operational.
Step one is to find a suitable box to use.
The box can be made out of wood or plastic, but it must have holes in the bottom, top and sides to allow airflow.
You don't want the holes too large or the worms will escape.
A hole size of an 1/8 of an inch will allow air into the container while keeping the worms inside.
You can place the worm composting box in your basement, shed, garage, or outdoors.
Where you keep the box depends on the space you have available and the climate you live in.
Worms don't tolerate extremes climates well.
If it gets colder than forty degrees it best to keep them inside.
What are the best composting worms? The most popular worm for composting is redworms.
It is also referred to as the red wiggler worm.
The red worm thrives on food waste and organic materials.
These worms can be easily found online or even at some gardening centers.
How many worms to start with.
These worms have a big appetite.
If you are going to add a pound of food waste a day to the container, you need about 2000 worms.
If you are going to begin with fewer than 2000 worms reduce the amount of waste you add.
The red wriggler is prolific breeder.
Redworms reaches sexually maturity between sixty and ninety days.
After that, their babies are mature within twenty-one days.
Worm composting bedding You want the worms to have an ideal environment so that they thrive and reproduce.
Shredded newspaper, grass clippings, leaves, straw, shredded cardboard and peat moss all make good bedding material for the worms.
Keep the bedding material damp, not wet.
Feeding the redworms These worms will eat almost of a vegetable of fruit origins.
In addition, tea bags, eggshells, and coffee grounds make a good food source.
You don't want to use any dairy or meat products, they tend to attract unwanted critters.
Over time, worm composting will provide you with the organic matter that will improve any area of your garden.
An added bonus it is environmentally friendly to recycle waste.
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