• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
worm-compost-thumb.jpg

Worm Composter

Use worms to turn kitchen scraps into compost.

Here's what you'll need:

  • Plastic box (about 2x2 feet for 2 people or 2x3 for four people, 8 to 12 inches deep
  • One pound of red worms can process about a half pound of kitchen scraps per day
  • Bedding of shredded paper or cardboard
  • Kitchen scraps (lettuce leaves, broccoli stems, coffee grounds, egg shells)
  • Soil
  • Water

To build:

  • Drill holes in the bottom of the container
  • Fill with moistened bedding.  Add peat moss or leaf mold to increase water retention.
  • Mix in a couple of handfuls of soil the worms need for grit.  Occasionally add a pulverized egg shell for calcium and grit.
  • Place red worms in bedding.
  • Bury kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and filters with the bedding in one corner of the box and cover loosely with black plastic.
  • Place the next installment of kitchen scraps next to the first.  Continue this pattern placing the raw materials in an unused portion of the bedding.
  • Moisten as needed to keep bedding moist, but not soggy.
  • Add fresh bedding every four months or when you have more worm castings than bedding.
  • Dump the compost out of the bin onto a plastic sheet.
  • Create several cones of worm castings.
  • Shine a light on the cones for 5 to 10 minutes to drive worms down into the piles.
  • Harvest the outer layer of castings and repeat until only the worms remain.

Then start the process again by reassembling a fresh new worm bin.  Use extra worms (these well-fed worms have been multiplying) for fishing or share with friends who want to start their own worm farm.

Use worm castings as a slow release organic fertilizer for your container gardens.  You will be amazed at the impact such little critters can have on your garden.

Related

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


March 27, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Start a Garden for Beginners
Register now

April 3, 2024
Garden Trends 

Franklin Public Library, Franklin, WI

April 10, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Register now

April 11, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

7 Steps to Managing Water Where it Falls in Your Yard
Register now

April 17, 2024
Landscaping for Birds: 
A Gardener’s Perspective

Glendale, WI 

April 18, 2024
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine, WI
Register now

April 20, 2024
Pruning Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs 
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL

April 27, 2024
Ridges & Rivers Book Festival
Viroqua, WI

April 28, 2024
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI

May 1, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Register now

May 9, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Plant Your Rain Garden
Register now

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide !

ENTER NOW