Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting (the Latin word vermi means worm) is one of  the most fastest composting methods out there. It's because this method includes the use of worms which speeds up the decomposition process. The worms "eat" the material in your compost and poop it out as "castings". Which later becomes the compost/ finished product. Castings are technically the worm's outer layer of skin, but it is made up of the organic materials the worms ate. After awhile, castings/ left-over-skin breaks down into nutritious soil. This takes a couple of days. Also Compost made from vermicomposting contains five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus and 11 times more potassium. Very good aspects for your future soil.


When vermicomposting, you should use at least a pound of worms for any amount of composting material. You should supply a good amount of Eisenia fetida also known as red wrigglers. These are the type of earth worms, that help break down your compost the fastest.


Materials-

1. A bin or any plastic container (when using plastic containers never shut the lid tightly. Or else the worms in the compost will suffocate).. Wooden containers are preferred. Because the wood allows for air to pass through so the worms can breathe.
2. News paper or some type of soft paper for bedding. (Make sure the news paper isn't very inky or doesn't have a lot of ink.
3. Water 
4. Spray bottle
4. Worms, preferably red wrigglers

How to Vermi-compost:

1. Using some newspaper or soft bedding fill the bin 1/2 or 3/4 of the way up.
2. Then sprinkle some water on to the bedding. The bedding should feel like wrung wash cloths.
3. Place the worms on top and wait a day for them to settle in.
4. Then gradually, scatter some compost material, like vegetables, on top of the bedding. Start slowly with small amounts in the very beginning. You can add more at a time as your compost bin gets more established.
5. Once the castings decompose and your ready to harvest some of the compost, you can try shining a bright light on to the compost. Since worms are sensitive to strong lights they will move usher down into your compost. After this happens, you can harvest the top layers of the rich black compost soil. After this you can add fresh new layers of bedding and food.

TIPS

 - During the composting procedure, put some apple peels or left over kitchen scraps in to your compost bin. This helps keep the worms "fed".
- Make sure you spray some water over the compost bin time to time. This helps prevent the compost from drying up.
-Turn the pile to let oxygen circulate throughout the compost pile/bin. This helps the worms stay alive.
- Other good bedding to use are: shredded corrugated cardboard, peat moss, worm bedding found in some stores.