O is for Organic garbage disposal
Every other week or so,I like to rummage around in the wormatorium worm box. This week,I thought you might like a photo tour.
The worm box lives under my kitchen counter,which is convenient for dropping in kitchen scraps,and keeps the worms at a nice indoor temperature. Composting worms are happiest between 50 and 75 degrees –although they can certainly survive quite well outside in this part of the country (USDA zone 8 ). But the warmer they are,the faster they eat,and I want to really build up a lot of compost in time for spring.
On the top I have a layer of cardboard and flat newspaper,to keep the bedding warm,dry,dark,and free of fruit flies. To add food,you just peel back the top layer and drop it in.
Here you can see one of the main benefits of a worm box versus a regular compost bin –it’s much,much faster. Two weeks ago,this was half a head of wilted celery. As you can see,it’s almost completely broken down.
A few of our happy customers. Look how plump they are!
Here’s a close-up,so that you can see his super-full digestive tract. These guys eat non-stop,all day,all night;it’s really quite amazing.
I have happy worms! They’re making babies! Worm eggs are called “capsules.”Compost worms lay 2-3 capsules a week,and the capsules take about three weeks to hatch. Give it another month,and my worm box will be totally rockin’with the wigglers.
Since I’m using a plastic bin,which doesn’t aerate as well,I stir up all the bedding every other week or so,to let it mix around and air out. So far,things are going well,and my worm box has no appreciable odor –if you stick your face right in there,you might catch a whiff of something or other,but it’s certainly nothing you’d notice when you’re just standing next to the box. I spritz the contents with a squirty bottle whenever I put in new bedding,but I’m careful to keep it dry enough that there isn’t much “fluid”collecting at the bottom.
Go,worms,go!
That is really cool. I might have to try that next spring.
Oooooh,vermicomposting! Not to be confused with vermin-composting,of course. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time but my husband is skeptical about the odor. Yeah,like he could smell it. I’m the one with the sensitive nose.
I have several plastic boxes like yours —do you think worms prefer red-orange tops,or would my blue ones be okay?
Gross,and yet strangely fascinating.
I’m amazed that there is no nasty smell. Perhaps I should try this in addition to my compost bins. Mind you,with goats,there’s not a lot that makes it that far…oh forget I said anything…and in answer to the question about fake scents…yep…it’s an american thing. Here in OZ we do have some of those bathroom spray things but about 1% of what you have.
Thank God.
You should all definitely try setting up a wormatorium! It’s fun! Kmkat –I think the blue would probably be okay. Tell your husband that you’ll throw the whole thing out if he detects an odor,I think he’ll be pleasantly surprised. Remind him that the worms eat the garbage –it’s not actually decomposing,as it is in a compost bin. Maintained well,the worms eat it before it has a chance to go bad.
Catsmum,sounds like your goats have the “kitchen waste”problem well under control!