The unseen worm, who has been quietly aerating, tilling, and fertilizing the soil for centuries, is truly our partner in the fight to save the environment.
Here in Florida many gardeners compost both yard waste and kitchen waste with compost piles, sheet composting or some other method during the growing season. In most climates, very little yard waste is generated during winter months when cold temperatures make composting difficult. However, here in the lower southern states where I live composting slows down but does not stop during the winter months.
For all of us, year around usable kitchen waste is constantly being generated and must be disposed of. Rotting organic waste in our dumps is polluting our underground water supply. Worms are ready to eat that organic waste and give us fertilizer in return. Its a deal that humanity cannot afford to pass up. Vermicomposting is the process of using worms and micro-organisms to turn kitchen waste into a black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus.
Worm composting?
Worm composting is a process that uses earthworms, to consume organic waste, producing castings (an odor-free compost product for use as mulch), soil conditioner, and topsoil additive. Naturally occurring organisms, such as bacteria and millipedes, also assist in the aerobic degradation of the organic material.
Vermicomposting is especially useful for processing food scraps, since the worms consume the material quickly and there are fewer problems with odor. Worm composting does not generate temperatures high enough to kill pathogens. For this reason, vermicomposting is more appropriate for food, paper, and yard waste.
Food scraps should be chopped or shredded for faster degradation. Unprocessed materials can be used in vermicomposting, but the time required for complete degradation of the organic waste is generally six months or longer. Vermicomposting does not require a specific carbon-to-nitrogen ratio like traditional aerobic composting methods.
Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called vermicompost, or worm compost. Worms eat food scraps, which become compost as they pass through the worm's body. Compost exits the worm through its' tail end. This compost can then be used to grow plants. To understand why vermicompost is good for plants, remember that the worms are eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable scraps, and turning them into nutrient-rich compost.
