Composting – A Worm’s Business
Ever heard of vermicomposting aka worm composting?
Have you ever wondered how you can give back to Mother Earth without spending a whole lot of money and at the same time do something productive?
There are lots of ways to do that! One of them is through composting with worms! You may have heard of worm composting before but have never given it much of a thought. Composting is the process of purposefully biodegrading organic matter like yard and food waste into soil. This process is usually performed by yeasts, fungi and very tiny micro-organisms called bacteria. By breaking down these organic materials into carbon dioxide, water and biomass, the bacteria are able to provide organic material for the soil thus making Mother Earth a bit healthier than before. Such heroes these little guys are!
But they are not the only ones who can make such victorious feats! Earthworms can do it too! Yes, creepy, crawling, dirty little earthworms! In fact using these creepy crawlers have a real edge: worm composting can be done indoors or outdoors so that means composting can be done all year long.
Because worm-composting can be done indoors, apartment owners who want to practice composting can also do so.
How can this be done?
Well put simply, worm composting can be done using a container of moist bedding and red worms.
What are red worms?
Red worms or Eisenia foetida is a species of earthworm adapted to the environment of decaying organic material1. Rotting vegetation, compost and manure are its ideal companions. It is very popular for its innate ability to convert organic material into compost and is usually the species used for worm composting.
Thus organic materials that you want to get rid of can be added into the mix and eventually the red worm composting process takes over. The mighty red worms and their faithful micro-organic subjects easily turn the contents into rich compost, thus reducing waste material.
This ability makes red wiggler worms very effective for composting. Red worms are now being sold in the market and are now even available to be ordered in the internet.
If you are a really thrifty person and you are not too keen on the idea of spending some money for worms, a local farm could be a good place to start. Some people try digging through manure in a local farm or piles of old leaves to find some of these grubbers. Others try to provide a cozy place for red worms by covering a "promising spot" with a sheet of corrugated cardboard, in the hope of harvesting some after a few weeks. The lowest price for red composting worms (if you do decide to buy one) depends largely on the amount of red worms that you intend to buy and the shipping amount (if any).
Jim Shaw is a worm farming expert. He writes about what he loves doing the most - worm composting, red wiggler worms and organic gardening.