Do Not Put IN

  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Citrus (Orange/Lemon/Lime)
  • Fats or excessively oily scraps
  • Dairy products
  • Cat or dog food or feces
  • Twigs and branches
  • Anything moldy or rotten
  • Broccoli, (Becomes stinky)
  • Onions
  • Anything that grows underground

!!!DO NOT OVER WATER!!!

  • Sprinkle the surface with water as needed.
  • You want your bedding to have the dampness of a wrung-out sponge.
  • Everything you add has moisture.

Do Put IN

  • Materials that grow above ground
  • Bananas and Peels
  • Apples, Mangos
  • Squash family (Pumpkin, Butternut Squash)
  • Cucumber
  • Lettuce (It can become stinky as it breaks down)
  • Coffee/Tea grounds (Filters can go in as well)
  • Moderation is the key!!

Vermiculture

--is the process of using worms to decompose organic food waste, turning the waste into a nutrient-rich material capable of supplying necessary nutrients to help sustain plant growth. This method is simple, effective, convenient, and noiseless. It saves water, energy, landfills, and helps rebuild the soil.

Worms

Red wigglers— are surface-dwellers and prefer to live in the top 6" of the soil

Worms help to break down materials into dirt

Befits of Worm Composting

One of the many benefits to vermicomposting is being able to harvest high-quality worm compost (also known as Black Gold).

Helps reduce the waste in our landfills

Landfills— A secure landfill is a carefully engineered depression in the ground (or built on top of the ground, resembling a football stadium) into which wastes are put. The aim is to avoid any hydraulic [water-related] connection between the wastes and the surrounding environment, particularly groundwater. Basically, a landfill is a bathtub in the ground; a double-lined landfill is one bathtub inside another. Bathtubs leak two ways: out the bottom or over the top.

Vermi-means Worms

Compost- a mixture of various decaying organic substances

Organic—characteristic of, pertaining to, or derived from living organisms

Why vermicompost—The problem is that when food is tossed into a landfill it begins to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the second largest producer of methane gas, which is a huge contributor to global warming.

So the more food we keep out of our landfills, the less methane we release into the atmosphere.

can save you money. If you pay for trash collection, it is often based on volume. Since your trash volume will probably be reduced by at least 25%, you will see your bill go down as well. If you have a home garden or landscaping ideas for your yard, you probably spend quite a bit of money each year on soil and fertilizer for your plants. If you have a vermicompost bin, however, you get it for free. Worm castings make an incredibly rich and nutritious soil for plants. And the microorganisms that pass into the soil from the worms help your plants become more resistant to disease and pests.