A great compost for your house plants, outdoor plants, and lawn too is made
by worms! You could have your own worm bin in your home or garage in
which worms turn your kitchen waste and newspaper into black gold for your
How To Make Your Own
While it does take some tending (think of those worms as livestock or pets), it
is so rewarding to see your waste turned into nutrition for your plants. Here’s how to make you own:
- Get a plastic bin with a lid.
- Drill some holes for air.
- Add some shredded newspaper or cardboard for “bedding”.
- Add a pound of worms.
- Compost away! Add kitchen waste a bit at a time (avoid meat, fats and dairy).
- Occassionally add more newspapers.
Where To Buy A Worm Compost
Worms and pre-made bins can be purchased in Calgary from Worms at Work
(wormsatwork.com) or from the Green Calgary Eco-Store (greencalgary.org or
403-230-1443, ext 222).
What Type of Worms are Used?
The kind of worms used in worm bins are usually red wigglers or african
nightcrawlers. These worms are not the same as your typical earthworms. These worms eat
constantly, are really clean, carry no known human diseases, and their
digestive enzymes turn really yucky stuff into great soil!
You do need to make sure you keep the bin moist but not wet, keep the food
scraps covered with “bedding,” and once every three months you can harvest
half a bin of compost.
I have kept my bin in the furnace room or the garage
(with a heater), so that the worms stay warm and the occasional earthy smell
is away from the main part of the house.
If you are going to get a worm bin, learn from an expert and get the book
“Worms Eat my Garbage” by Mary Applehof. It has everything you need to
know to worm compost well.
By worm composting, you will keep food waste out of the landfill where it
creates methane gas harmful to the environment, you will have a fun ongoing
relationship with the cycle of life, and you will get great compost for your
house and yard.
Using worm compost, you wonʼt need to use chemical
fertilizers for your lawn, which end up leaching into the watershed (including
Fish Creek) and harming the aquatic ecosystem.