Factsheet Series

#2
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting, or worm composting is an easy process that requires only a few simple components: some
red wriggler worms, a ventilated bin, bedding for the worms to live in, food for the worms, and some time to har-
vest their nutrient rich castings. Once you have all the components in place, worm composting is easy! Ver-
micomposting is perfect for apartment and condo dwellers who do not have a backyard area for composting.

Effort Scale:
Easy 1 2 3 4 5 Hard Vermicomposting is easy, with most effort coming around
harvest time. Great for all ages!

The Worms and Other

Worm Bin Organisms
Red Wrigglers
Vermicomposting requires a special type of worm
called a red wriggler (Eisenia foetida). The red
wriggler is a deep red colour, unlike the common
earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) which is more of
a pink colour and is found in your garden soil. Un-
like typical garden worms, which like to travel
through the soil, red wrigglers prefer to live in
smaller, more enclosed spaces with a concentrat-
ed food source -- like worm bins! Worms are the
predominant decomposing organism in your
worm bin.

You will also notice other organisms that make

their way into your worm bin - do not panic!
These are all apart of the vermicomposting pro-
cess and will not harm the worms or escape into
Worm bin with stand
your home. A multitude of organisms is indicative
of a healthy worm bin. Some organisms you may
find are whiteworms, sowbugs, springtails, centi- want, but keep in mind that a bin full of worm
pedes and millipedes. For more information on castings is heavy.
compost organisms see Fact Sheet #8: Compost  The bin must have a lid. The lid keeps mois-
Ecology. ture (and the worms) in and flies and light out.
It does not need to be tight fitting.
The Worm Bin  The bin must have drainage. A few holes in the
There are many different ways to make a worm bottom of the bin will suffice. A tray beneath
bin, but all worm bins should meet certain criteria the bin can catch the drippings, which make a
in order to ensure the bin can process food scraps wonderful fertilizer. As well, you will need a
and keep your worms comfortable: stand to hold the bin up above the drip tray
(see photo).
 To handle food scraps from two people, the  The bin will need a source of air. Holes drilled
bin should be at least 3 feet3 (0.08m3) in size. in the side and fitted with soffit vents will pro-
The dimensions of this size bin might be vide the necessary aeration.
2’ (60cm) long, 1.5’ (45cm) wide and 1’ (30cm)
deep. You can make your bin as large as you
Fact Sheet Series #2 Vermicomposting

Locating Your Worm Bin Food and Feeding

It is important to place your worm bin in a good Food
location. Consider the following factors: Worms can eat a wide variety of food scraps such
 Temperature as:
Worms prefer a temperature of about 17C-22C  Raw fruit and vegetable scraps
(70-80F). Thus, it should be kept indoors in the  Coffee grounds (a particular worm favourite!)
winter and can be put outdoors in the summer  Tea bags
if it is in the shade.  Egg shells
Do not place the bin too close to a heating de- Do not add meat, dairy, or oily food to your worm
vice like a radiator or heather, which can quick- bin. These items risk attracting fruit flies and
ly warm the bin and kill the worms. houseflies and can rot if not ingested quickly. Al-
so, be sure to feed your worms a wide variety of
 Accessibility materials. Limiting their diet to one or two items
It is a good idea to place your bin where it can eas- can slow their population growth and disrupt the
ily be accessed and monitored. Some common pH of your bin. It is best to limit the amount of
places for worm bins are: citrus, garlic and onion added to the worm bin:
they are all naturally antibacterial and do not
On a patio or balcony In the kitchen seem to appeal to worms. In addition, foods that
Under the sink In the garage are very acidic (e.g. lemons, tomatoes) can also
Under a shaded tree Under a table alter the pH of the bin and attract fruit flies.

The Bedding Feeding

Worms need a comfortable material in which to Red wrigglers are voracious eaters with the ability
live - what we call ‘bedding’. This bedding should to eat half their weight in food each day, so they
resemble a light, moist, fluffy soil that is easy for are ideal for worm composting. For a standard
the worms to move around in. Here are a few sized worm bin, we recommend adding two 750g
items and tips that can help you achieve this envi- yogurt containers of food each week.
ronment: We recommend feeding once or twice per week so
 Shredded leaves make wonderful bedding for you don’t disturb the worms too often and can
worms. They can be used on their own, or
mixed 50/50 with shredded newspaper. Leave,
however, are only available at certain times of
the year, so stockpile them when you get the = each week
chance!
 Shredded newspaper (about 1/2”-1”/1-3cm
wide) is a great bedding product because it is keep track of how much you are feeding them.
abundant and free. However, it cannot really When you feed your worms, dig a hole in the bed-
be used on its own; it mixes well (50/50) with ding, place the food scraps in the hole, then re-
leaves or coir. cover them with the bedding. Keeping food
 Coir (coconut husk fibre) is a by-product of the scraps covered at all times prevents them from
coconut industry and has a texture much like smelling and attracting flies and other pests. Be
peat moss. It can be mixed 50/50 with news- sure to feed your worms in a different place in the
paper for bedding. bedding each time, ideally moving in a consistent
 The bedding should be moist but not soaked. direction. This ensures that you do not dig up
We recommend that it be as wet as a wrung your other food scraps when burying new ones,
out sponge or slightly wetter. and that the worms are moving throughout the
 It is a good idea to mix or turn your bedding whole bin, consuming the bedding along with the
every few weeks to help aerate the bin. This food scraps.
prevents the bottom and corners from getting
too wet and becoming anaerobic -- creating an You can also chop or cut larger food scraps up to
unpleasant smell. help the worms eat them more quickly. This is not
essential but will help produce a more even-
textured finished product.
Fact Sheet Series #2 Vermicomposting

Harvesting Your Castings 2) Separate the castings into small piles or make a
Harvesting the worm castings is the most labour long windrow pile (a long tall mound).
intensive part of the vermicomposting process, but 3) Shine a light on the top of the pile (or use the
it only needs to be done every 4-6 months. There sun outside) and the worms will move to the
are many ways that you can harvest your worm bottom of the pile to escape the light.
castings, but here are just a few: 4) Scoop the castings off the top of the piles and
then re-pile them several times until all you
1. Migration Method have left is a bit of castings and a bunch of
The migration method is an easy but lengthy worms.
process. You will want to begin your migration 5) Add more bedding to your bin, return the
method when you see the worm bin is about worms to their home and add their food for the
90% finished. This is easy to determine if you week.
have used some newspaper in your bedding.
When the newspaper is almost all gone and The tarp method can also be used right inside the
most of the bedding has turned to moist, black bin. Simply take off the lid and place the bin out-
worm castings, it is time to migrate your worms. side on a sunny day or under a bright light inside.
The timing of your migration is important be- Mix up the bedding thoroughly but gently and let it
cause the castings are toxic to worms and they sit for about an hour. The worms will have worked
will eventually die if left in their own waste for their way downward, out of the light, and you can
too long. skim the compost from the top of the bin. Repeat
this process several times until you have a thin lay-
Feed your worms on one short side of the bin, er of worms and castings at the bottom of your bin.
and the worms will migrate to that side to feed. You can then add new bedding directly to the bin
After 2-4 weeks you can harvest the castings on and continue with feeding.
the opposite side of the bin and replace them
with new bedding. You can then start placing Worm Bin Timeline
the food in the new bedding and the worms will
migrate to it. Daily:
 Put food scraps into compost pail (not into
the worm bin)
Weekly:
 Bury approximately 2 yogurt containers
worth of food scraps
 Check/empty drainage tray.
Monthly:
 Fluff bedding, making sure that newspaper
is not clogging the drainage holes

Every 4-6 Months:

 Harvest worm bin

Windrow piles on a tarp

2. Tarp Method
The tarp method is a more labour intensive pro-
cess of harvesting your castings, but it can be
done much more quickly than the migration
method.
1) Simply dump the contents of your finished
worm bin onto a big tarp. This is best done out-
side.
Fact Sheet Series #2 Vermicomposting

Troubleshooting Your Worm Bin

Symptoms Possible Cause Solutions
Food overload Gently mix bedding in with the food; stop adding food for a cou-
Smelly bin
ple of weeks, or add less food.
Not enough air circula- Mix in fresh newspaper; make sure bedding isn’t matted over the
tion; too wet drainage holes; gently fluff bedding.
Unsuitable materials Remove any meat or dairy or large amounts of bread or citrus

Not enough air Mix in fresh newspaper (not the glossy kind, and not the flyers);
Worms leaving make sure bedding isn’t matted over the drainage holes; gently
fluff bedding.
Bedding ready to be Harvest castings
changed
Too many citrus peels Remove some of the citrus peels

Not enough food Bury more food in the bin

Not enough air Mix in fresh newspaper; make sure bedding isn’t matted over the
drainage holes; gently fluff bedding.
Too dry Mix in water until the bedding is damp like a wrung out sponge
Worms dying
Too wet Mix in some shredded newspaper (not the glossy kind and not
the flyers) or shredded brown paper towels (after they’ve been
used).
Too cold Move worm bin inside
Too hot Move out of direct sunlight

Not burying food or Make sure food scraps are well buried under the bedding; Make
overloading bin sure compost collection pail has a secure lid (it can also be kept in
Fruit flies the fridge); Place a 1-inch thick layer of damp newspaper over top
of the bedding until fruit flies subside;

Troubleshooting tips adapted from The Composting Council of Canada’s Composting Goes to School Teacher’s Guide

1216 North Park St.

Victoria, BC V8T 1C9
250-386-9676
[email protected]
www.compost.bc.ca
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