When I first did worm composting (vermicomposting), my worms died not too long after I started the worm bin. I realized that the composting material was too dry, and perhaps that was why they all died. So, I make sure now, that I put all tea bags and moist food scraps into the worm bin so they don't die. But now there is so much moisture and liquid in this worm bin that I am not sure this is right either.
I have two composting bins in the garage, and bags of this stuff with micro-organisms came with each one. When I first put food scraps into these compost bins, I also layered the food scraps with this micro-organism stuff. The liquid that came out smelled like beer so I knew everything was right on. And it stayed right on for about a month, then all the compost began to smell bad and no more 'beer' smelling liquid. Mold covered the former food scraps now. What went wrong?
After studying a little on composting, my big mistake seems to be not having enough 'brown stuff' in my compost bin. So now I add some newspaper with black and white print to it. Also, adding leaves to the compost bin is helpful, although I have not had the time to collect the leaves from the back yard.
I also bought a compost grinder which just tears up the food scraps to make them smaller. Some people have actually bought an extra blender or container to chop up the food scraps to make them smaller. The smaller the food scraps, the quicker the compost. My two compost bins seem to have a lot of liquid in them as well. I think they both need more newspapers and leaves, and also putting more of the micro-organism stuff on it periodically will help.
This past month I had no time to work on the compost bins, and one of them is beginning to turn it's smell from 'beer' to rotting beer, so it needs attention again. We don't want so much liquid in it that the bad bacteria begins to grow. So, I will fix them up and hopefully use them soon, so I can start them again.
The kitchen compost bucket is full of scraps. I need to put them into the compost grinder so the results can go into one of the compost bins or into the worm bin. Even the worm bin needs newspaper scraps in it. Those will help make compost turn into good compost, and the worms will thrive on it as well.
Some composting helpers:
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| I have this book but sadly, have not had the time to read it yet. |
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| This compost holder is helpful to have in the kitchen. I used to use a large margarine tub stuck in the fridge, but this idea is a good one. You can get bags to go inside, and also it comes with a carbon round thing that goes in the top to help keep odor down. |
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| I have two of these and think I can use both at the same time. The Bokashi is a combination of oatmeal bran and micro-organisms. The resulting compost will have a nice smell, kind of like beer, if it is made right. I also use this in my kitchen compost bin. Next step is to find the recipe so I could make my own. |
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| I have this compost grinder. Some just use an extra blender container for grinding up food scraps. Food and scraps should be in small particles for it to turn into compost faster. |
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| I tried to find one that resembles mine, and this is the closest I could find. A worm bin that holds worms to make compost. I have heard that worm castings make the best compost. |
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| Every worm bin needs the worms to go in it! The worms need to be 'Red Wrigglers'. Many confuse the worms with night crawlers which are not good composting worms. |
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| I got this book years ago and it is easy to read and helpful in understanding how worms turn food scraps into compost. A good 'how to' book on worm composting |
I hope these items are helpful to you. Some of them are the same exact items that I am using, while others are similar, but probably do the same exact thing.
Items to use in the compost pile or worm bin might include; vegetable peelings, fruit peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags, leftover bark from tea (such as willow-make white willow bark tea for headaches or use as aspirin), leftover veggies or fruit. Meat products should not go into the composting pile (would attract neighborhood animals and wildlife), although Mary Appelhof puts bones with meat in her worm bin occasionally.
Of course, you could always get a big tumbler bin to fit in your back yard, or you could make your own compost bin right on the ground. If there is no fencing around it, neighboring animals might like your food scraps and could be visiting your yard on a regular basis seeing what is on the menu today (Been there. Done that).
Happy composting!!
