Guide to Advanced Composting with worm poop

2009 June 8

Don't be afraid of the worms, they're harmless

Last post, we showed you 3 steps to build your compost system. In today’s post, we’ll show you how to use worms to speed up the composting process while producing nutrient rich soil for your garden.

Creating a Worm Poop Factory:

In a second, well ventilated bin (a Rubbermaid with holes drilled in it or a crate), prepare worm bedding. Bedding can be compiled of fall leaves, straw or scrap newspaper.
Add in some dirt or raw compost and moisten with water. Let the water sit for a day before adding worms.
Introduce your worms to the bedding and let them do their magic. Worms should eat food scraps in moderation, so we usually transfer older compost to the worm bin instead of adding in fresh food scraps.

The worm poop will produce soil rich in nutrients to be used for gardening, house plants, or yard fertilizer. How’s that for magic poop?

HINT: You can find earthworms at most pet stores, but be sure to ask for red wigglers. Not all earthworms can be used for composting, and you shouldn’t let the pet store lady convince you otherwise! Not to name names… ahem… Lisa at Petco.

Do you have worms? Tell us about your experience in the comments. Also, send pics of you getting down and dirty with your earthworms, and we’ll share them in a future post.