Vermicomposting is an easy and natural way of converting home food waste & kitchen scraps into organic matter as also discussed in detail in home composting. Vermicompost is worm manure most commonly known as worm casting which is nutrient rich, improving the soil and making it better in all sense. It is an excellent way to avoid organic food waste being dumped to landfills and convert the same to something so useful.

Our home food waste is already high in nutrients when this food waste is fed to worms their digestive system facilitates the growth of fungus and bacteria which is beneficial to plants. Vermicompost also contains certain chemical compounds which helps plants grow well, providing them strength and increase their production. Any soil can be treated just by adding vermicompost, it acts as a soil and plant medicine.

Vermicomposting is easy as it requires much less space than normal garden composting, worms help digest organic matter much faster thereby reducing flies, pests and smell. However the waste to be fed to worms has to be monitored, as the right ingredients fed from the waste will surely aid in the process. It is not that difficult to monitor as once a practice is made it can be followed easily without much mess.

Vemicomposting can be done in containers hence the process can be monitored and necessary changes can also be adopted quickly. Plastic containers and wooden boxes can be used to start the process. There are different types of earthworms we may have seen however not all of them are vermicomposters. \Red Wigglers of Eisenia Fetida is the best earthworm for vermicomposting, it can be locally purchased or it is available online.

A plain plastic container not much in height may be used for vermicomposting, the shallowness will help reduce the odor. The earthworm we are going to use for vermicomposting ‘Red Wigglers’ sense light using their body cells as they don’t have eyes hence it is necessary to avoid transparent containers. The containers must have small holes at the bottom and it should be clear from the ground, any scrap material like plastic bottle caps can be screwed below the container to hold it above. Three or four caps can be stuck with quick glue or they may be screwed around 2 inches inside at the bottom. As the base of the container has holes a thin sheet of waste may be kept below so as to collect any droppings oozing out from there.

The vermicomposting container once ready must be kept in a cool shade during summers however it must be relocated to a warmer space during cold days. Shredded newspaper or cardboard pieces should be added to the container as the base, these pieces should be small. Incase of non availability of newspaper, other alternate bedding material to be used are sawdust, hay or leaves. The bedding material should be wet enough to feel damp as it provides humidity and helps the bedding to settle sealing all gaps. The ideal temperature for earthworms to work is always above 18 degrees celcius (64 degrees farenheit), worms are active in this temperature and being warm helps them work as well as digest better, to aid their digestion crushed or grounded egg shells should be added above the bedding.

Every couple of days worms eat equivalent to their body weight however the ideal way would be to add less food and see them work. Any excess of organic matter may lead to unpleasant odor and excess pile up. Its better to feed all vegetarian food waste to the earthworms as meat or dairy may invite unwanted pests messing up the whole container. The best compost bin may have wastes of coffee, tea, leaves, grass, fruit and vegetables. As also stated above the feeding of worms need to be monitored so as to aid to the process hence few food waste items are to be avoided including all citrus stuff and onion as this food may spoil the digestion of our worms thereby hampering the quality of vermicast. The worms should be added to the container and left aside for three to four months.
Few holes must be drilled on the container lid so as to felicitate the movement of air, the process of conversion of organic food waste into nutrient rich vermicompost will take place on its own during these days. The vermicompost harvested will be the best supplement to your plants, the worms may be collected with soft hands and added to other containers ready to be composted.