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Worm Composting Basics – a Guide for the Classroom Teacher
the urban gardener Worm compost is the process of recycling food scraps and other organic material into valuable soil amendment with the use of worms. Compost is produced when worms eat food scraps which are passed through their body and exits through its tail end. The compost is very ideal for growing plants. The logic for this is that worms are eating nutrient rich fruit and vegetable scraps and turning them into nutrient rich compost that’s why they are very ideal for plant growth. Materials to be used and avoided in a classroom bin Organic materials have been broken down by worms and returned to the oil as nutrients for million of years. A worm’s role in the ecosystem is simulated in the classroom with the use of a worm bin. Worms are capable of ingesting any organic material but certain organic materials are better in the classroom environment. Raw fruit and vegetable scraps are highly recommended. Meats, oils and dairy products are more complex than fruits and vegetables and their use is not advised. These take longer to break down and attracts pest so their use is not advised. Cooked foods too are oily and attract pests. Citrus fruits and orange rinds should also be avoided because they can attract fruit flies. Using a variety of materials is advised. Studies show that more vegetable matter used the better the worm bin. Broccoli and onions should also be avoided because of the strong odor produced. A worm bin setup is simple. A box, moist newspaper strips and worms are the only things needed. Choosing the specific worm you need is the first step in setting up a worm bin. To be successful your worm bin should provide the worm its needs. Moisture, air, darkness, food and hot temperature (not hot). Newspaper strips and leaves make good beddings, this hold more moisture and contain air spaces essential to worms. Red worms and red wrigglers are ideal for use with worm bins; this can be purchased from worm farm and mailed to your school. The worm’s scientific names are Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus. The amount of food scraps and where the worm bins location for worm composting is also vital. A 5 to 10 gallon box or approximately 24”x18”x8 would be a good size for the classroom. Red wrigglers are surface dwellers and prefer to live in the top 6” of soil so the box should be shallow rather than deep. Choosing a plastic, wooden or a glass container as worm bins is just a matter of personal preference and its availability. Extra aquariums or wooden boxes for reuse are available for some teachers. Plastic containers such as commercially manufactures storage bins like Rubbermaid, Tucker and Sterilite may be purchased or reused. Always remember to rinse out the container before use whatever the material. A plastic lining (from a plastic bag or old shower curtain) at the bottom is used for wooden bins. Covering the container with a loose lid allows air to circulate. Taking care of your worms creates a favorable environment; they will produce garbage and eat your “garbage” tirelessly. A steady increase in compost and lesser amount of bedding is observed through time. After 3-5 months when the bin is filled with compost and bedding is very little, this is the time to harvest. Removing the finished compost from the bin is called harvesting. Several months after, worms need to be removed from their castings which at high concentrations create an unhealthy environment for the worms. In preparation for harvest, don’t introduce new food to the bin for 2 weeks. Here are two methods for harvesting: Remove any large pieces of undecomposed food or newspaper from the worm bin into one half of the bin. Fresh bedding and food scraps are placed in the other half of the worm bin. The worms move over to the new side (where the food is located) after 2 – 3 weeks and leaves the compost on the other half. Remove the compost and replace it with fresh bedding. Cover the new site of the bin leaving the old site to dry out encouraging the worms to move to the new side. Place all the contents of the worm bin onto a sheet of plastic or paper. Form several individual cone-shaped piles. Worms, compost and undecompossed food and bedding are placed in each pile. The worms migrate towards the bottom of the pile when the piles are exposed to light. Separate the top layer of the compost from the pile, carefully separate pieces of undecompossed food and newspaper. Expose the pile to light for around 2 – 3 minutes after removing the top layer to force the worms to go down. Remove the next layer of compost. Constantly repeat this process till all of the worms are at the bottom of the pile. Collect the worms and weigh them for record keeping, then place them back to the worm bin with fresh bedding. The compost harvested still contains a worm or two along with some old food scraps regardless of what method used. If compost is to be used outdoors it will not be a problem for the worms they will eventually find food and the bedding will decompose eventually. |
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