Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Purchase three opaque plastic bins. Earthworms prefer living in the dark. If you are only able to purchase clear bins, cover them with a blanket to keep the worms in darkness.
Drill five small holes in the bottom of the bins. Drill a hole in each corner and one in the center. Drill corresponding holes in the bin lids. They don't have to line up exactly. Worms require water. But the water must have a place to drain away. When stacked, water that runs through one bin will find the holes in the lid of the bin below.
Soak waste cardboard or old newspapers in water to soften. Tear the pulped paper into pieces roughly 3 inches square. Use one medium sized box or a 4-inch stack of newspapers per bin.
Mix the waste paper with peat or loam and fill the bins half full of the mixture. Test the weight. If you can still handle the bins easily, add a little more soil, but make sure that you can lift each bin easily.
Leave the bins with their compost for two or three days. This allows the moisture content of the paper and soil to equalize.
Bury five or six small amounts of old bread, oatmeal or cooked rice in each bin.
Introduce the earthworms to the bin. You can purchase earthworms. Mother Earth News recommends raising local worms. They are already accustomed to the climate and natural pests. Simply dig in the soil and harvest the worms from your own yard. Place eight to ten worms in each bin.
Stack the bins in a cool, dark area. The basement works well.
Check each bin weekly. Grab a small clump of dirt. Look at the dirt for worms and compress it into a lump. If the dirt holds its form, there is enough moisture in the soil. If the soil crumbles, add a cup of water to the soil.
Feed the worms. When the pockets of food disappear, add more. Any decomposing natural matter works well, since the worms enjoy mold. Bury fruit and vegetable peelings and grain waste, such as bread or oatmeal. Sprinkle coffee grounds on top of the soil.
Tend the bins for several months. Depending on the species, a new generation of worms grows to adulthood every 2 ½ to 4 months. Since they are hermaphroditic, each worm can produce approximately 4 babies every time they reproduce.
Dump the entire contents of the bin in your garden for home use. The soil in the bin is full of nutrients such as lye, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bin also contains the offspring of your original worms.