Composting in the home garden- Closing the loop.

Bart Renner, North Carolina Cooperative ExtensionMarch 18th, 2017

What is vermicomposting???• The process of composting with worms.

What is vermiculture???• The process of breeding

worms.

Why “close the loop”? • Last year we threw away about 60 million

TONS of food. ($160 billion)• At least 12% of municipal waste is food.• Spend $1 billion to dispose of food waste• The average American throws away 209-

245lbs of food per year. • If we wasted 5% less each year we could

feed 4,000,000 Americans. • Landfills account for about 1/3 of all methane

emissions in the air.

Source: http://atozsolutions.com/21-shocking-u-s-food-waste-facts-statistics-infographic/

http://endhunger.org/food_waste.htm

Compost first if you can• 3’X3’X3” minimum size pile• Need balance for proper chemistry: 2/3

brown, 1/3 green, air, water.

Keep critters and varmints away!

Composting basics• Make sure compost is not near house/ wood

structure• Good drainage- don’t want anaerobic

conditions• Good Structure• Layers 4-6” thick carbons and nitrogen• Plenty of moisture

• Minimum of 131 degrees for 3 days• Stir every 7 days

Compost first if you can

Benefits of using worms• Divert food waste from the landfill• Create a rich planting material• Reduce pathogen/ bacterial load in compost• Worth $25-30/ lb• Fishing bait!• Chicken food• Great educational project for kids

Can any type of earthworm be used for vermicomposting? 

How do earthworms eat?

Do earthworms have eyes? 

Can earthworms smell? 

How do earthworms breathe? 

How many Eisenia fetida do I need to start a worm bin? 

• You should start with at least 1,000, which will weigh about one pound.

How much should I feed my worms? • Eats about 30% its body weight every day

Finding the right worm bin

Worms need a good home!

Worm bins I don’t like…

What should I feed them?

http://www.naturesfootprint.com/what-to-feed-worms

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1FnOUyqECYX1QmgaMFFVfuB9LYHtssun6USSVLlW8k6dlVnpL

Worm castings

http://www.worm-composting-help.com/harvest-worm-castings.html

Worm Casting tea

Be careful!• Wet yard clippings, manure with hay, too

much food waste can heat up too much.• Non ruminant manures are not

recommended directly into the bin. • No meat• Citrus, pasta, bread, onion, garlic, black

walnut, eucalyptus

Taking care of your worms• Make sure they are actively eating what you’ve

already added before adding more. • Needs about a foot of material, but no more than a

inch of scraps• Between 60-85 degrees.• 70-80% moisture in material • 30:1 C:N ratio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Eekiv/sandbox/Urban_Adamah#mediaviewer/File:Eisenia_fetida_on_compost_bin.jpg

Master Gardeners can help!!!

Tips• Plan ahead! Do your research! • Where are you going to put them?• How will you keep them warm/ cool?• Who is going to take care of them?• Dive in! Do it!

Get involved!• Great project for parents and

kids at home. • Great project for camps• Schools• Municipal waste project?• Where else?