Compost and Earthworms

April 12, 2004 9:49 AM

Can I put earthworms into a rotating composter? I have one of those drum kinds that sit off the ground on a rack that spin around for aeration. The spinning takes the place of the earthworm action in the traditional pile, but I've heard that you can put worms in the spinning drums as well to speed up the decompostion process.
posted by archimago to home & garden (11 comments total)

won't it kill them or smush them?
posted by amberglow at 10:10 AM on April 12, 2004

won't they get dizzy?
posted by Grod at 2:39 PM on April 12, 2004

I think they might get really fit. Could end up with some real muscular, larger-than-life worms.

And then he could train them. And dress them up. And enter them into the World Wrestling Federation. And...
posted by five fresh fish at 2:55 PM on April 12, 2004

The worms would likely cook - tumbling composters rely on the action of exothermic bacteria to decompose the materials, and the temperatures created during active decomposition will almost certainly be outside the comfort range of the wigglers. You're better off adding a compost activator or a shovelful of good garden soil or finished compost to the materials in the tumbler to get things started.
posted by vers at 3:13 PM on April 12, 2004

No! Well, maybe...

(FYI, I am a compost nerd.)

You see, when you get the right proportions of "green" (fresh cut grass/trimmings, veggie scraps, coffee grounds) and "brown" (dead leaves) matter in your compost and give it the right amount of moisture, it will heat up as the bacteria break it down. My mother, the Compost Queen of Kansas, has recorded temperatures above 170 F (even in the coldest part of winter, so steam billows out when she stirs it up) in some of her better batches. As it cools, fungi come and join the decomposition party, and only once it's mostly cooled do the worms move in.

Really, it depends on how hot your compost gets (if you want to test it, I think my mom used a meat thermometer). If it's at decent composting conditions, it might be too hot for worms to live comfortably. With a regular compost heap, they can just crawl out, but if you trap them in a closed bin, they could die. I think they could handle the rolling around--they're used to being buried. I don't think earthworms are capable of dizziness. But heat, no, I don't think they'll enjoy it. They like cool environments.

Please don't kill the worms. I love the worms.

On a related note, if you're interested in indoor worm composting, I could get you some good info.
posted by katieinshoes at 3:25 PM on April 12, 2004

Thanx everyone. I'm just getting into the whole composting thing, and last year was okay, but not great. I don't think I got the right carbon/nitrogen balance to sustain any real heat for more than a day or two. The highest temp I recorded was about 87 F. I ended up with compost, but it wasn't award-winning compost by any shot of the imagination. I'll stay away from the worms in the tumbler though. I had not thought of the heat factor cooking the little guys, and I am def. worm-friendly.

Although I am not interested in indoor worm composting. I can barely keep my dogs away from q-tips in the trash. Somehow I think worms indoors would be like a 24/7 snack trough for them.
posted by archimago at 4:14 PM on April 12, 2004

I'm interested in indoor worm composting! Tell us more here!
posted by five fresh fish at 6:10 PM on April 12, 2004

Worm composting is awesome. Mom keeps a plastic tub (about 18x10x8 inches, maybe bigger) in her kitchen next to the trash. It's accessible to add in foodscraps (no meat! just plants!) whenever we have them.

Right now, I'm going partly by the instructions she emailed me and partly how I remember her actually doing it, but this is how it works:

Lori Lohrenz's guide to worm composting, as interpreted by Katie

Worms
You can get earthworms at many gardening stores or try a bait shop. You need the itty bitty redworms or red wigglers (Lumbricus rebellus or Eisinia foetida)--not the big, juicy, fat ones you find in your garden. Garden worms don't like living in captivity, I guess. Mom estimates there's maybe 500 of them living in her bin, which is about 2/3 lb., I'd guess.

Bedding
Says Mom, "The simplest boxes can be made with purchased plastic storage tubs, although they may be made of plywood or other recycled containers. Never use a container which has been used for storing chemicals. Drill or poke holes midway up the sides of the container for ventilation, and a few near the bottom for draining excess liquid, if necessary. Also make sure the lid is well ventilated. Start by putting bedding in the earthworm box. Shredded corrugated cardboard and newspapers shredded in strips four inches long by one inch wide make excellent bedding."

To build the nest, tear newspaper into 3/4" strips, soak it in water, then drain and place in the tub. We'd usually sprinkle some old compost or regular dirt between layers of newpaper strips. Moisture is key. Don't let your worms dry out, but don't drown them either. As long as water can drain out the bottom, you're probably not going to overwater them.

Also, "The earthworms need some grit for breaking down their food. Add a handful of sand or topsoil for this purpose."

Food
Between the paper layers, add veggie/fruit scraps as you get them. Make sure you bury them or you'll get fruit flies. And fruit flies are damn annoying. Bury them in different places each time. Shredding the scraps makes them easier for your worms to eat--but they don't have to be liquified by any means. Worms LOVE banana peels, but we usually tear them into long 1/8" strips before tossing them in. Over time, you'll learn how much your worms like to eat. The ratio is about 1 lb. worms to 3.5 lb. food per week. Don't overfeed them or the food will just rot and get stinky (a good worm bin doesn't smell yucky--it just smells like...well, compost). Check to see if they need watering and if they're eating all their food every couple of days.

Worms need calcium from eggshells to lay their eggs. Grind up a couple egg shells every couple weeks and sprinkle it in with the compost. Every few months, you'll notice you have more worms than you need. You can send some of them to live outside in the garden or start a second bin with them (Mom always makes bins for her coworkers for Christmas).

Once the compost is done,--it'll look like really really fluffy dirt--you need to get the worms separated from the compost. Put the bin somewhere warm. They don't like the change in heat, so they'll all curl up together so you can easily get the compost out. Rebuild them a new nest and start over.

Other authorities on worm farming: this is a good, more detailed description of a method that's pretty close to Mom's. This one doesn't use newspaper (PDF), which *I* think is what makes it so easy.

Any questions?
posted by katieinshoes at 7:57 PM on April 12, 2004 [2 favorites has favorites]

Smell? Bugs? Volume of waste it can handle? What's the highest temperature they'll put up with?
posted by five fresh fish at 10:10 AM on April 13, 2004

Roaches and/or mice? That's what I'm worried about.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:22 AM on April 13, 2004

No roaches, no mice. No one but the worms shows any interest in the bin (well, the cat will give it a curious sniff sometimes). There is a smell (pretty much the same as compost, and I don't think it is an offensive smell) but it stays inside the box (you only smell it when you open it up and dig around).

We had brief problems with fruit flies a couple of times, but I think that was most certainly because we let some scraps sit on the counter for a while before Mom mixed them into the bin. Sometimes you'll get them if you just don't bury the foodscraps well enough. Keep the food buried and bugs/mice/etc. won't know it's there.

A pound of worms can supposedly handle about half a pound of food a day. They can also survive on a less-than-perfectly-steady supply of food.

They like it cold, but I don't know what their temperature range is. If you live in a warm house, you might put them in the basement or under the kitchen sink where they won't be in the light.
posted by katieinshoes at 7:56 PM on April 13, 2004