The Budget Casa

While composting is usually considered an outdoor activity, vermi composting can be done indoors and is a good use for kitchen and other waste. Vermi composting uses worms to turn organic matter into rich, lightweight compost to add to your garden soil. The compost is odorless and can be kept indoors for handy use.

Starting a vermi composting box is simple and easy.

You will need:

A plastic storage bin with lid (about 50 quart size)
Drill with 1/8-inch drill bit
Small wooden blocks or boards
Newspaper (black and white only – no color ink)
Garden soil
Kitchen scraps, such as fruit and veggie peels, egg shells, etc. – avoid fats or meats. See Can I Compost This? for more details.
Red wiggler worms (available for about $25/lb. at Magic Worm Ranch, Gardeners Supply and most local bait shops)

To make:
1. Drill holes in the bottom and sides of your bin with an electric drill, as well as in the bin lid, to allow air to enter and circulate.
2. Soak newspapers in water, wring out and place a layer in the bottom of the bin.
3. Add worms. Approximately one pound of worms should be incorporated, which is about 1,000 worms.
4. Add one cup of gardening soil. Soil will add bacteria and fungi to the mix, which will aid the composting process and help the worms to digest the kitchen scraps.
5. Add kitchen scraps.
6. Place another layer of shredded paper bedding materials on top.
7. Cover bin and place in basement, garage, under your kitchen sink or anywhere else where the temperature will remain between 55 and 75°F.
8. Feed the worms weekly with new scraps, keeping an eye on the amount of matter in the bin. More newspaper may need to be added as well.

After a few weeks, bedding and food will begin to turn to mash; it will break down completely in 3-6 months.

Be sure to keep a smaller bin in your kitchen where you can easily dispose of kitchen waste for use in your vermi composting box. Once a week or so, empty the kitchen waste container into the vermi compost box to feed the worms and add nutrients to the matter.