Who would ever think that a bunch of kitchen leftover and garbage could turn out to be something productive and useful- this is where the wonder of worm farms comes in.
Surprisingly, worm farms are a great way of turning leftover kitchen scraps into rich yet affordable and highly-potent organic fertilizer.
This is especially true if you happen to live in a small apartment where you can create your own worm farm right smack in your balcony, porch or small yard, since all that is needed is a cool and well shaded spot.
If you think that making a worm farm is difficult, think again, all you need are your daily kitchen scraps and leftovers and polystyrene boxes, better yet, even used broccoli boxes from vegetable and fruit shops.
Start off by choosing a nice spot for worms to live and make sure that the spot is not too hot nor too cold.
If you happen to use polystyrene boxes, you will need at least two with one needing a lid. If a lid is not available, one can make a simple piece using a breathable yet sturdy box boards or cement-bonded thin plywood-like sheets.
Since these polystyrene boxes do not have holes in them, you will need to make about 20-30 small holes the size of a 50-cent coin in the bottom of one box.
Then place the lid on the box with the holes and place this on top of the one without the holes, since placing one top of the other will maximize limited space.
The bottom box will also catch the liquid or urine produced by the worms, which is called the worm tea and is also a good alternative to liquid fertilizers.
In the box with the holes, place about 2 inches of bedding made from compost, which is a mixture of shredded paper, box cartons and withered leaves.
The compost bedding should be around 2 to 3 inches deep and you can add in around 1,000-1,200 worms per box.
You can find hundreds of worm growers all over America who cultures and sell worms for farming, you may look them up using the Yellow Pages or searching on the Internet, especially if you hope to find one within your locality or one that is close to where you are.
Worms used for worm farms are ideally called compost worms and are not the same as the the common earthworm that can be found anywhere.
Ideal ones that can be used for worm farms are the red wrigglers and tiger worms.
You may need to cover the bedding with a layer of newspaper, old torn carpets or any material that will keep the worm bedding dark and moist.
Once the worms start burrowing into the bedding, in about two to three days, you can start adding small amounts of kitchen scraps and leftovers like fruit peelings except from acidic fruits like oranges and citruses, vegetables, used tea leaves and ground coffee, but make sure to shred it into small tiny pieces for quick consumption and easy digestion.
Avoid oil-based foods and dairy products, since these are also acidic for worms.
Make it a point not to resume feeding after the previous feeding batch is totally or almost 95% consumed.
Adequate and balanced feeding allow worms to produce manure or a by-product which is a rich, soil-like substance called "castings" or "vermicompost" which is one of the best fertilizers that ensure productive and healthy vegetation.
To harvest castings from the worm farm bed, you can move the castings by gathering them to one side of the tray and add new food to the other side to allow the worms to forage on the new food source, which will allow you to scrape off the castings from the other side.
The liquid that collects at the bottom of the box is worm urine mixed and is also called the 'worm tea' and can be used as liquid fertilizer once diluted with water.
Nowadays, it would be best to make the most out of everything, including what could be recycled and redone – that is the wonder of worm farms.
Some people raise chickens while others raise livestock. If you want to help cultivate the soil or restore its nutrients, then you build a worm farm instead of buying it from the supply store.
The nice thing about creating your own worm farm is that it does not cost that much. The only thing you will need are 3 or 4 stackable bins or crates made of plastic, wood or any other light weight and waterproof material, a few worms, a strip of insect screen for the bottom, shredded newspaper, garden soil or potting mix, water and good scraps.
When you have all these materials, it is time to build your worm farm by first putting some holes on the lid and on the bottom. The number of holes will depend on the size of the box or bin. Just remember that this should be evenly spaced to allow oxygen to enter and excess water as well as worm waste to drain out. The strip of insect screen should then be placed at the bottom so the worms do not fall out.
Now that you have worked on the exterior of the worm farm, you now prepare the interior by filling the container with shredded newspaper. It is best to put ¾ of this inside and dampened with water before you put in the garden soil or potting mix in the grit. This is done to ensure that the worms will eat the scraps you throw in.
Once everything is ready, it is time for you to welcome the worms into their new home. Some people throw in a thousand of these little creatures and as long as you keep them happy, they will multiply and you will most likely lose count of their exact number.
But what do we do with the other bins or boxes? Well, the last step is to place the extras containers over the first one.
If you have any idea what worms like to eat, a few examples of these include coffee grounds or tea bean bags, crushed egg shells, fruit peelings, hair clippings, stale biscuits and cakes, saw dust, plate scrapings, soaked cardboard, vacuum cleaner dust and vegetable scraps.
In short, worms love to eat dirt and leftovers. Don’t put too much since you might over feed them. The best way to figure out how many is sufficient is to put in a small amount at first and then observe how long it takes for them to finish eating that batch before putting in another one. Given the large area, it will also be nice to put their food in different spots each time.
Watch your worms regularly so you can be sure that the shredded damp newspaper does not dry out. If the old newspaper needs to be changed, make sure to replace this with a new one.
Naturally worm poop will accumulate in the bottom of the box. That waste product is also known as vermicast and this is what helps plants grow. So you only get the vermicast without letting the worms come out, it is best to open the container and just leave it for awhile under direct sunlight.
Worms don’t like sunlight so they will naturally look for cover and you won’t have a hard time collecting the vermicast and closing the lid.
Your worm farm is a helpful tool to help you grow flowers, fruits and even vegetables. All it takes is a little willpower to get the support of these little creatures.
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