5 dollar, 1/2 hour Worm Composting Bin(s)

Step 7 Cottage Industry?

I've read about a co-op in India that collects vegetable scraps and makes compost, then sells it as a soil amendment. Given that worm composting is said to be the fastest way to make compost, I wonder if this idea would be useful in rural areas as a "cash crop" that just about anyone can do. What do you think?

Comments

[SIRJAMES09]

(removed by author or community request)

[Marcos]

Er, you may have missed the idea that this project is about composting rather than raising worms. The intent is to have the worms warm and comfortable, eating to their little heart's content as a way to convert waste into fertilizer. To quote William McDonough, of "Cradle to Cradle" fame, "Waste equals food." Literally, in this case.

Peat is thought to be endangered these days, and is much more valuable staying where it was created than as a storage medium for worms. As you mentioned, newspapers work well, as does coffee chaff, coir (coconut fiber) and other "waste" products.

And of course you know that using all caps in digital communication is considered to be yelling.
IMO, your post is not especially appropriate to this 'ible, and hopefully is not part of the recent epidemic of advertising disguised as comments on blogs, news stories, and, gasp, Instructables!

[AdrianaG]

Other than in the bottom bin do you routinely add shredded paper to the top bins along with the vegetable scraps?

[Marcos]

Yes, the idea is to cover the food scraps. It keeps the fly population down, helps keep things from getting too wet,and provides cover for the worms. If you are starting a new worm bin from scratch, it's a good idea to moisten the paper bedding. You don't want to dehydrate your new friends!

[dpawson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl9gY_SqyxM A video of a commercial wormery, on a small Canadian island.

[caitlinena]

a book I have found the best and easy to find used is Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhoff. She also has a website:worm woman

[royalestel]

I'm extremely interested in where to find greater detail as to care and feeding of the worms... Would you recommend a link, book, etc? I hope our nursery here will sell me some cheap flats... Thanks for the instructable. I've wanted a worm "farm" for a while, but I was just too ignorant and hesitant until now. I suggest you post a close up of the pic that shows all the separate layers, including the one full of "worm food". I couldn't see the pic content well at all.

[Marcos]

royaletel, Great news! Please let us know how you do, post a pic or two of your bin here. I'd love to see how others make their bins. See the first step of this instructable for a link to care and feeding, also, a web search. They are pretty low maintenance. The basics: - Any plant matter is ok. They don't like really tough stuff like avocado peels, artichoke leaves, and for some reason, potato peels. Maybe I have gourmet worms, I don't know. Coffee grounds are good, a little citrus is ok, but not too much, the acid will literally dissolve them. I still bear the scars from that trauma! - Do not- feed 'em: - animal products of any kind - fats That's about it. Keep a little paper in there for bedding, add the food to one layer at a time, at least to start. Mine like to congregate in the bottom tray, move up to feed, as in nature, I suppose.

[royalestel]

I'll let you know how it goeth.

[radioeyes]

Mulch is pretty cheap these days in most states, so you'd have to scale your worm production up an awful low. In drier areas like Nevada or Arizona it might go for a little more, which puts it in a more reasonable venture. Also, marketing is good: if you advertise it as "100% natural, high nitrogen, red wriggler-produced soil enricher," you might attract the local gardening nut who's afraid or artificial stuff like Miracle-Gro.

[Marcos]

I should have said for 3rd world use, mainly. That said, I've seen bags of worm castings in garden stores for what I thought were high prices, for a few pounds of material.

[Marcos]

...also, worm castings (and compost in general, as far as I know) are generally thought to be fertilizer, to be mixed into the soil, rather than mulch.