When the smell coming from your vermicomposting bin is horrible, you know that something is wrong. With dread, your worst fears are realized when you look inside: the bin is wet. That does not bode well. Moisture levels are critical for your composting worms’ health. If it’s too wet inside, your worms can get sick. They can even drown. What should you do? Assess the Situation As a vermicomposting enthusiast, you are responsible for your worms’ well-being and their environment. You need to check their bedding’s moisture content regularly.
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What To Do with Your Composting Worms While on Vacation
You just booked your hotel and flight for a long-anticipated vacation. Suddenly, the thought hits: “What should I do about my composting worms during my vacation?” You never left them alone for that long. Don’t worry. This article will guide you on how to prepare your vermicomposting worms while you’re out of town. Getting Your Composting Worms Ready We suggest you start a feeding schedule log for at least a week. You need to know how often you feed your worms and the amount of food that you add to the bin. You can either weigh the food or measure…
Read MoreWhy Tray-Based Composters are Best for Worm Castings
Why do people use specialized tray-based composters for composting with worms? Why not just use a regular, deep composting bin from the hardware store? Many vermicomposting projects are for small-scale households. They want to turn their kitchen scraps into free fertilizer: worm castings, also called “black gold.” Black gold that nourishes plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, and lawns. Composting scraps reduces waste volume and odors in the household. A busy household looks for convenience and cleanliness. Tray-based composting bins foot the bill!
Read MoreThe Life Cycle of Vermicomposting Red Worms
Vermicomposting worms follow a similar life cycle pattern as humans: birth, growth, procreation, and death. In this article, we examine the life cycle of the popular earthworm: Red Wigglers, the Kings of Vermicomposting. These worms are distinctly different from humans when it comes to reproduction. For example, there are no “boy” red worms or “girl” red worms. We find worms fascinating and are grateful for the rich organic fertilizer that they produce from our table scraps. Red Wigglers’ Reproductive Organs Worms possess both male and female reproductive sex organs. These organs are contained in a bulbous gland called a clitellum.…
Read MoreVermicomposting Worms, Breathing, and Worm Bins
How do vermicomposting worms breathe in their bins? Why do their skins need moisture? How can we make the most of their environment to keep it airy and moist enough for them? Unlike humans, composting worms don’t have noses and mouths to inhale air. Nor do they have lungs. Yet, they do breathe. In fact, their entire skin acts like lungs where they absorb oxygen into their bloodstream. And, they release carbon dioxide the same way. But that’s not all. Their skin requires moisture to breathe. Worms, like humans, are made of a high percentage of water. That’s why moisture…
Read MoreFive Ways to Prepare the Soil with Organic Worm Compost
When spring is coming, how do you prepare the soil for planting? Your garden has been dormant during the cold winter season. Hopefully, you have been composting with worms. The resulting organic fertilizer will help get your garden ready for spring planting. How do you prepare the soil for spring using all-natural worm castings?
Read MoreBest Bedding for Your Composting Worms
What is the best bedding for your composting worms? At Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm, we want you to enjoy your vermicomposting experience. For that reason, we recommend Red Worms. They’re the best worms for composting. That’s because these worms love devouring kitchen scraps. In return, they produce humus, the prized organic fertilizer perfect for gardens. To start your composting bin, you need to make bedding. Bedding is your worms’ world. It needs to simulate their natural environment. How do you do that? We prepared several simple guidelines. Follow these guidelines and your worms will be very happy.
Read MoreDo Not Feed This To Your Composting Worms
What should you NOT feed your composting worms? At Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm, we supply our customers with the finest composting worms. We recommend our quality Red Worms or European Night Crawlers for vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is a great way to get rid of organic waste. It’s good for the environment and produces valuable compost for plants. We want to make sure that not only are our customers happy, but also our worms. Healthy worms make for the most effective composting.
Read MoreWhy Fruit Flies Invade Composting Pails and What to Do About It
Whether you are composting indoors or out, irritating little fruit flies sometimes invade your house. Exposing organic matter to the air attracts drosophila melanogaster. Even fresh fruit on the countertop or in a fruit bowl brings them on. How do fruit flies get into the house? How can you prevent them? What can you do to get rid of them? Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm has been dealing with this question for over 40 years. Types of Composting Most households choose to compost kitchen scraps outdoors. They collect wasted organic material a pail or container with a lid. After some scraps…
Read MoreHow Do Composting Worms Move?
How do composting worms move without legs? Worms move toward food and safety. They move away from light and danger. They dig tunnels. The best worms for composting are Red Wigglers. Super Reds are for composting or releasing into the soil. These ancient creatures have been moving on and through the earth for many millions of years. What method of propulsion do they use?
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