Transform your food waste into premium compost — using a bucket of worms? Vermicomposting — employing worms to break down food scraps — can provide top-notch fertilizer and help reduce landfill waste. “Starting your own vermicompost is easy,” said Mia Kawamoto, Ƶ student and compost piles director at the UC Davis EcoHub. “It’s also great if you don’t have a lot of space.”
- Put a wide bucket in a warm, damp place. “I keep my bucket under the kitchen sink,” said Kawamoto.
- Drill ventilation holes into the bucket and fill with 6 inches of moist, shredded newspaper. “Keep it fluffy so air can flow through,” suggested Kawamoto.
- Add dirt or eggshells. “The worms don’t have teeth,” said Kawamoto. “They need to eat these to help their bodies break apart the [food] scraps.”
- Spread red wiggler worms — available at most fish and game stores.
- Add fruit and veggie scraps before covering with another 3 to 6 inches of newspaper.
- Add food scraps continually. The Ƶ EcoHub suggests feeding the worms on one side of the bucket for a month at a time to make harvesting easier. The worms will feast on the side with food, leaving behind their castings — the fertilizer — on the empty side for you to gather.
- Harvest the worm castings monthly and change the newspaper every few months or when the volume has decreased.