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Crawling Friendlies: Vermicomposting at Home

Surface worms or red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) are usually found in soil. These are mainly used in home
composting. The casting produced after decomposition is black gold for the gardeners. So let’s see how to make
an ideal worm bin.

Take any container with holes made on the lid (ice cream tubs, clay pot with mouth covered with gunny bag
piece). Make sure the container is not transparent as light can heat up the worm bin. Layer your kitchen waste at
the bottom of your worm bin. Make sure you avoid citrus like lemon and orange peels, sulphur source like onion
peels, pungent source like chili. These things can turn the environment acidic which is not preferred by the
worms. Make sure that your kitchen waste doesn’t contain any cooked leftovers. Try chopping them into small
pieces and spread it out in a thin layer.

Now, make the bedding material. It is a layer made up of carbon material which makes a cool and ideal place for
worms to dive in and lay eggs in your worm bin. You can use dry leaves soaked in water which are already in the
decomposing condition. This layer acts as a first batch of food for the worms when they are introduced in the
worm bin. Next, add dry cow dung cake soaked overnight in water by squeezing and spreading it evenly. Avoid
fresh cow dung as it generates a lot of heat. Moist cow dung cake is perfect as it also provides the necessary
microorganisms for breakdown.

Add coconut fibers soaked in water by squeezing excessive water. This helps in maintaining moisture in the
worm bin. It is very important to not let the bin run dry. As worms breath through their skin, it is necessary to
maintain moisture. Also, add corrugated cardboard soaked in water by tearing it up into small pieces. They lay
eggs in the ridges of the cardboard. However, this is optional. Sprinkle some crushed egg shell powder or sand
as this helps in digestion for the worms.

Now that the bin worm is ready with the bedding, keep it aside in the dark for one week. This promotes
breakdown by the microorganisms from the cow dung. One week later, introduce the soil champions. You may
add them from the soil or simply sprinkle Vermicompost which is available in the market. It has worm eggs
which can grow easily in the worm bin. Maintain the moisture and aeration of the worm bin. After 3 to 4 months
the compost will be ready at the bottom of the worm bin.

Vermicomposting is a fun activity which can be utilized in our garden to promote plant growth. It can be a small
step towards sustainability and helping mother earth to go green once again. Happy gardening!

Ms. Sukanya Venugopal Malvankar
(T.Y.BSc 2021-22)

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