Benefits of Organic Gardening and How to Build a Successful Vermicomposting Bin

 Benefits of Composting  Types of Composters  Short Garden Tour (Weather Permitting)  How-to: Vermicompost  Build your own bin  Questions?

 Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.  Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.  Cost-effective  Avoids Methane and leachate formulation in landfills.  Healthier plants  Better for your body  Reduces the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Carbon: Nitrogen Ration 30:1 (Basically, you need more brown than green) Carbon “Browns”:  Ashes, wood  Bark  Cardboard, shredded  Corn stalks  Leaves  Newspaper, shredded  Peanut shells  Peat moss  Pine needles  Sawdust  Stems and twigs, shredded  Straw  Vegetable stalks

Nitrogen “Greens”  Alfalfa  Algae  Clover  Coffee grounds  Food waste  Garden waste  Grass clippings  Hay  Hedge clippings  Hops, used  Manures  Seaweed  Vegetable scraps  Weeds*

 Backyard Composting  Open Bin  Closed Bin  Vermicomposting  Indoor (Kitchen) Composting

 Red Wigglers  They don’t burrow  Eat half their body weight  Put a pound of worms in (about 1000 worms), then they’ll eat ½ pound of food/day  They’re hermaphroditic  Can be used as bait for fishing  Ordered from Living Science at Region 20, online, or bait shops

 Worms eat recycled food scraps  As the worms eat, the food becomes compost  It exits the worms body through the tail end  Worm “tea” is left over and can be used as soil amendments

 Find a storage bin with a loose fitting lid or one with holes in the lid  Cover the bottom with a carbon base  Newspaper  Dry leaves  Add vegetables and some fruit  Leave in a cool, dark place  Drain leachate when you see it forming at the bottom

Do:  Add food scraps once/week or as needed  Leave in a dark environment  Drain leachate once it gets full at the bottom (once you can see it puddling) Don’t:  Add meat, dairy, oily foods  Leave in full sun  Leave the lid open (they’ll leave!)

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 Worm Composting Basics Worm Composting Basics   Vermicomposting Vermicomposting   Composting for Facilities Basics    Organic Gardening Basics   Guide to Composting   Cornell Compost Science   Composting Science – Univ. of Illinois 