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

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

3.  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.

4. 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

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

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

7.  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

8.  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

9.  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

10. 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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12.  Worm Composting Basics Worm Composting Basics  http://compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/basics.html http://compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/basics.html  Vermicomposting Vermicomposting  http://home.howstuffworks.com/vermicomposting1.htm http://home.howstuffworks.com/vermicomposting1.htm  Composting for Facilities Basics  http://www.epa.gov/compost/  http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_placement_structures.htm http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_placement_structures.htm  Organic Gardening Basics  http://www.organicgardeningguru.com/composting-101/carbon-nitrogen-ratio/ http://www.organicgardeningguru.com/composting-101/carbon-nitrogen-ratio/  Guide to Composting  http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/greenscapes/pubs/compost-guide.pdf http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/greenscapes/pubs/compost-guide.pdf  Cornell Compost Science  http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html  Composting Science – Univ. of Illinois  http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/science.cfm