Our Red Wigglers
Here at Kalani, our worms play a large part in managing our food and garden waste just by eating and pooping. Yes, pooping! Vermicompost is the process of using worms to break down plant matter into fertilized, water soluble, and nutrient rich soil. When we harvest food from the aina we scatter any organic waste scraps collected into our worm bins each week which is then eaten and broken down into fertilized soil and worm juice. That fertilizer is used to give back to the aina by planting new food sources. Then the cycle repeats, mirroring the principles of permaculture in a continuous give and take relationship.
So how do you make a worm bin? What’s more, how do you keep your worms happy and content? Let’s break it down together!
You will need:
- 2 Stackable Storage Containers (size depends on how much food waste you produce).
- Drill
- Carbon Matter (newspaper, cardboard, dead plant matter)
- Moist Soil
- Worms (Red Wigglers, White Worms, or another variant of Earthworm
- Drainage Spout (optional)
Step 1)
- Your storage containers should stack onto one another leaving room underneath for worm juice (You can also add a spout for drainage. Drill according to size). Drill 5 1cm holes into the bottom of the inside storage bin. Drill 30 1cm holes around the upper perimeter of the inside bin just before the lid for air flow.
- Stack your bins and begin filling it about ¼ of the way with your carbon matter. As shown we used cardboard scraps and coconut husks. (it helps to layer and mix your carbon matter to biomimic earth’s natural layers)
- Lightly scatter 1-2 inches of moist soil on top of your carbon matter
- Let your worms loose in their new home!
Do’s and Don’ts
- DO feed them your fruit, veggie, and garden scraps!
- DON’T feed them peppers, citrus, coffee grounds, or other foods with high acidity levels.
- DO check on them periodically to make sure they are breaking down the amount of food given. Adjust feeding schedules accordingly.
- DON’T over/under feed them. Their ability to eat and break down food maintains moisture in their box that keeps them alive. If not fed enough the box will begin to dry out. If fed too much the box will retain too much moisture.
- DO return their nutrient rich soil and w
