Compost, then vermicompost?

21 years ago

Sorry... I looked and looked but could not find and answer to what is surely a common question, but here goes.

I create far more kitchen waste than my new bin can handle and a large portion of it is fairly fresh (watermellon rinds, leftover veggie scraps, rice, etc....) Thanks to the vast knowldge of this forum I understand that microbes are the worms worms are really after for food which sparks and idea in my head - and yes I am always after a better/faster way to do something.

I heard about freezing feedstock, unfortunately I have no extra freezer space. So I have a theory of 'pre-composting' the excess and then putting the somewhat rotten result into the worm bin which should be a microbial shmorgasborge (sp?). This theory sound? I figure excess will eventually become regular compost (woo hoo!) and my partially rotten feedstock should be just what the worms want. Am I on the right track? I promise to not get carried away with additions to keep decomposition heat to a minimum in the worm bin.

Thanks,

Scott

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Comments (4)

Fito
21 years ago
You are right on track. It does sound though that in whatever order you feed them you will have excess. Why not start another bin? Or a larger bin?

Fito
sqh1
21 years ago
Where are you planning on pre-composting the food scraps? If it is in an in-ground compost heap, then the worms will arrive on their own and there is no need for the extra steps. Just put some food in your worm bin and the over-load can go to the wild worms.
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trancegemini_wa
21 years ago
hi scott, if youve got too much then I have a couple of other suggestions too for you, start a separate compost bin and youll have compost and vermicastings, or you can just bury the excess food scraps in the garden to decompose, this is a very old form of "composting". If you have an average sized garden with grass clippings and garden waste then a compost bin is ideal. I have both and very little goes to waste, the worms get the smallest and softest things like peelings and lettuce or celery, everything that might be a little tough or bulky goes in the compost, but yes the precomposting would be fine too to reduce the volume, but it might still be too much until you have enough worms. I guess it really depends on how big your worm farm is and how much waste you generate to find the right balance.
Anisten
21 years ago
Consider the layer or sheet method. One layer greens then one layer browns. The worms will migrate up as conditions find their fancy and the population will expand rapidly as food is always bountiful. I use this method and don't worry about how much is eaten or not as there are always layers for them to choose to live in. I started out with 1 pound red worms almost a yeat ago and now I have 4 bins on the go but the layer method is used in all since I don't have to worry about overheating but I am always surprised to see the worms tend to prefer the hotter layers. My estimate is that my worm population is at about 10 pounds. Do move some worms into new bins to encourage more population and therefor more castings. Really the sheet/layer method is just a replica of what any compost pile is made of. The beneficial bacteria will find their way into the new layers very quicly also aiding breakdown.