Portage du Fort

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Garbage bags, recycling bins and compost containers are some of the ways that waste can be properly disposed of. But in nature, there are many ways that things decompose.

At a composting information session on Saturday, residents of Portage du Fort learned about ways to bring some of that nature inside — with worms.

Vermicomposting is the processing of organic waste through earthworms, including varieties called red wigglers and European red night crawlers. They are used to process vegetables, certain fruits and paper products. This type of composting is not for meat, dairy, or foods that are too acidic for the worms, like citrus.

Cathy Fox, who led the demonstration, has an operation of worms in her house working to turn some of her food waste into castings, or worm poop. She says it’s important to understand how to compost so you can get the most from your waste.

“We want to get the value out of our compost,” Fox said.

She explained how to start setting up your own vermicomposting at home. All you need is a large container, some worms, appropriate food waste and shredded paper.

You start by letting your food waste start to rot in a compost container on the counter. Once it’s soft, Fox said she has a designated food processor in which she blends it all up. This step makes it easier for the worms to start processing the waste, but she said this step isn’t necessary.

She uses a large paper shredder to break down cardboard and non-glossy paper and mixes equal parts into her food waste. She then pours this mixture into her bin and lets the worms go to work.

The castings collect at the bottom of the bin as new food is added on top. In order to harvest the castings, Fox said she adds the food to one corner of the bin so that all the worms migrate there. After a few days, she sifts the rest of the compost through a quarter-inch metal mesh so the castings fall through.

For more ambitious vermicomposters, there are urban worm bags out there. Fox has two and they’re designed to house more worms and have a drawstring at the bottom to allow for easy access to the castings without disturbing the worms.

The worms should be kept in a space that doesn’t get too hot or too cold, and should be covered so they are hidden from the light. Fox uses a piece of bubble wrap to keep in the moisture and a piece of brown paper to keep out the light.

“They love it under here,” Fox said when she lifted the cover off the bin. “Bubble wrap covers keep some of the moisture and warmth. The paper keeps it dark so they stay near the top and process the new waste that’s been added.”

Fox described the castings as the equivalent to probiotics for your plants.

“It’s got lots of good bacteria in it from the worms eating it,” she said. “The microbes, they’ve discovered, are like a super boost for all the protective creatures that live in the soil.”

She said they’re great for growing seedlings and can even be used to make a kind of manure tea. By combining the castings with water, the liquid produced can be aerated and sprayed on plants to help protect from pests and strengthen the plant.

“This is the stuff that you want from the worms,” Fox said. “The castings that they’ve produced, this is the gold that you put in your garden.”