If you often collect kitchen scraps and the like but do not know what to do with them, well, what you need is a good composter or compost tumbler. This is somewhat like a machine that turns waste products into something very useful. Not all people may need a composter. But if you do have a garden at home or are planning to put up one, then you must really get a composter. It's a good thing we know a pretty good source for such an item.
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People who are thinking of creating their own compost heap may consider using worms.  But is that a good choice or a waste of time?  When thinking about how to compost, you have to consider nature's little friends.  They are helpful, but mean you have to consider a few extra factors in creating your compost heap.

When considering using worms for composting, you need to consider that you must build a bin for your worms.  This bin should be a wooden box, metal tub, or plastic basin, as they each allow for proper and necessary air circulation.  You want a shallow bin, no more than 18 inches deep, since the worms eat near the surface and a deeper bin will result in unwanted foul odours.  

To figure out the size of the bin needed, measure your kitchen scraps for a couple of weeks.  Allow one square foot of space for every one pound of scrap materials per week.  It is recommended to estimate a little larger rather than too small as you don't want to crowd the bin.  Before using your bin, always scrub a new bin with detergent and rinse with hot water before you use it.  If you are building a wooden bin, do not use pretreated woods.  They are harmful to the worms and could contaminate your compost.  Make sure your worm bin has 9-15 holes drilled in the bottom to allow for air circulation as well as letting the compost drain of excess moisture.  Keep the bin somewhere relatively cool, such as a basement or alley beside your house, as worms do not like hot living conditions.

So far all you have considered in your efforts to living off the grid is the compost bin for your worms to live in.  But another consideration is the bedding you need for the bin.  Bedding holds moisture in the bin.  Your bedding materials should be biodegradable and free from chemicals and pesticides.  Some suggestions are shredded newsprint or computer paper, shredded cardboard, leaves, peat moss, or crushed eggshells.  Having a good mix of paper and natural materials, like the eggshells, will help your compost to work faster.

So what kind of worms should you use?  Is it as easy as digging up worms in your backyard?  Yes, and no.  You'll want to get redworms.  They are capable of reproducing quickly in captivity and are quick to break down materials into usable compost.  How many worms do you need?  Approximately two pounds of worms is estimated for every one pound of daily scraps.  There are about 1000 worms per pound.  About one pound of worms is sufficient for a 2 foot by 2 foot bin.  If you're worried about the worms reproducing and crowding the bin, that shouldn't be a concern.  The population will level itself out and sustain a number that can be sustained based on the amount of food available and the amount of space.

So are worms necessary to composting?  No.  Is it a better way to go when starting a compost?  That is up to you, and if you want nature's little helpers to give you a helping hand in becoming more Eco-friendly.

Image via Wikipedia

Garden waste for composting

Have you ever tried making compost the old way? I bet a lot of people have and it put them off for good. This is a shame although I have to say I understand why. With traditional compost making it is difficult to maintain the heat that is needed to make the compost work. You can still get results but it will take a long time. One of the worst things I remember about making compost like this was pulling the rug back that you use to try and contain the heat and having a rat run out and frighten the life out of me. With the new SoilSaver Compost Bin this is a thing of the past: with a large locking lid there is no problem with rat or vermin infestation. This large lid also makes filling the bin nice and easy and with two sliding doors for emptying life could not be easier. The compost bin itself is made with 75% recycled materials, and has a 25year guarantee. Add this to its low price and you can see why it is so popular. The fact that your compost is held within the plastic bin means there is plenty of heat able to build up allowing the compost to break down efficiently.

Being a basic garden composter you will need to either spend a bit of time turning it over or you will just have to be patient. If you need a larger compost bin then another very good bin would be the Keter Super Composter. This bin has a capacity of 115 gallons giving you plenty of room for your compost. This model is made from over 90% recycled materials, and is fully vented so the contents are aerated for maximum of speed composting. The Keter has a hinged lid and four sliding doors so emptying this bin is as easy as it could be.

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Photo by Normanack, License: CC Attribution

Compost soil

Making a wormery is the popular fun thing to do for gardeners and hobbyists alike. Its like combining the enjoyment of having a fish aquarium (only much easier and cheaper) with the productivity of creating usable compost.

You basically are setting up a mini habitat for the red wiggler worm (similar but a bit smaller then the earth worm). You can do this with homemade parts or get everything you need in a kit online. Either way it'll be about the size of a plastic container you would use for storage in your attic. Just drill some air holes, fill it up with moistened newspaper, and add your red wigglers. Find a place in your garage or basement to keep your wormery that won't get excessively hot or cold.

Now you are ready to start feeling your red wigglers so they can start making you garden compost. They will eat about half their body weight each day. Typically they are sold online in lots of 1,000 which weigh about a pound. So each day, for each 1,000 red wigglers in your wormery, you'll need to add a half pound of food. The best part is that the food they are going to eat is table scraps that you were going to throw away anyhow! They'll eat any fruit or vegetable scraps (although they aren't crazy about spicy items and onions), pulverized egg shells, and used coffee or tea (including the filter or bag).

Making a wormery will be both interesting and rewarding. Once you see the benefits worm composting will have on your garden you'll really be loving your new 'pets'. Kids really love to be involved in the whole process from setting up the wormery to nightly feeding to putting the compost out in the garden. As an added bonus if you or your kids are into fishing you'll never have to stop and get worms again
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