Need help with worm compost!!?
I just started a worm compost a few days ago. The compost is in a plastic container with good sized holes in the bottom and small holes on the side (at the top) and in the lid. It’s sitting on 2 blocks of wood.
I started out by wetting/shredding newspaper and cardboard and then adding the few worms I was able to find outside. After 2 days, I added some veggies, peelings, etc.
On Wednesday I also added some moss and loose dirt.
And yes, I add a little bit of rain water each day to the compost to make sure things are cool/damp for the worms. It’s been raining off and on for a week so that is all I’ve been adding for water.
Today I was able to find a place that sells worms and night crawlers. I added them and some more left over veggies, peelings, etc. I also added a little bit more moss and loose dirt from the woods.
My Questions:
1) Have I done everything right?
2) When should I begin turning the compost? How should I do so? And won’t turning it hurt the worms if I snag any?
You need about 18 months for compost to look like compost
(- what’s "loose dirt" ???) your problem right now is the small quantity of matter – the process will work very much from compression-heating process and this you’ll see maybe in nov or december when the compost starts smoking – then it is the right time to turn it -generally gardenning and haste don’t make good neighbours –
Cut lawn and dead leaves ( small ones) are a great stuff for compost – and worms – may forget them – unless they sing at night -
Without offend animal or human urin ( and co ) accelerate the rotting process
Never throw rose-tree branches – they very often are germ-vectors – nor weeds in their grain period ( fertilization ) – no plastic – no chemicals – no cat-litter – no branches of trees and fruit-trees if too thick and not dead -
You need about 18 months for compost to look like compost
(- what’s "loose dirt" ???) your problem right now is the small quantity of matter – the process will work very much from compression-heating process and this you’ll see maybe in nov or december when the compost starts smoking – then it is the right time to turn it -generally gardenning and haste don’t make good neighbours –
Cut lawn and dead leaves ( small ones) are a great stuff for compost – and worms – may forget them – unless they sing at night -
Without offend animal or human urin ( and co ) accelerate the rotting process
Never throw rose-tree branches – they very often are germ-vectors – nor weeds in their grain period ( fertilization ) – no plastic – no chemicals – no cat-litter – no branches of trees and fruit-trees if too thick and not dead -
References :
I referenced EarthWormDigest.org. It does sound like you are doing everything correct. I don’t do vermicomposting but I would like to, thank you for posting a good question! Sorry I can’t say when you should "turn" the compost, but from Earthwormdigest.org I clicked the link "Young persons guide to vermicomposting" and the basics are clearly spelled out. I realize that guide is for "young persons" but the info was very clear.
References :