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Given the right conditions, worms can accelerate the breakdown of rotting food and produce rich compost in return.
When enough time has passed, add your worms.
Over the next few weeks, mix from time to time with your hand and monitor for too much moisture. If there is liquid at the bottom of the bin, add dry, shredded paper. The mixture should feel like a damp sponge.
When the food scraps have turned into brown compost, it’s time to harvest your compost! Pick out the worms and place them back in the bin to begin the process again with new food. You can keep this going for as long as you like, being careful not to add too much fresh food at once. The compost that your worms make is some of the best organic fertilizer available. Sprinkle anywhere in your garden for happy plants or give it to your favorite gardener for a happy friend.
Composting worms eat the bacteria that feed on rotting food. They also eat some of the food and surrounding material to create a nutrient rich byproduct, called worm castings or vermicompost. By feeding worms your unwanted plant waste, you can generate quality compost for your garden with very little effort.
Here are some helpful tips if you want to continue propagating your worms.
Feeding your worms
Maintaining your horde
Troubleshooting
There are numerous books and web resources about worm composting. The classic introductory book is Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof.
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Attribution: Exploratorium Teacher Institute