The holes should begin approximately four inches from the bottom of the bin. number of peopleĭrill holes approximately three inches apart in the sides and cover of the bin. A deep bin is preferable to a shallow one because it allows more room for layering and burying fresh material. The larger the container, the more material you will be able to compost. Since worms do not like light, an opaque container is preferable to a translucent one, unless the bin is kept covered with a dark cloth. Plastic containers can be purchased from a hardware or department store. The least expensive way to obtain a worm bin is to make one from a plastic or wooden container by drilling air holes in the sides and top. Worms and bins are also available from the suppliers listed below. There are several mail order catalogs that sell worm bins, such as Real Goods, Seventh Generation and Gardener's Supply. Within a year you'll be able to give worms away to get a friend started! And you'll never have to buy bait for trout fishing again! In three months the worms become sexually mature and will start breeding. It takes about three weeks for fertilized eggs to develop in a cocoon from which two or more young worms can hatch. Finished compost can be harvested in as little as two to three months. Even a small bin of red worms will yield pounds of rich compost, also known as worm castings. Red worms make composting indoors feasible because they are very efficient processors of organic waste they eat and expel their own weight every day. Red worms are a good indicator of fertile soil because their presence indicates high organic matter content and a lack of toxic substances in soil. Red worms are native to Europe but have become naturalized across the United States. They are smaller than nightcrawlers and are reddish brown in color. These worms thrive in decomposing organic matter such as leaf piles, compost heaps and old manure piles. The best kind of earthworms to use are red worms, also known as "red wigglers" and "manure worms". Earthworms speed up the composting process, aerate the organic material in the bin, and enhance the finished compost with nutrients and enzymes from their digestive tracts. Vermicomposting is simply composting with earthworms.
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