Anything from advice for beginning vermicomposters with the Vermicomposting 101 Series or interviews with experts, the Urban Worm Blog has you covered!
Vermicomposting 101: Plant and Soil Benefits of Vermicompost
Some of us start vermicomposting to divert our household or farm waste away from the waste stream, and that is a benefit by itself. But what about the end product? If you're reading this, you're probably already aware that vermicompost, which includes the worm...
Urban Worm Interview Series: Soil Biology 101, Part II
In Part I of this interview about soil biology with Heather Rinaldi and Nina Folch, we learned some pretty crucial stuff about what constitutes excellent soil, how to recognize when it's good, and what to do about it when it's not. But the one thing we didn't even...
Urban Worm Interview Series: Soil Biology 101, Part I
I kind of always thought of soil as just "dirt", the stuff under the grass, the brown substance plants just magically grow out of. And it wasn’t until embarrassingly recently that I learned of the level of complexity that ecosystem that exists, or at least should...
VC101: A Really Cheap Way to Start a Worm Bin
Have you wondered, "How can I start a cheap worm bin?" Well a few weeks back, I asked my e-mail list that I affectionately (and maybe indulgently?) call "Urban Worm Nation" how they're all doing their vermicomposting. I am constantly amazed at how people used old...
Harvesting Worm Castings: Break Your Back or Break The Bank?
I got the following question from Dawn F, a fellow worm composter from New York City. She writes: "Can you spend some time on how to harvest worm castings? I bought a small trommel screen and I gotta tell ya, it took half a day. Even the Worm Inn requires sifting."...
Worm Towers: Right Idea, But the Wrong Product?
Worm towers or worm tubes are an intriguing idea for turning food waste to worm castings. Unlike worm composting, which requires the worms, bedding, and food to be placed in some enclosure only to require you to harvest the castings, the worm tower is a...
Is the NCSU Vermiculture Conference Doomed?
If you've read this blog long enough, most of you know that I don't claim to have Jedi-level knowledge of vermiculture, vermicompost, or soil biology (or how to please women or dance in ways that don't make other people really uncomfortable). So it's with great honor...
Vermicomposting 101: How to Start a Worm Bin
Starting a new home worm bin is easy and only requires a bin, bedding, some food, and yes, the worms. Anyone can learn how to do it. But as I learned a few years ago, starting a successful, thriving home bin from scratch where worms won't try to escape the first night...
What Causes Protein Poisoning and What to Do About It
A particularly devastating problem in a worm bin is protein poisoning, also called "string of pearls" or sour crop, evidenced by a serious deformation of the earthworms as their intestines rupture, inevitably killing the worm itself. So let's check out what causes...
Vermicomposting 101: How Much Should I Feed My Worms?
The question of how much to feed your composting worms can vex the beginning vermicomposter, and if you're in an area like I am that features both hot and cold weather, then that amount can vary wildly. So if I were you, I would get out of the mindset of trying...
Vermicomposting 101: What Are the Differences Between Vermicomposting and Composting?
Probably the most misleading thing about vermicomposting is that it includes the word "composting." Wikipedia tells us compost is "organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment." And while that is a fitting description...
Vermicomposting 101: Can I Use The Worms I Find In My Garden To Vermicompost?
No. Or I should say, in nearly all cases, no. There are 2700 species of earthworms in the world and only about 4 of them of them are good vermicomposters. They are: eisenia fetida*, aka red wigglers, tiger worms, manure worms eisenia hortensis*, aka European...
The 2019 Vermicomposter's Starter Guide
Your roadmap to a successful beginning in vermicomposting.