Vermicomposting, otherwise known as worm composting, is among the quickest organic ways to obtain lovely garden compost from organic waste materials.
It’s also easy to do and it is scalable. Hence, it’s an ideal pursuit, regardless the size of your garden.
The process of vermicomposting does, in fact, duplicate the methods used by worms, by bacteria, and by fungi to degrade organic waste.
Well, while it does duplicate the methods, it is, indeed, much more rapid.
You can build your vermicomposting system in such a way that the number of worms together with the vermicomposting environment are optimal.
In turn, this allows the organic waste materials to break down more quickly.
The final product – the compost – or the manure, if you prefer – is rich in various nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus (the big three). There are, likewise, many micronutrients, too.
So, what about the advantages and the disadvantages of vermicomposting? Let’s consider those now.
Advantages of Vermicomposting
1 It’s fast
Depending on the environment, when you compost with worms, your compost should be ready and waiting within a two-to-three month period.
With regards to alternative methods of composting, you’re looking at anything between five and nine months.
2 More and more worms
Once the composting cycle has completed, you’ll have a lot more worms to “play” with.
Worms, again, given the right environment, will double in population within around 90 days.
So, that means, if you leave your compost for three months, you’ll have 100 percent more worms than when you first started. Not at all bad going!
You can add those extra worms to your garden to encourage further vermicomposting.
3 Outside or inside
Yes, you can vermicompost either outside or inside.
In fact, if you really are an extra-keen vermicomposter, you could place your composting bins directly underneath your kitchen sink.
You just need to be sure to that all organic content that’s added to your composting bins below the sink is cut into small pieces.
This helps to speed things up and reduces the potential for a rather bad odor to make its way throughout your home.
Disadvantages of Vermicomposting
1 Fruit flies
Yes, while they are completely harmless, fruit flies can be annoying.
And, there’s no doubt at all that organic compost, whether outside the home or inside, can, and will, attract fruit flies.
You can reduce or even eliminate the problem, though.
Add food scraps in small quantities, and, if your composting bins are outside, cover over the top of the organic matter with some soil.
2 Pathogens
Because of the reduced build-up of heat, vermicomposting encourages pathogens more than when using a “normal” composting method.
The heat generated from traditional composting methods does help to kill off the bacteria, including E. coli.
3 Cost
While the cost involved with vermicomposting is relatively low, there is an initial price tag involved.
You need to invest in bins – or, perhaps you do – you may have some already.
And, if you can’t get enough worms from your garden, you’ll have to invest in those, too.
Amazon offers a worm composter. Amazon also sells live worm packs.
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay