Composting For Your Apartment
Everyone has room for composting. Even the smallest apartment will have room for a red worm compost bin. And the compost produced can be just a valuable for an apartment dweller as for a farmer.
The red worm compost bin itself can be constructed from two 8 to 10 gallon plastic storage boxes. Newell Rubbermaid is the brand that stands out for me. Any brand will do. Use a drill with 1/4" and 1/16" drill bits to make holes in the bottom and around the top to provide ventilation and drainage for you worms. Small holes go around the top to keep out the fruit flies. Large hole in the bottom to insure all excess liquid can get out.
The inhabitants of your red worm compost bin will need a bed. This can be made from old newspapers or any paper that has gone through a shredder. Worms need moisture for their skins in order to absorb the oxygen from the air so wet the bedding material before you put it in the bin. Too much water will cause them not to be able to breath so squeeze out most of the water. Three to four inches of the damp paper should be enough to get you started.
Now you get to add the worms to your red worm compost bin. In an apartment you will probably generate around 3 to 4 pounds of table scraps per week. One pound of worms should be able to handle that amount. The worms will adjust to the amount of food you give them. They will also need some soil, some fine sand and some finely ground egg shells to ingest for their gizzard. Your red worm compost bin should be placed in a well ventilated place. If your apartment has a balcony that is an ideal place. Put the bin up on blocks so that it can drain evenly. Use the top of the second bin to catch the drainage. Your worms will want to be fed slowly at first. As they begin to multiply add more food. Always put the food under the bedding and move the location of the food around the bin. The worms will follow the food so do not worry about them finding it. Your worms will need calcium to reproduce so either grind up egg shells or a few tums tablets for them. Remember your worms are vegetarians. They do not want or need any dairy products, fats,meats, feces, oils or twigs. Happy composting with your red worm compost bin.
|