Press Release - Monday, June 02, 2008
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Illinois EPA offers Illinoisans tips on turning food scraps into valuable fertilizer with a worm compost bin
SPRINGFIELD - Gardeners across Illinois have begun planting summer vegetable and flower gardens in hopes of a season of lush greens, brilliant tomatoes and colorful bouquets of flowers. In preparation for the bountiful summer season, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) is offering tips on how to use worms to turn food scraps into rich compost, a good fertilizer houseplants and outside gardens, and to also reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Worm compost, otherwise known as worm castings or vermicompost, is an easy way to recycle organic food and yard waste using red worms. It requires very little work, produces no offensive odors, and helps plants thrive.
"Thirty percent of the refuse in the United States is food and yard debris, so we're encouraging use of vermicomposting because of its environmental benefits," said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott. "It not only reduces waste destined for our landfills, but also produces a byproduct that makes a terrific fertilizer. Best of all, it's a completely natural process, which keeps environmentally unfriendly chemical fertilizers out of the soils."
Red worms can breakdown organic waste, such as cucumbers skins, lettuce and apples, and convert it into nutrient-rich castings. The remaining material is rich compost to put on your house and garden plants, and on your fruit and vegetable garden. In fact, these castings have been called "black gold" because of their high nutrient content and can revitalize low fertility soils.
For green thumbs who are interested in creating a worm compost bin and harvesting vermicompost to fertilize a garden with the nutrient rich byproduct, follow these tips:
· Choose the proper container: A nice plastic box or a large plastic container or storage bin will do. Earthworms like to be in the dark, so make sure your container is not made out of clear see-through plastic and has a lid.
· Make sure to drill holes: Worms breathe through their moist skins, so it is necessary to drill very small holes on the sides, close to the top, for air.
· Choose a good location: In the summer, the worm compost bin could be kept outside under a shaded tree, or in a garage. In the winter, the compost bin should remain inside to protect it from freezing temperatures. Consider keeping it in the laundry room or in a warm basement.
· Choose the proper bedding: The best bedding the worm bin is shredded coconut shells dissolved in water. This material is also called Gro-Bricks, which can be found at gardening stores or on the internet. Make sure to read the instructions for dissolving the Gro-Bricks in water, as it is important to keep the bin moist, but not wet.
· Prevent odor: Bury your vegetable and fruit scraps in the bedding to prevent smell and provide the worms with easy access to meals. The worms require only a small amount of vegetable food at a time.
· Remember to change bedding: Every four to six weeks, push the bedding, which has now become compost, to one end of the container, and add some more bedding. Place the fruit and vegetable scraps in the newly added bedding and the worms will gravitate to that side of the container to eat.
· Remove the remaining nutrient rich worm castings and feed your plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.
· Watch your garden grow!
For more information on creating a worm compost bin, visit http://earth911.org.
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