Vermicomposting (Worm Composting) — FarmPal

Red wiggler worms transform kitchen scraps into the richest possible compost vermicast. Perfect for apartments, small spaces, and year-round composting indoors.

Time to Finish
2-3 months per batch
Space Needed
As small as a storage tote under the kitchen sink

🟢 Greens (Nitrogen)

  • • Vegetable scraps
  • • Fruit peels
  • • Coffee grounds with filters
  • • Crushed eggshells
  • • Tea bags (remove staples)

🟤 Browns (Carbon)

  • • Shredded newspaper
  • • Cardboard
  • • Dried leaves
  • • Coco coir
  • • Paper towels (unbleached)

Steps

  1. 1Get a worm bin (buy or DIY from stacking totes with drain holes)
  2. 2Create bedding: shredded newspaper/cardboard moistened like a wrung sponge
  3. 3Add 1 lb red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) per square foot of surface area
  4. 4Bury food scraps under bedding don't dump on top
  5. 5Feed only what worms can consume in 3-5 days
  6. 6Harvest when bedding is entirely converted to dark, granular castings
  7. 7Use migration method: push finished compost to one side, add fresh bedding to other, worms migrate

Troubleshooting

⚠ Fruit flies
✓ Bury food deeper. Freeze scraps before adding. Add thick layer of dry newspaper on top.
⚠ Bad smell
✓ Overfeeding reduce food, add dry bedding, increase ventilation.
⚠ Worms escaping
✓ Too wet, too acidic, or not enough air. Add dry bedding, avoid citrus, check drainage.
⚠ Worms not eating
✓ Bin may be too cold (<55°F) or too hot (>80°F). Adjust location.

Tips

  • 💡Worm castings are 5-10x richer in nutrients than regular compost
  • 💡Worm tea (leachate) is a powerful liquid fertilizer dilute 10:1
  • 💡Red wigglers eat half their body weight per day
  • 💡Avoid: citrus, onions, spicy food, meat, dairy, oils, pet waste
  • 💡Perfect for apartments no smell when properly managed