Composting in the winter isn’t easy! As I dug my backyard compost bin out from underneath the snow this past October, and then again in November, I began to wonder if vermicomposting might provide a cold weather alternative. Vermicomposting is the process of using worms to turn food scraps into a black, earth-smelling, nutrient-rich material which I call worm dirt. All that’s required is a plastic or wood box, bedding, and red wiggler worms (i.e. Eisenia fetida) specifically bred for composting in captivity.

After a quick Google search and subsequent phone call, I found myself at the Henniker home of Joan O’Connor. Joan has been vermicomposting since 1992 and sells worms by the pound. “Worms are easy,” Joan instructed, as she handed me a bucket of worms. “Don’t drown them, cook them, suffocate them, or freeze them. It’s really that simple.” Looking into the bucket, I wasn’t so sure. But Joan’s confidence in me was enough encouragement to at least give them a try…

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A 24 inch long by 24 inch wide by 8 to 16 inch deep plastic box is suitable for approximately 3.5 pounds of food scraps per week. My box is nothing fancy, just a plastic Sterilite stacker tote. I cut two large ventilation panels out of the lid and covered them with screen to keep would be escape artists in; and fruit flies, rodents, and an overly curious Jack Russell terrier out. I also cut two, 1 inch holes (also screened) into the bottom of the box for drainage. I used organic peat moss and newspapers to make bedding. I tore the newspaper into half inch wide shreds, moistened them with water, and made a 2 inch thick layer with them on the bottom of the box. Next, I added a 2 inch thick layer of peat moss. I also moistened the peat moss, because it had become dry and friable. Next, I added the worms. On top of the worms, I added a 1 inch thick layer of organic peat, followed by a 1 inch think layer of moistened newspaper. I keep a layer of dry paper on the very top.

My worms eat vegetables, fruit, and tea/coffee grounds. To feed them, I bury the food scraps in their bedding. I follow a grid pattern as I do so. By the time I return to the first spot in the grid, most of the food scraps are gone. If not, I give the worms more time to break them down before adding more. On the “do not” feed list: meat, citrus, bones, salt, vinegar, cooking oils, and dairy products. These are difficult for the worms to break down, as are onions and cabbage. I chop up food scraps or run them through a food processor. Otherwise, worms are low maintenance. Once in a while I spritz the bedding with water to keep it moist. When “worm tea” collects in a pan under the drainage holes, I dilute it (10 parts water to 1 part tea) and feed it to houseplants. So long as I keep food scraps buried below the surface of the bedding, there are no odors or fruit flies. The worms appear to be most productive at temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I keep the worm box in my study and visitors have no idea the worms are even there.

Once the newspaper has disappeared, it’s time to separate the worms from the humus. I haven’t done this yet although it sounds like a fairly straight forward process: Dump the contents of the worm box into a number of piles on a plastic sheet in the sun or a well-light area (the worms will crawl away from the light and into the center of each pile); after placing the worm dirt in a bucket, put the balls of worms back into their box along with fresh bedding. According to Joan, most worm boxes require changing twice a year. I am looking forward to my first bucket of worm dirt, or “black gold,” as it is often called. Rather, my houseplants are.

Joan is the founder of the Tilton Winter Farmer’s Market, and be will selling worms there this coming January, February, and March. Her worms can also be purchased at Bonafide Green Goods in Concord.

Tilton Winter Farmers’ Market

www.tiltonwinterfarmersmarket.com

Joan O’Connor’s website

www.joansworms.com

Note: the Concord Monitor uses recycled paper and non-toxic, soy-based ink