FAQ -

I'm interested in worm composting and thinking about where to locate it. I have a greenhouse (not heated) that might be suitable. In South Carolina the air temp in the greenhouse varies from 90+F to about 30F in winter. Are these conditions compatible with vermicomposting?

Answer:

First let me say, my answer would be different depending on the type of worm bin you are planning on setting up in the greenhouse.

With a tiered worm bin, each tray of the worm bin has a small amount of mass. These bins are really best for indoors and are not really suited for handling extremes in temperature. The reason for this is the small amount of mass provided that acts as an insulator against temperature extremes.

The larger a bin is the more forgiving the environment and the easier it is to control the environment without putting your worms in harms way.

A larger bin, preferably 4' X 8' would perform nicely with proper attention.

The mass of a larger bin will stay cooler - the ambient temperature will be cooler than the surrounding air temperature. In your greenhouse environment when the temperature soars to 90+F this would surely kill your worms, however, the bedding material will not be as hot as your temperature in your greenhouse. But, the hotter it gets in the greenhouse, the hotter your bedding will get. Therefore it is important that you are monitoring the BEDDING MATERIAL temperature with a compost thermometer. It will probably be necessary for you to have a misting system in place to provide moisture and a fan to provide air movement so the moisture will evaporate creating a cooling effect for the worms. In the summer, when the temps are at their highest, feeding would have to be done very carefully to avoid any composting action that would generate further heat. Lastly, it would be beneficial if you provide heavy shade for your worm bins.

However, in the winter the opposite is true. In the month before the weather turns cold, efforts should be made to get all finished material out of the bin and replaced with fresh bedding. A stock pile of fresh bedding should be laid up for use during winter where it will be free of snow and ice. 30F should not pose a problem for your bins, even if they are not heated. Plan on feeding freely and working the bin regularly. This is where you don't have to worry about generating composting heat as it will help keep the worms happy while the temperatures outside drop.

I live in Mount Washington, and, unfortunately, have no shade for our house, or yard. I want to have worms to take care of our green waste, but I'm afraid, in the heat of summer, they will die. At its worst, our house averages 95 degrees, even in the kitchen. I'm worried it will kill any red worms I might cultivate. When the weather is favorable, what can I do?

Answer:

Here's my advise. First, understand that even in 95 degree weather in the house the ambient temperature of the worm bin will be cooler, as long as you are careful with your bedding and food stock that you do not get any active composting going on.

I would start with a tower compost bin like the
Can-O-Worms which you can find on my website. This tower, when all trays are active, will give you a great surface area to feed your worms without the mass of a larger bin that might heat up when food waste is added to the bedding. (Note: you still need to be careful, but with separate trays available for the worms to migrate into, there is less of a chance you will accidently fry your worms.)

Second suggestion, if you want to compost outside, I would first consider proximity to a water source, electricity and the need for you to keep a watchful eye in hot weather. Make sure your bin is out of any prevailing wind, erect an arbor to grow your own shade, set up a misting system to keep the surface of the bin moist without drowning the bin and a small fan to move air over the surface of the bin. The air movement will cool the bin like a cool breeze cools you in the heat of summer.

NOTE: The two questions above were answered at separate times and seem to contradict each other. Yet, if you look at the context of the two questions, even though they are asking questions that appear to be alike, really the environments are two completely different scenarios. This is a perfect example of how each situation is unique and must be handled as such.

Can you use the worms you find in your garden or lawn in the worm bin. This most recent question asked if they could co-exist with the red worms.

Answer:

Please be aware that the worms you find in your garden or lawn are soil dwellers and red worms are composting worms dwelling in piles of organic matter such as leaves, manure, rotting grass clippings, compost piles, etc.

As such these worms each have their own requirements for their environment that are very different. These worms do not naturally co-habitate. Even if you find them in the same area around a pile of organic matter, the soil dwellers are at the soil level and the compost worms are in the organic matter. This is the only situation where these two organic consumers will co-habitate. Soil dwellers will not thrive in a worm bin. They are not deep enough to provide the soil dweller with area to burrow.

One way to have each of the lovely creatures in the same area is to dig a hole and fill it with organic material. This would provide the best of both worlds for each of the worms, and the area could be heavily mulched to provide cover for the colder winter months. (That's for all of us wormers in the North.) The material in the hole would need to be removed and replaced with fresh organic material to keep your red worm composters happy and in place. Otherwise, they will go looking for fresh organic material if you do not provide it for them.

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