So you want to grow lots of healthy plants but don’t want to spend money on compost or fertilizer?
Maybe you would like to start a compost heap in your yard, but you live in a townhouse or apartments, and your neighbors or HOA would not approve. What to do??
Well, there is a way you can have endless amounts of free worm castings to use as fertilizer for your garden, and you don’t need yard space to do it. How, you ask?
Well, with a worm bin. It’s actually not as disgusting as it sounds.
A worm bin is a good way to recycle organic waste into fresh compost. You will need worms, of course. Red wigglers in particular. They were very cheap and were great little workers.
All they ask is that you fill their bin with a little organic waste every day, some potato peels or grass cuttings will do, and they will give you all the free compost you could ever want.
Now I know the thought of bringing worms inside your house and starting a compost heap INSIDE seems a bit over the top at first, but lots of people do it, and there are a thousand sources all over the internet where you can find detailed information about how to start composting with a worm bin in your house.
Most people are concerned that it will cause their house to smell, but it doesn’t if things are done right. Besides, worms don’t like light. Keeping your worm bin in a dark basement or under the sink (somewhere that odor wouldn’t be much of a problem) is best. T
The biggest problem you may run into is the worm could die if the worm bin is not kept at just the right moisture level or if you give them the wrong type of food.
Moisture levels inside the bin can be kept even by keeping it ventilated with holes. As for food, worm bins should never be filled with any non-organic material. Things like apple peels, eggshells, grass cuttings from your garden (grass that does not have fertilizer or pesticide on it).
The worms are very happy turning your table scraps into miracle compost, and they will not try to escape from the bin. In fact, they will be so happy that soon baby worms will result, and you may find yourself selling them on craigslist or eBay, which is where many other worm owners sell their extra worms and where you should start looking if you are interested in starting a worm bin.
You can also buy them locally from garden shops or places that sell fish bait or live pet food for lizards and such. They are only about three or four dollars for a hundred worms, or if you would prefer to think of it another way, a lifetime supply of free compost.