Depending on your climate, you may be able to keep a bin of red wiggler compost worms outdoors during the winter. My larger bins are kept outdoors here in Surrey, BC since we have mild coastal winters. However anything under…
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Winter care of compost bins
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care, Worm composting in British Columbia Tagged with: BC, British Columbia, Canada, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, winter, worm composting
Using dry leaves in a worm compost bin
Autumn leaves can be used with or in place of newspaper or cardboard bedding in your worm composting bin. They will be the carbon-rich brown component of the bin to balance out your green kitchen scraps. If you’re just starting…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care, Worm composting in British Columbia Tagged with: BC, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
Summer is prime time for worm composting in Canada
Red wiggler worms thrive in warm temperatures and moist conditions! They reproduce most quickly and break down food scraps before you know it during summer. Keep your compost bin in the shade — it can quickly get too hot if…
Tomato seed germination and planting experiment using vermicompost
This past fall I heard a talk about improved germination of seeds when they’re soaked in an extract or “tea” made of worm castings (notes on the talk are here). I tried my own experiment which I posted recently. The…
Posted in NCSU Vermiculture Conference, Red Wiggler Worm Compost Tagged with: BC, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
Other bugs that may come to live in a compost bin
There are many other insects and bugs that coexist with red wiggler worms in a compost bin. Most are harmless, a few should be removed. Sow bugs (gray isopods), springtails (tiny white collembola), mites, earwigs, beetles, and other species of…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care, Red Wiggler Worm Compost Tagged with: BC, bugs, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
FAQ about placing a worm compost bin outdoors
Question: “I am a Surrey resident. If I only use uncooked fruit and vegetable waste, do I need to be concerned about attracting rats? Also, can this composter be placed outside all winter or is that too cold for the…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care Tagged with: BC, Canada, compost bin, FAQ, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
Worm compost planting experiment
Inspired by studies showing the benefit of soaking seeds in a worm compost mixture, I decided to try my own experiment. Being early November, I decided to try red wiggler compost on my cover crop, fava beans. Here was what…
Posted in Red Wiggler Worm Compost Tagged with: BC, Canada, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
Setting up a worm composting habitat in an aquarium?
Question: I have an aquarium I’d like to use for a worm composting project in my classroom. Will this work and do you have any tips? Great question. I’m not sure worm composting is the right project for an aquarium.…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care Tagged with: BC, red wiggler worms, Surrey, Vancouver, worm composting
Favorite foods of red wiggler worms
By observing your bin, you’ll see which foods they prefer over time. Here are some favorites: Squash and pumpkin Melon rinds and pulp Avocado skins Banana Peels Mango Foods they don’t like so much are: raw potato peels onions and…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care Tagged with: BC, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting
Grass clippings? Add with care
If you have a large outdoor worm compost bin, you may want to add grass clippings to the mix. One problem is that finely cut fresh grass often heats up to a temperature that is too hot for the worms!…
Posted in Red wiggler compost bin care Tagged with: BC, red wiggler worms, Vancouver, worm composting