What is Vermicomposting ?

1. Vermicomposting Jess Nason, Sam Wallace, and Thomas Hibert What is Vermicomposting? Vermicompostingis the practice of using worms to assist in the process of food decomposition. The food waste, along with the bedding materials and worm castings, creates a nutrient rich organic fertilizer. The earthworm species most commonly used in vermicomposting is the red wiggler worm, a species that has adapted to living in an environment of decomposing organic matterand thrives in composting conditions. It is best for the worms to be in a cool, dark, and moist environment. They need plenty of bedding space as well as food to breakdown. Shredded newspaper works as perfect bedding because it also breaks down easily. The ideal foods are fruits and vegetables, because they don’t take too long to break down. It is also important to introduce a variety of foods into the system in order to maintain a balanced environment. For example, if the worms’ diet is based too heavily on fruit, like are orange and lemon peels, the soil will become too acidic and ultimately uninhabitable for the worms. Construction of the Aiken Vermicompost Box The vermicompost box that will be built this semester and permanently reside in the Aiken Center, will be 2 feet deep by 2 feet wide by 4 feet long, and sit atop a standard waist high table. The box will also serve as an educational tool, as a plexiglass window will be incorporated into the side of the box, allowing visitors and students of the Aiken center to witness the composting process. The building of this box will be as environmentally friendly as possible. We plan to use Japanese Larch from UVM’s Jericho Research Forest and complete all of the construction at ReSOURCE, an organization that operates on principles of environmental stewardship and aims to provide members of the community with education and job skills training.