As the summer starts to wind down I'm going to be focusing some of my blogging efforts to address issues that those of you living in cold parts of the world may experience when trying to make kitchen compost.
With traditional backyard compost tumblers one needs quite a lot of heat to keep the kitchen compost cookin', a situation that may be impossible to maintain as the snowy winter months approach. Backyard compost tumblers still have a place for those living in cold climates, especially if you have a large garden with a lot of garden waste to compost. I sell compost tumblers, in fact, right here. But as the thermometer drops you may be wondering what to do with all of that extra kitchen waste now that your compost tumbler is not being used again until the spring.
This is where a kitchen compost system comes into play. Of course, learning how to make worm compost can sometimes have a bit of a learning curve; luckily for you I've taken the brunt of a lot of these hard lessons! If you decide to buy worms for your kitchen compost (or pantry compost, or garage compost bin) you can check back here often for details about how to care for your red wigglers.
Setting up a kitchen compost system with red wigglers or european nightcrawlers is a great way to create rich fertilizer all year long. It can be as simple as an old rubbermaid tub filled with bedding and scraps, or as complex as a stacking Gusanito worm farm. Check out the Getting Started section of this site to learn more about how to begin. But bringing your red wigglers inside can present a few problems, so here are some answers.
Smell: Your kitchen compost should not smell. You should walk over to it daily and take a big whiff. If it smells like fish or anything dead, you've got a problem brewing that will NOT self correct! Pay attention immediately to fix whatever imbalance may be happening! Email me if you have any problems.
Flies: I have found that there are two main defenses for any fly problems (fruit flies, fungus gnats, black flies) that may arise from your compost system: the vacuum cleaner and ample amounts of coconut coir or peat moss. If you find a problem with flies developing, the first thing to do is to get out the vacuum and suck up as many of the adults as you can find. The second thing to do is to spread a reasonable layer of coconut coir or peat moss on top of each layer of your stacking system, or on the top layer if you have a simple bin system. The vacuum will kill the adults, the coir or peat will keep any remaining adults out. You will have to vacuum for a few days as any new flies hatch, but after the adults are truly gone you'll be in good shape.
An extra tip: A lot of folks process their scraps in some way (which is something I should start doing, actually). Two ways to process your kitchen compost before feeding your red wigglers are to either freeze the scraps or blend them up. Both techniques have been shown to dramatically reduce pests in the worm bin.
As I sit here looking at my Gusanito worm bin those are the only problems that I can think of that you may encounter. At least, those are the only problems I have encountered by having a worm bin/kitchen compost right here on the counter next to the sink. It is truly possible to reduce your landfill footprint all year long, no matter where you live, by using an indoor worm bin to compost your kitchen scraps. And come spring, you will have some mighty fertilizer to use in starting up your next veggie garden!
Where to buy red wiggler worms? Why right here!
Where to buy european nightcrawlers? Why right here, too!
Good worming!
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