Red, wiggly worms perform magic in kitchen compost bin

Not so long ago, I would have considered any worm in the kitchen to be a bad thing. Mealworms, for example, who occasionally ride in unnoticed in bags of birdseed. The first clue of an infestation might be the appearance of small tan moths flying out of the pantry whenever it is opened and usually means there is a newly spoiled box of cereal or bag of flour somewhere. Not good.

When my kids were young, we had a big yard and a large family garden. We kept a compost pile in the far corner of the yard for enriching the garden soil. In the fall, all the raked-up leaves went into the compost pile and throughout the year kitchen scraps were added.

It seemed like a long walk to the compost pile in the depths of winter so I got into the habit of keeping a small, lidded container on top of the kitchen counter near the sink. I'd put vegetable scraps and coffee grounds into it until it was full, at which point I would walk it out to the far back corner of the yard and dump the contents into the compost pile.

The bin on the counter always caught the interest of visiting friends who probably expected to find cookies in the container. Peeking in under the lid caused the friend to react in a way that would prompt my kids to explain that their mother was a little odd. She was saving the peelings for the compost pile.

I wonder what they would have thought if I'd had worms in the bin? Turns out that a lot of people do these days. Mealworms might not be a good thing in the kitchen but it seems that red wigglers are an entirely different matter.

Kitchen composting, aka the indoor worm farm, has been gaining momentum over the past several years. Fancy prefabricated containers are available but a simple worm bin can be easily fashioned from a plastic storage tub with a lid. It might be too big to actually put on the counter but doesn't take up too much floor space.

Important note: you must use the proper worms for indoor composting success. Earthworms and night crawlers dug out of the backyard won't survive indoors. The best worms are red wigglers, which can thrive indoors on vegetable or grain-based kitchen scraps. Red wigglers can be purchased from organic gardening supply companies.

These worms require darkness, warmth and good air circulation in a moist, but not wet, environment. Create this by filling a well-aerated worm bin with slightly damp bedding (shredded newspaper, dried leaves, or straw), and a small amount of soil. Place a thick layer of dry bedding on top to keep things smelling fresh.

A plastic bin may need extra drainage. If the contents continually get too wet, drill more holes. If you drill holes in the bottom of the bin, raise it on bricks or wooden blocks and place a tray underneath to capture any excess liquid. The runoff makes a good fertilizer for house and garden plants.

Feed the worms vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee or tea grounds, moldy bread, grains and cereals. Don't feed them meat, dairy products, fats, oils or pet wastes. Bacteria and other organisms begin breaking down the food scraps buried in the bin. The worms then eat everything - waste, organisms and bedding and then excrete rich dark humus. This humus is what you put in the garden to enrich the soil.

One of the first questions people tend to ask is "Does it smell?" The answer: it shouldn't if the bin is properly maintained. A subtle earthy smell is normal, but if the word "stinks" comes to mind when you open the lid, there isn't enough oxygen in your worm bin. Overly wet or compacted food scraps or bedding can create bad odors. Fix an odor problem by adding more dry bedding, gently stirring the bin contents to mix in more air, and reducing the amount and frequency of feedings.

Another commonly asked question is, "Don't the worms escape through the holes?" Worm experts assure us that since worms prefer a dark, moist environment they will only leave in times of extreme stress. In other words, a well-managed worm bin will entice the little wigglers to stay inside rather than escape through the aeration holes.

For more dirt on worm farming, including sources for worms and equipment, consult the Shedd Aquarium's "The Care and Keeping of Worms," an excellent resource for the new worm farmer. Also check your local library for a copy of "Worms Eat My Garbage," by the original guru of worm farming, Mary Appelhof.

•Beth Gollan is a horticulturalist at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190. Call (630) 293-1040 or visit their Web site at planterspalette.com.