You can compost food scraps in basement bin

Q. Now that winter is here, I find I no longer enjoy trudging out into the yard to recycle my kitchen scraps in the compost pile. Any suggestions on how I can do this inside?

A. Great question. During good weather, I take kitchen scraps out to the compost pile knowing I am making "black gold" for my plants next year. However, when the weather turns colder, I start using my worm bin. Different process but the same concept.

Instead of bacteria and microorganisms in the compost pile, I let worms do the work. The end result is the same. Worm bins are easy, inexpensive and shouldn't smell if done right.

Start with an opaque plastic bin at least 2 feet wide and tall, and 8 inches deep (20-plus gallons). For larger families, you can utilize a bigger bin. Drill air holes in the lid and upper sides using a one-half inch drill bit. Tear black and white newspaper into 1 inch strips, wet and wring them out until as damp as a wrung-out sponge, then fluff. This becomes the worm bedding.

Buy red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) at an online garden supply company or your local bait shop. They are small but do well in captivity and eat their weight in food scraps every day - night crawlers don't do well in this environment. Keep in the basement or under the sink.

Start by adding a cup of food initially and add more as the first batch is consumed and the worm population expands. Throw in a handful of garden soil (not potting soil) to add grit that worms need for digestion. Bury food in the middle of the bedding material as worms do not like light and will not eat food on the surface.

Some foods that work well in a worm bin: raw vegetables, fruits, lettuce, grains, beans, bread (no butter or margarine), crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, oatmeal, wet pasta and peelings. Do not add meat, dairy, oily or spicy foods, broccoli or whole carrots, onions, garlic, citrus, salty foods, sugar, vinegar or seeds.

Worms do not "chew" food but rather grind it using a specialized organ called the gizzard. Because they have small mouths, the smaller the food the quicker it will be consumed. Use finished worm compost the same as other compost.

­- Pete Landwehr

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.