Monday, April 14, 2008

Vermicomposting Bin Part 3: Feeding for the 1st Time


24 hours after we first introduced the worms into their new home I gave them some of our saved food scraps. I read it is best to feed smaller amounts during the first few weeks so that is what I am doing. I divided the bin into quadrants and will feed in a different one each time I feed. This will make sure the worms move through the entire bin. I buried the food scraps under several inches of the bedding, and also decided to add some more soil to the bin. So far, it does not smell bad and I am hoping the worms are happy in their environment but it's hard to tell. I need to do some more research on if moldy things are okay to put in the bin, as much of the food scraps I'm saving has mold growing on it. Hopefully this is just a natural part of the decomposition process in general.
Right now the bin is indoors as I am waiting for the temperature lows to be no less than 4 degrees Celsius outside, at which point I will move the bin onto my balcony. It was sitting under my desk by the window but I noticed when I opened it up to check if the worms had moved towards the food scraps I placed, that the bin was quite hot from the sun shining in, and although the bin is opaque, it was still shining through the plastic. I moved the bin to a cooler and more shady spot beside the couch to avoid the hot afternoon sun.
More of my vermicomposting process to come!

No comments: