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Worms and More

Worms, Grasscycling and Plastic Bag Composting

Worms! Composting indoors? Yes! Start with a bin, red-wiggler worms, damp paper, organic materials and you can set up an odourless indoor composter. 

  1. Red-wiggler worms are a special breed of very hungry worms, who consume their body weight in kitchen trimmings every two days, producing rich "castings," that can be used the same way as regular compost. Common earthworms will starve if you bring them indoors and feed them kitchen peelings!
  2. The bin should be plastic, with ventilation holes drilled into the top and sides, and drainage holes in the bottom. A lidded plastic storage bin is perfect. 
  3. Line the bin with a layer of shredded paper, then start everything off with some finished compost and worms. The red-wigglers need something to crawl around in! Lay a dampened sheet of newspaper over the top, to keep the worms cool and moist. 
  4. Feed the worms fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Worms consume their body weight every two days, so if you have 1lb of worms, give them around 3.5 lb of food/week. 
  5. No bananas! There are certain foods to avoid feeding your worms. Banana peels are a sure-fire way to land yourself with fruit flies, so just keep them out altogether. Also avoid acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. Try not to include large quantities of strong foods such as onions and garlic. 
Worms can be purchased through the following websites:
www.compostworms.ca         www.allthingsorganic.com

Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving the clippings on the lawn when mowing. Grass clippings decompose quickly, relasing nutrients back into the soil. Clippings provide a "quick fix" of nitrogen back to your lawn, avoiding the need for more fertilizers. 

Grass clippings make up a surprisingly large portion of our waste stream during the growing season, and is one way to reduce the amount of waste we send to our landfills. 
  1. Let it Grow! Keep your lawn at least 6 cm, or abour 2.5 inches long. Longer grass protects against heat and water loss.
  2. Let it Lie! Mow late in the day and give the clippings a chance to settle over night. On average the grass clippings should be gone in two to three days. Mow in a different direction each time. 
  3. Mow it Dry! Mow when the grass is dry. If grass is wet it may clump. If this happens, simply mow over it again or place it in your composter. 
  4. Keep it Sharp! Keep your blade sharp for best results. Some mowers have a muching blade or one can be installed. These blades will chop the clippings up even finer for faster decompostition. Don't worry if you don't have one...grasscycling will still happen! 
  5. Cut it Often! During the growing season you may need to vary the cutting frequency. Cut approximately once per week during the slow season, and up to every four or five days in peak season. Frequent cuttings will produce smaller clippings what break down faster.
  6. No Thatch! Grasscycling does not cause thatch. Thatch is made up of fibrous roots and stems which take longer to break down. Crass clippings are made up of 70% to 80% water and break down quickly.  
Plastic Bag Composting is an ideal means to compost hard to compost materials, invasive weeds and weeds gone to seed. This is also a good option if you suddenly have more materials than your compost bin can handle. 
  1. Bag it. Add your materials with a small amount of water to a black plastic garbage bag without any holes. Tie the bag securely and place in the fullest sun possible. 
  2. Leave it. After a week of two, the results should be a very wet, smelly compost. The high heat inside the bag will destroy any weed seeds, so the compost will be safe to use in the garden.
  3. Pour it. It is recommended to pour the contents into a hole dug into topsoil. Leave it there for a few days before spreading it in your garden.