Leaves–Worms–Teamwork, August 20, 2017

Citizen Stewardship Series: The Natural & Sustainable World of Brower Park

Composting: Fun with Leaf & Worm Bins

9 AM Volunteer to Rebuild and Improve Brower Park’s Leaf to Leaf Mold Bins.

9 AM – Noon: Help Make a “Leaves to Leaf Mold Compost” sign using wood chips, found objects, and glue.

2 PM Workshop: Give Red Wiggler Worms a Home.

If you love worms this is the workshop for you. 

Worm Bin Materials (We have 10 bins to giveaway to the first 10 people who sign up to the workshop)

• 6 Qt. Clear Plastic Bin with Cover, Dimensions 13 5/8” L x 8 1/4” W x 4 7/8” H
• Bedding (recycled newspaper)
• Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) from the Lower East Side Ecology Center
• Soil
• Food scraps
• Gallon container of dechlorinated water

Tools

• Battery powered drill
• Plastic tongs
• 1 cup measuring cup
• Water sprayer

Workshop Activity

1. Drill holes at measured intervals around the upper rim of the lid to allow air to flow in and out of the bin. All living organisms need oxygen to survive. The first 10 attendees to sign-in to the workshop will receive a free bin setup.
2. Tear the recycled newspaper into strips to make the bedding.
3. Moisten the bedding. Water is a necessary ingredient for this living ecosystem to function. In NYC, our tapwater is chlorinated. Worms have sensitive skin and the chlorine can hurt them. Set out some water overnight for 24 hours and the chlorine will dissipate from the water making it safe for the worms. Once the ecosystem is established moisture will be produced by the decomposition of the organic material by millions of microorganisms resident in the bin and the worm production of castings. Worms will consume the bedding along with the food scraps.
4. Place an inch of damp, not wet, bedding on the bottom of the bin. Sprinkle a pinch of soil on top of the bedding. Worms don’t have teeth and need grit for their gizzards to grind the food. The soil contains bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms to inoculate the medium.
5. Mix in a handful of leaf mold.
6. Mix in handful of food scraps.
7. Add a handful of worms.
8. Cover with an inch of moist newspaper bedding.
9. Place the lid on the bin. Snap it closed. Keep under light for 1-2 days until the worms acclimate to their new environment.

Maintaining a Healthy Ecosystem

1. Keep the temperature between 32 and 90 degrees.
2. If the bin becomes too wet, use dry bedding to replace the bedding that has been consumed.
3. Feed your worms vegetable and fruit scraps. Avoid meats, bones, fish,  heavily acidic foods such as grapefruits, and food scraps that have a high vinegar content. Worms can consume, without causing odors, lettuce, cabbage, carrot & potato peels, tea leaves and coffee grounds (with bags and filters). For a full list of the do’s and don’t’s of keep Red Wigglers and yourselves happy and healthy visit the NYC Compost Project’s “Indoor Composting with a Worm Bin” guide.
4. Think of yourself as a critical member of a healthy expanding Red Wiggler ecosystem–which of course you are as you provide nourishment and harvest nutritious compost to nourish your houseplants, garden plants, and street trees.

Wormy Information:

Healthy red wiggler worm bins do not have a foul odor. Vermicompost has a earthy, rich fragrance, similar to healthy garden soil or a forest floor. Use the vermicompost to nourish your house and garden plants, and the street trees on your block. This petite Red Wiggler composting system can take in up to five (5)  pounds of food scraps each week producing 10-15 gallons of vermicompost per year. To accomplish this Red Wigglers produce half their body weight in food each day. This worm produced manure is called castings.

Make your worm bin then take the Zero Waste Pledge. With the help of Red Wigglers NYC will fulfill its Zero Waste Pledge: With the release of the One New York City Plan by Mayor Bill De Blasio in April 2015, NYC committed to eliminating the need to send waste to landfills by the year 2030.