Earthworm Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting differs from regular composting by the addition of specialized earthworms to speed the process. Vermicomposting can occur indoors and outdoors, in settings ranging from small urban apartments to large-scale ranch and farm operations.

Types

• More than 4,000 species of earthworms, ranging from ½ inch to 22 feet long exist. Not all are suitable for home worm bins, says vermicomposting scholar and biologist Rhonda Sherman of North Carolina State University. The most common type of earthworm used for vermicomposting is Eisenia fetida, the red wiggler. Vendors also may sell the larger European nightcrawler, Eisenia hortensis, for home vermicomposting.

Misconceptions

• The common garden earthworm, Allolobophora caliginosa, and the nightcrawler, Lumbricus terrestris, cannot be used for vermicomposting. These earthworms require deep soil to make burrows, unlike the litter-dwelling red wigglers, which can adapt to a shallow worm bin.

Function

• When red wigglers are combined with bedding material such as cardboard and food scraps, the worms set to work eating their food and bedding. They extrude manure with a pleasant earthy smell and tiny granular texture that serves as a valuable organic additive to improve soils and plant growth.