Indoor Worm Composting

Indoor worm composting has long been on my to-do list as I think it is a wonderful way to compost in small indoor spaces. Worries about escaping worms and smells kept me from starting a indoor worm composting system for many years but I found a DIY system using 5 gallon buckets and a local place giving out free starter worms so I decided that with low financial inputs I could give it a try! I was also excited to have my first 'livestock'!

Benefits of the bucket worm composting method: 

• Stacking five gallon buckets took up a lot less floor space than the traditional plastic tote. 
• Holes drilled in the bottom of the buckets allow for easy worm migration which means no messy separation of worm casting and worms. 
• Affordable system that can be reused if worm composting doesn't wind up working out. 

Worm Care:

Feed worms vegetable scraps but avoid meat, oil, and breads. 

Bucket should contain 'browns' which include newspaper, cardboard, and/or egg cartons.

Troubleshooting:

The food is mouldy! I sometimes over-fed my worms and some of the food gets a bit mouldy. When this happens I simply add more newspaper or cardboard and reduce food for a while. This seems to quickly resolve the problem. 

What should it smell like? I love the smell of my worm bucket! It smells like warm, damp, earth!