Worm Composting Secrets

Important Backyard Worm Bed Considerations...

"Is it possible to have a worm bed in your backyard? No
chemicals go on the lawn. Should the bed be raised? What soil
types are best? Are there any soil types that simply do not work
for worms?" ~ Marion Burrell

Hi Marion!

Thanks for the great questions - this provides me with the
opportunity to cover a few important areas that seem to come up a
lot in people's queries.

First of all - absolutely YES, you can indeed have a worm bed in
your yard. I have a large worm bin out in mine, and I'm sure many
other members of the community here also have outdoor systems.

Some of the advantages of outdoor systems include:

1) Size - typically it is much more feasible to set up a large
worm bed outside than it is inside.

2) Smell - a healthy worm system should not smell badly at all,
but from time to time even healthy systems develop anaerobic,
stinky zones. Also, some foodstock like manures are going to have
a pretty powerful smell, but of course outside this will be far
less of an issue.

3) Dirt and grime - worm farming can certainly be a dirty job
(but somebody's gotta do it, right? ;-) ) so it's nice when you
don't have to dirty up your house with a full-scale worm bed.

4) Unwanted escapees - I'm pretty mellow about having various
small creatures (insects etc) roaming around my house, but not
everyone feels the same way. With outdoor systems you don't need
to worry.

Of course, it's important to also touch upon at least a couple of
the downsides of outdoor systems as well:

1) You are somewhat at the mercy of Mother Nature with an outdoor
bin. Whether you live in a locale that is wet, dry, cold, hot, or
any combination thereof - there are necessary measures you'll
need to take in order to keep things running smoothly.

2) Pests. Like climatic conditions, this really depends on where
you are located (more on this shortly).

With a backyard system, there are two main approaches you can
take: 1) In-ground or 2) Above-ground.

With above-ground systems you have the option of going with a
raised or non-raised (for lack of a more technical term) bed.

First, we'll talk about in-ground systems. In my mind, if you are
looking for a super-easy way to start your own outdoor worm
breeding/composting system this would be it.

Aside from being very inexpensive (or free), this approach has
the advantage of being less at the mercy of extreme weather
conditions. For those of you who live in places where it gets
really hot or really cold, this can be a fantastic means of
buffering your system. The earth surrounding your bed provides
excellent insulation and moisture-retention as compared to say an
above-ground wooden bin for example.

You asked about soil types. While different soil types can
certainly play a role in terms of drainage, moisture-retention
etc, it's important to remember that when we are talking about
worm composting or worm farming we are almost exclusively talking
about specialized worms that do not in fact inhabit soil. These
'composting worms' (or 'epigeic worms' if you want a fancier
term) require habitats made up almost entirely of rich organic
matter in order to thrive (and survive).

If I were to make an in-ground 'worm bin', I would dig myself a
deep trench or hole (perhaps 2 or 3 feet deep), line the bottom
with a thick layer of shredded (or unshredded) cardboard, then
fill it completely with a mixture of shredded cardboard, fall
leaves (if available), and whatever nitrogen-rich 'waste'
material I happened to have (food scraps, manure, grass clippings
etc). I would then add some water and cover it (with a wood plank
perhaps) and let it 'age'. After a week or so (sufficient time
for development of thriving microbial community) I would add my
composting worms.

As I alluded to earlier, depending on where you are located,
outdoor pests can be a really important consideration -
especially when it comes to deciding between an in-ground and
above ground system.

Up here in temperate Canada, aside from perhaps the odd mole
there really aren't too many pests that are going to reek havoc
on an in-ground system. In warmer regions however there are
definitely some serious pests to keep in mind.

In fact someone on the forum recently asked about terrestrial
flat worms (planarians) - this is a prime example of a
potentially serious pest. There is NO way I would bother setting
up an in-ground system in an area where these flatworms are
found.

So to answer your question, if you happen to live in a warmish
climate you may want to go with a raised bed (one that makes no
direct contact with the soil other than the supports) to help
protect your worms from potential predators.

One other important thing to mention - when it comes to deciding
what type of system works best for you, don't forget to consider
your reasoning for setting it up in the first place. Are you
intending to sell compost and/or worms? If so, the in-ground
system may in fact not be the ideal bed for you since accessing
the worms/compost can be much more difficult (although that being
said, it is certainly doable).

If on the other hand you are an organic gardener wanting to boost
the growth of your summer vegetable crop - having in-ground
systems between your rows of plants would make for an ideal
set-up.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Bentley Christie - Worm Farming Secrets