7 Worm Composting Safety Tips and Tricks
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Worm composting is an excellent way to process your organic waste and create super soil for your garden. It also reduces the risk of attracting rodents and insects to your home. The process may seem simple, but you must take some precautions to ensure that the worms stay healthy and are not a threat to you or your pets.
Worm composting can also pose some risks. For example, if icky fly larvae get into the system, they could spread throughout your house. Alternatively, earthworms in your home can be a red flag for structural problems. In either case, you want to take steps to avoid any dangers while reaping the benefits of worm composting.
Keep your bin away from direct sunlight.
Worms naturally keep cool because they’re underground. Keeping your worms in an area that gets too hot can be challenging for them to survive. One way to protect your worms from too much sunlight is to ensure that your worm bin is covered. You can use any type of covering, but you should ensure it protects the worms from direct sunlight.
If your worms are exposed to too much sunlight, they can die. This is true even if you have the best worm bin. If your bin is covered, then this shouldn’t be a problem. But ensure you don’t keep your worm bin in an area that gets too hot. If you can’t keep your worm bin covered, you may need to move your worm composting operation indoors. Alternatively, you can put your bin in an area that will be out of direct sunlight.
Make sure your bin is away from pets and children.
If you have any pets or children, you must ensure they cannot get into the worm bin. This applies even if you have your bin indoors. If your worm bin is indoors, provide your pets or children cannot access it. Even a small child can cause harm to the worms. Some worms, such as red wrigglers, are semi-aquatic. Your child or pet could drown the worms if they jump in the bin. This is particularly important if you have small children in your house. Young children are naturally curious and may try to get into the worm bin. If they do, they may cause harm to the worms or themselves.
Don’t use food scraps that could harm worms.
Certain types of food scraps can be harmful to your worms. For example, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants contain solanine, and this toxin is harmful to earthworms. If you use these foods in your compost, you will harm your worms. However, if you have certain types of composting worms, you can use these foods.
The best way to avoid this problem is to use the three-bin composting system. This system includes a bin for kitchen scraps, a bin for your worms, and a bin for your finished compost. The kitchen bin will contain all the harmful foods to your worms, and the worms in the other bin will be safe. If you don’t use this system, avoid these foods. I have also written a whole article about things to avoid when you start worm composting including what food you can give.
Dont use any treated wood in your bin.
One of the most common ways that worm composting gets shut down is with treated wood. Even if it’s been several years since the wood was treated, it can still harm the worms. Avoid using any treated wood in your worm bin if you want to be safe.
If you want to ensure that the wood is safe for your worms, you can spray the wood with a mixture of nine parts water and one part vinegar. Let the wood sit in the mixture for at least 10 minutes. This will kill any harmful chemicals. Another option is to get non-treated wood. If you have trouble finding non-treated wood, you can try these methods.
Ensure the lid fits the bin snugly to keep out pests and predators.
A loose-fitting lid can be bad for your worms. This is true even if you live in a dry climate. If there is a gap in your lid, pests and predators can enter your worm bin. This can be particularly problematic if you live in an area with lots of wildlife. You may find that pests and birds are eager to get into your worm bin. If you have a problem with pests or predators in your area, you can solve it by ensuring your worm bin lid fits snugly. An excellent way to do this is to place a piece of cardboard over the lid and then cover it with a garden mulch.
What conditions do composting worms need
Composting worms thrive in the dark, warm environments. Keep your worm composting bin in a dark area between 65 and 80 degrees for best results. See my review of worm composting thermometers here: 8 Best Worm Composting Thermometers (Review). A worm bin also needs good airflow. You don’t want it to get too hot inside the bin, but you also don’t want it to be too humid. When adding food scraps, allow some airflow to keep the bin from getting too smelly.
How to feed your worms: Main foods and foods to avoid
If you want to make sure that your worms thrive, you need to feed them properly. Ideally, you should feed your worms a diet high in nitrogen. To do this, you should feed your worms foods like vegetables, fruits, and grass clippings. You can also feed your worms things like coffee grounds, leaves, and orange peels. However, there are some foods that you should avoid feeding your worms.
Avoid feeding your worms any foods high in ash or cinder. This includes corn cobs, sawdust, and peat moss. These foods are high in calcium, which can harm your worms.
Conclusion
Worm composting is an excellent way to process organic waste and create super soil for your garden. It also reduces the risk of attracting rodents and insects to your home. If you want to start worm composting, ensure that your bin is covered and fits snugly. You should also feed your worms a diet that is high in nitrogen. Now that you know how to start worm composting, you can create super soil for your garden!
Here are some post that help you to get startet with worm composting:
What to Consider When You Start Worm Composting
