A wormery is an environmentally friendly method of producing rich compost. The aim of this method is to use worms to digest and break down organic matters. Worms are naturally able to digest large quantities of organic waste making them the ideal recycling machine. These composting worms eat the decaying food and in a matter of months produce fertilizer rich in nutrients. The fact that all the work is done by the worms make the whole process even more interesting.
Each year tonnes of food is dumped into landfill sites all across the globe. This accounts for a huge percentage of methane emissions which pollute the environment. A wormery certainly does its part in minimizing this greenhouse gas. A great portion of household waste is organic, all of which can be recycled as compost.
The benefits of a wormery are numerous. The liquid fertilizer produced can be used for both outdoor and indoor plants. This helps to cut down on the use of chemical fertilizers. Additionally, the worm compost can be mixed with other ingredients to make potting compost, in planting holes for flowers as well as being used to improve soil quality.
Constructing and maintaining a wormery is quite simple and much fun. The first step is to drill drainage holes around the bottom of a plastic pan. The base is then lined with moist newspaper and covered with a layer of sand. On top of this, leaf, soil, moss and moistened newspaper is placed for bedding purpose. The next step is to add red worms and food. The appropriate food will be organic in nature, such as fruit and vegetable scraps. However, food with a large acidic content should be avoided. The wormery should be sufficiently ventilated, covered and stored in a cool, dark area for a couple weeks allowing the worms to get settled. While it is very important to make sure the wormery is kept moist, care should be taken not to get it too wet. This prevents any smelly odor.
Being in possession of a well maintained wormery obviously helps to save money. Much food items that would have otherwise been thrown away can be recycled in the wormery. The compost from all this provides a valuable, and inexpensive source of fertilizer. This when used for growing vegetables, herbs and any sort of plant life helps in cutting down on how much is spent in the stores. Something as simple and easy to grow as tomato can be extremely expensive in grocery stores. Making use of a wormery in this regard proves beneficial in more ways than one. For a certainty it is already known that the food has not been sprayed with harmful chemicals, artificially ripened and definitely not overly priced.
The wormery is also an effective way of cutting down on how much is spent on waste and trash disposal. In this case much of what is normally considered as such, is put to good use hence there is no need to make unnecessary payments to get rid of them. Old newspapers, cardboard boxes, etc can all be utilized in maintaining the wormery and consequently saving money.
Undertaking a wormery is indeed a worthwhile and meaningful project. While this helps us keep money in our pockets it helps in protecting the environment, especially in a time when going green is the order of the day.
