Making compost with your food scraps is possible with the right knowledge and help. Did you know that some hungry worms can feast on your leftovers and transform them into plant fuel? However, not all types of worms can do this. That is why you must get the best ones for your specific compost system. For this purpose, red wiggler worms are best. This process is called vermicomposting. 

What to Know About Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a composting process that uses worms to turn organic matter like food scraps and shredded paper into compost. This process allows you to accelerate the conventional composting process as you harness the ability of worms to get the job done for you. By letting these creatures consume your refuse, the scraps break down quickly, leaving you with an eco-friendly garden soil additive. 

Indeed, worm compost offers more benefits to gardens than other varieties. Your leftovers pass through the digestive system of every worm, converting them into a nutrient-dense fertilizer. In addition, vermicompost makes nutrients bioavailable, which means that plant roots can easily take them in. Worm compost improves your garden, but you need to use the right type of worms. 

Importance of Worm Selection

There are thousands of earthworm species in the world; however, only a few of them are suitable for domestic compost systems. For worm bins, red wigglers are a common choice. 

If it is your first time to try vermicomposting, you might collect some nightcrawlers in your backyard for your bin. However, such worms are not well-suited for their conditions and will not create the compost you desire within the timeframe you expect. 

Nightcrawlers dig burrows deep into the ground. While this is good for law and garden aeration, it’s a disadvantage for turning food scraps into compost. Meanwhile, red wigglers live on the surface of the soil. This makes them an ideal choice for a standard worm farm’s shallow box condition. 

Additionally, red wrigglers consume up to 50 percent of their body weight in surface food scraps every day. They thrive on a diet composed of bread, fruit, paper scraps, and vegetables. Also, they can tolerate a range of temperatures and tend to mature quickly. 

Getting Red Wigglers

If you can wait, you can harvest red wigglers on your own. Just check out rotting logs, old compost piles, and leaf litter surfaces to identify clumps of these worms. But an easier option is to buy these worms from a reputable supplier that you can find online.