Compost with Red Wigglers

I have it from a reliable source that newspaper not only makes good reading but it makes good eating too.

My source is one of the thousands of red wiggler worms inhabiting a couple of plastic bins in my laundry room.

This tiny spokesman told me they preferred the pithy editorials and juicy articles contained in our local newspaper not only for their taste but for their comfort as a bedding material.

I thought back to my initiation into worm ranching and remembered that they would sometimes "run away" if I substituted other paper sources. This may have been due to several factors: the inferiority of the publications, the subject matter (once it was an article on baiting fishing hooks) or my own lack of expertise in the fine art of creating a proper habitat.

The habits of red wigglers may not appeal to all of us. I mean who wants a guest that eats your bedding? But during their almost three year sojourn with me I find they can eat half their weight in kitchen waste and newspaper each day and turn it into the most glorious of fertilizers worm compost.

Red wigglers make wonderful little companions - in some cases superior to family members or pets. They don't turn up their noses at leftovers. You don't have to wash the sheets and there are no extra dishes. You don't have to walk them or buy them clothes. They don't keep you up with wild partying all night long. In fact they prefer coffee grounds and tea leaves to left over wine or drugs.

Are you still here? That must mean that you have some interest in composting with worms or at the very least are not repulsed by a squirm (a ball of worms.)

But worms do have some simple needs: darkness, dampness, warmth, air and food. The trick is in getting the balance just right. There are many ways to accomplish this; some are very expensive and largely unnecessary. The following works for me:
Find a container at least 12 inches deep with a lid. I use plastic storage bins but you could use wood
Drill holes in container and lid for air circulation
Tear or shred newspaper into thin strips
Soak strips in water and squeeze out till just damp
Mix damp strips with sterilized potting soil and place in container to a depth of at least 8 inches
Locate the container in an area that where there is a steady heat source between 12 and 21 C (55 to 70 F)
Find a source for red wiggler worms (eisenia fetida are most common), NOT ordinary garden worms.
Your source for

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