Every farmer is very circumspect about the food that he feeds the earthworms in his compost bin. The quality of earthworm food determines the quality of the fertilizer that will be obtained after the Vermicomposting process. Hence, the food part is of utmost significance as it can make or break the soil of your farm. Higher the quality of the food given to the earthworm during the composting process, higher will be the quality of nutrients of the soil the earthworm is kept in. Subsequently, higher will be the quality of the farm produce if the quality of earthworms spread across your farm is good. You will be amazed to see the farm grow bright and colourful with the compost produced by the earthworm after eating your last month’s burger or pizza.
The menu
There is a specific menu followed by many farmers who engage in Vermicomposting. They prefer a menu just like fitness trainers in order to get the best results from their composting. Certain things like fruit skins, plate scrap, bread, pizza and burger crust, cake waste and ice cream waste, fridge left-over’s, popcorn, etc. It is important to note here that the citrus peels must not be fed in plenty at one time as they may contain harsh chemicals. Salty foods need to be checked as the worms’ skin is sensitive to them. There are various other things you can feed the earthworms with keeping in mind the below mentioned foods that need not be included in the box.
‘Feed not’
The earthworm food menu is usually the daily food waste in your home. However there may be certain things that you need to avoid dumping in the compost bin. These include the dairy products that go waste, the meat waste and the fatty food wastes. This is because of the fact that these food wastes have a capacity to produce bad odour in the bin or container. Hence you must avoid putting these foods in the composting container unless you have a solution for the problem. The earthworms however wouldn’t mind consuming these.
Facts
These earthworms basically produce the fertilized and improvised compost after consuming the food. Everyone has learnt that it is the consumption of food that makes the compost more fertile. However, scientists have studied that it is not the consumption of food but the consumption of micro-organisms that actually helps in the production of the fertile compost.
Placing the worms in a new box
It is also important to note that in case you wish to change the composting container in the middle of the process there is a set procedure. You must provide another ideal container with the required settings and place the compost gently like you first did. The earthworms will slowly get used to their new container with course of time. They require some time to adjust to their new venue and one must not follow the same food regime in the new container initially as followed in the old container.
