Garbage In, Castings Out
Let worms create great compost for you all year round with the Can-O-Worms. Worms are the perfect pets: they never need to be walked, they never complain about being left alone in the dark, they eat your garbage, and their poop ("castings") is a fantastic solution for healthier plants and better tasting fruits and vegetables!
The Can-O-Worms is the best worm composting system we've tried. It's big enough to handle a lot of kitchen scraps, makes it easy to harvest both solid and liquid fertilizer, and does a good job of keeping worms in and other critters out. The stacking trays make all the difference when it comes time to remove castings. You can simply remove the lowest tray, which will be full of finished castings. Your worms and the food they are still working on will remain in the top two trays. After you empty the lowest tray, put it on top, then start adding food to it. Your worms will naturally crawl up through the holes on the bottom of the tray looking for their next meal.
Once your Can-O-Worms is in full production, you can expect to harvest a tray full of castings every few months, depending on the volume of food scraps you feed your worms.
Simple Steps for Composting with Worms
Composting with worms, otherwise known as “vermiculture,” is a great way to produce rich compost while returning organic matter to the soil. Vermiculture also reduces the amount of waste you're sending to your local landfill, and, unlike other forms of composting, can be practiced year-round, in any climate, down on the farm or up in your penthouse apartment. It's the perfect way to get rid of uneaten leftovers and kitchen scraps.
- Buy a Can-O-Worm worm bin.
Your can-O-Worms makes it easy to raise worms and harvest both the liquid and solid fertilizer they produce.
- Pick a good place to put your bin.
Worm bins will bake in direct sunlight, so you'll want to find a shady spot, indoors or out. They also need a temperature range of between 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Basements are usually perfect.
- Add worms and bedding.
You can buy your worms from us, or you can get worms from a friend. All you need are two to start, and soon you'll have a thriving population of hundreds or thousands of hungry mouths to feed!
- Bury food scraps in the bedding.
Your Can-O-Worms comes with a brick of coconut coir. Soak it in water to expand to a layer of damp bedding a few inches deep. Start feeding your worms by burying small amounts of food scraps in your bedding. A thin layer of food works better than thick clumps. Periodically put a fresh layer of dry bedding on top. Shredded paper works great.
- Feed your worms as their appetites indicate.
The height of each tray in your Can-O-Worms provides the perfect depth of material for worms to work their magic. Worms will naturally explore and find the food scraps buried in the bedding. They will also eat the bedding over time. Check to see how much your worms are eating; don't put too much food in at one time. Hungry, healthy worms eat no more than half their weight a day. New worm owners usually err on the side of over-feeding their worms. If you notice foul odors, that's a sign you may be over-feeding. Just cut back on putting new food in and the odor should dissipate.
- Maintain moisture content.
The food scraps you put in the bin will provide all the moisture you need once your bin is working. If you feel you need to add water, the best approach is to soak some shredded paper in water, then wring it out before adding the paper to your bin. The bedding should be about as wet as a wrung-out sponge. If your bedding seems too wet (offensive odors are one sign), add dry shredded paper.
- Harvest your castings.
The beauty of the Can-O-Worms design is how easy it is to harvest your castings. You'll start with one tray and leave the other two aside. When the first tray is full, put the second tray on top, fill it with bedding, and start putting food in it. Your worms will crawl up from the first tray through the holes in the bottom of the second tray to find the food you're putting into it. When the second tray is full, add the third tray on top. When the third tray is full, remove the bottom tray, which will be full of castings. Dump the castings, then put this empty tray on top and continue the cycle.
- Use your castings.
Worm castings are just about the most desirable and effective compost you can have – and it's much easier to collect than bat guano! Castings look a bit like coffee grounds. You can sprinkle them on top of the soil or work them in to the top few inches. Worm castings are especially good for starting seeds and for giving transplanted seedlings a boost.
If you've been wondering how to compost in the winter in a climate like Maine's, the Can-O-Worms is the answer.
Notes:
Worms sold separately. The Can-O-Worms does not include worms.
Replacement parts (including lids) are available for purchase through our retail store. Give us a call at (207) 729-4050 if you need new parts.
