Removing Compost From the Worm Pit
Previously, I discussed the development of my worm pit and how much wonderful vermicompost that I have obtained from it in just a short time. Therefore, I decided to photo-document my compost harvesting practice. On the left, I am shoveling into an area which I feel has suffiently matured, and I will filter this through a screen filter. I first lightly rake away the palm fronds and pieces of cardboard - which I use as a light moisture and sun cover.
As mentioned, I basically add anything that is decomposable to this pit (and to my bins). I add yard scraps, torn up cardboard, old papers, coffee grinds, kitchen scraps, egg shells, and plant material from my garden/yard maintenance. Also, adding nutrient rich materials will result in a richer final product. Therefore, if you have access to animal manures, be sure and add this (also add diluted urine if feasible!). Also notice the half buried log in the picture above; I have found that worms seem to love these and I believe it’s related to the resulting fungal growth which they munch on. Adding small logs will also contribute humus to the finished product.
Pictured here, I am using one of the top sections of my wooden worm bins as a screen and have placed it on my wheelbarrow. You can easily build something similar by assembling some wood ends and then stapling 1/4″ hardware cloth to the bottom. I just shovel the in the worm pit debris and then rake the material around with a small, flat piece of wood so that it will fall through into the wheel barrow underneath. Afterwards, I lift up the screen and shake to get all the smaller particles out. I then dump the larger particles right back into the worm pit.
Remember that you only want to dig into an area that has been well worked by the worms, and in my case I will literally come across dozens of these within a short time. If you are digging into an area that is not fairly prolific with worms, the resulting compost will not be as rich, and will contain too much undecomposed matter. During the entire screening practice, I pick worms off of the screen and either add them back into the pile or into one of my worm bins.
As mentioned, after only a few minutes of digging and screening the compost, I will come across several worms, larvae, and cocoons. I try to remove as many as possible but I am not too fussy about loosing a few to the vermicompost, as they will continue to do their work around the plants to which I will add it. In this pic, I have dumped a few of the worms (which I removed and placed into a container) back into the wheel barrow. I will add these back to the pit but just wanted to give an idea of how many of these are found therein in just a few minutes of compost harvesting.
Finally, if you are concerned about attracking vermin, you can always partially compost your wastes in a hot composter first and then add to the worm pit. Till next time..happy digging!
