A Counter-top Vermicomposter

Want to start small?

Cramped for space?

Make and use a kitchen counter-top vermicomposter!

It is healthier than storing rotting kitchen scraps next to your pots and pans under the kitchen sink and forgetting about them.

I take a kitty-litter container – about one or two-gallon capacity, and slice through the neck at an angle.

I shovel in a healthy dose of paper scraps, some small quantity of food scraps, and some worm-holding material from another vermicompost bin.

Ooh! Looks ugly. But don’t worry, it will soon settle down.

Here are some partially-digested banana skins from Rick’s last visit, wet and slimy and covered with the bacteria that my worms can eat.

I rest the lid on top of the container and it looks ever-so-neat and tidy when it is sitting quietly at the end of the counter.

I use the lid to hold small scraps. Here I have rubbed sprouts from potato eyes prior to making a big batch of mashed potatoes. As well I have some paper-and-glue labels from bottles of juice.

P.S. less than three weeks later this composter was healthy enough to introduce Cloning a Vermicomposter

Saturday, May 14, 2011

My neighbour has a cat, and buys kitty-litter in 10Kg (20 lb) plastic jugs. Much bigger than mine.

I decided to use string for the hinge; it is more flexible and I had a bit lying around.

As before I use the leather-punch to make two holes in the lid portion, but this time I was smart and used the two holes in the lid as a template for the two holes in the base, so the holes align perfectly!

Nothing special about the fastening. A loop of string.

Here’s the larger jug ready to receive a starter batch of material from the smaller jug once it fills up.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Then it dawned on me – DRAINAGE!

Drill or poke a hole a few millimetres diameter in the handle at a point where it joins the body.

Look at the image above.

If I were to roll the tub towards me, the drilled hole would be the lowest point, and excess water would drian out.

Neat!

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