Vermicomposting in the cold-climate apartment – Harvesting Castings 2

Once a week, sometimes once a fortnight, I remove the outfall of castings from the broom-closet vermicomposter.

Above is a photo of my kit.

With a trowel made from an old orange-juice bottle, I shovel the dry castings into a plastic sieve that sits in a plastic container of the same area.

Above I have shoveled the dry castings and some debris into the sieve

Above I have agitated the sieve. The dry castings have fallen through, undigested material remains in the sieve. Today most of that debris is paper, so I tip it back into the top of the vermicomposter.

I pour the sieved castings into a clean plastic milk bag. Below you can see that the big is about half-full. Not bad for one week.

For this essay I decided to weigh the castings. About one pound, half a kilogram. Again, considering that the recommended dose for houseplants is one spoonful per month, I have harvested enough castings in one week to keep me going for six months!

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