Boulder Vermicomposting

Orange peels in worm bins?

December 4th, 2009

I like to put all my organic waste in my worm bin.  However, during the winter, I like to load up on citrus, and in particular orange peels.  In “Worms Eat My Garbage”, Mary Appelhof says that orange peels can be put in worm bins.  I have often put peels in my bin, but a few years ago, I overloaded a bin with too many peels.

So, what to do with orange peels, especially large amounts of them (mmm, clementines!)?

Recently, a discussion thread on this very subject occurred on the_worm_bin.   sesealrcd said orange peels “are very anti bacterial”.  I looked for any evidence of that, and found some references on alternative medicine websites, but nothing I would consider conclusive.  From personal experience, I have seen orange peels take longer to rot than other foods.

Nan just “cut[s] them up fine then just throw[s] them on top and they break down into the soil” near her roses.  Connie adds them to some big bins with lots of other food, and doesn’t put them in very often–every 10 days or so.  Students in Davis CA also put orange peels in their worm bins.  Sherry chops up her rinds in a food processor and adds them as well.

If you don’t want to put peels in your worm bin, Rob suggested killing ants by “soaking pieces of peel in a recycled gallon jug then drench the ant hill.” I found a page referencing an experiment with citrus oils and fire ants, in which “[i]n most trials, the level of activity in mounds receiving citrus oil alternatives was statistically comparable to conventional diazinon formulations”.  I also have personally just saved dried orange peels and given them to a friend who used them to make soap and potpourri.

As always, experiment.  There are a number of other ways to use peels, and it looks like adding some to your bin, and then monitoring worm health, is a viable option.

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