Boulder Vermicomposting

Storing vermicompost

April 2nd, 2010

There was an interesting thread on the_worm_bin in March about storing vermicompost.  Vermicompost, you may recall, is the intermediate stage between feedstock (food waste, rabbit poop, etc) and castings (worm poop).  Bentley has a nice definition:

Vermicompost is really a more accurate term when it comes to the material produced in most worm composting systems. It is basically a mixture of worm castings, partially composted wastes, and any resistant materials that won’t readily break down. Really high quality vermicompost should have a high percentage of worm castings in it, but the chances of having every last bit of material in your system pass through a worm at least once is pretty slim.

I typically only remove vermicompost from my bin once or twice a year, and apply it directly to plants or planting beds, so storage is not really an issue for me.  However, I can see this being an issue, especially if you are in one of the following situations

• selling vermicompost
• producing large amounts for other purposes
• have a small bin and want to switch out the vermicompost for more feedstock

So, here are some of the solutions.

Buddy says “I store mine in a loosely covered container in a cool corner of my garage. The cover helps to keep the castings from drying out too much, but allows enough air flow so that they do not turn sour. Stored this way, they should be good for at least a year.”

Liz says “I store mine in 5 gallon buckets with holes drilled in the lids. I moisten them monthly to keep the bin active AND I top feed with a rind of somesort like watermelon and once a month when I water I lift the rind to transfer any worms.”

Allison says “Store it in any ventilated container and water it occasionally so that it doesn’t dry out completely. If it does dry out it is still good compost but not as good as if you keep it alive by keeping it aerated and moist.  BTW: When you go to use it you might find some worms have hatched out so you might want to do a final check for them; they don’t tend to like going into garden soil so its better to pick them out.”

So, it sounds like the keys to storing vermicompost are:

• keep it in a cool place
• keep it moist (but not too moist)
• keep it aerated
• remove any worms who have hatched

Anything else to think about when it comes to storing vermicompost?  Have you had any bad experiences doing so?

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