WASTE THAT COULD BE USED FOR VERMICOMPOSTING

Kitchen wastes - Peel, rind and unused pulp of fruits and vegetables.
• After the first 30 days, wet organic waste of animal and/or plant origin from the kitchen is spread over it to a thickness of about 50 mm.
• This can be repeated twice a week.
• All these organic wastes can be turned over or mixed periodically with a pickaxe or a spade.
• Care should be taken not to disturb the vermibed in which the worms live.
• Keep adding garbage till the compost pit is nearly full.
• Continue to keep the pit moist for another 30 to 45 days, turning over the material in the pit with care avoiding injury to the worms.
• Turning over can be done on every fifth or seventh day with the help of a forked spade.
• Regular watering should be done to keep the right amount of moisture in the pits.
• In 60 to 90 days the compost should be ready as indicated by the presence of earthworm castings (vermicompost) on the top of the bed.
• The compost should be turned occasionally since this allows for aeration
• Vermicompost which is granular , brownish black in colour can now be harvested from the bin/pit.
• The material should be placed in a heap in the sun so that most of the worms move down to the cool base of the heap.
• The compost is then sieved before being packed. . The earthworms and the thicker material, which remains on top of the sieve, goes back in the bin and the process starts again.