When I went to get my new grow tent, I didn’t expect to come back with so many new insights into… worms! The garden center I went to, Au Jardin Vers, is not just a horticultural equipment shop: they are vermicomposting experts.
I must admit that I had a lot of preconceived ideas on the subject. Worms in my kitchen? No thanks! It must smell, it’s dirty, it’s high-maintenance and it’s probably expensive… I already have two dogs and a spouse who meet these three conditions, so I don’t need another hassle!
When I met Jonathan Côté, the owner, let me tell you, I got quite a lesson!
Little Friends to Discover
First surprise: not just any worms are used for vermicomposting. The species used, Eisenia fetida, is specially adapted to the decomposition of fresh organic matter. These red worms, also known as dung worms, are different from our garden earthworms: they are smaller, more voracious and, above all, much more efficient at transforming our kitchen waste into “food” for the garden. It is very cyclical: the garden “waste” returns to feed it.
If you regularly follow Laidback Gardener, you may remember my article on earthworms. Let me refresh your memory: earthworms are invasive species that are well established in Quebec and harm our environment. You will therefore understand that my main concern was to ask Jonathan if these composters would survive in Quebec if they escaped from our bins. We’re not short of exotic species, but we won’t do it on purpose either!
Well, E. fetida is sensitive to the cold and cannot survive winters here in Quebec. Phew! The suspicious biologist in me is reassured!
Warning: While Eisenia fetida (red wigglers) cannot survive the harsh winters of Quebec and most of Canada, they may persist year-round in regions with milder climates, such as parts of the United States with minimal frost. If released into the wild in warmer areas, they could disrupt local ecosystems by outcompeting native decomposers. To prevent unintended ecological impacts, always keep red wigglers in contained composting systems and avoid introducing them into natural habitats.
This species is used for the quality compost it produces. As they pass through their digestive tract, our kitchen scraps are transformed into compost that is extremely rich in nutrients, full of good bacteria and perfect for our plants. In fact, the same thing happens with worms in nature, except that this species is even more greedy!
The practical side
My next question was about how it works. Let’s face it, picking up dog poo seems much easier than collecting worm excrement! I imagined a big, unsightly, dirty thing that you have to clean by sorting out the worms from the stinking, expensive earth.
But no! Contrary to what I thought, installation and maintenance are quite simple. The system consists of stacked trays with holes that allow the worms to move around and the excrement to fall, quite simply, into the tray below. You literally just have to bend down to collect it.
This process produces a harvest that is not mixed with soil or food, making it a very concentrated, rich compost that, above all, does not stink. It simply smells of earth and forest. To think that there are diffusers that try unsuccessfully to reproduce this smell…
The price of the equipment (worms + bins) is around $200 (CDN), but you can easily halve that amount by making the habitat yourself with plastic bins. Not so expensive, is it?
A Self-Managing System
Another preconception I had was that you always had to buy worms. You may remember that I arrived at the Jardin Vers running, my bargain hunter mode activated, because I had found a grow tent at a very good price! The prospect of having to buy worms every month, a bit like you would do with predators for plants, seemed like a big negative point to me. Once again, I was surprised!
With the right heat (between 15 and 25 °C, 59 to 77°F) and humidity conditions, you could become the happy parents of new little worms. Reproduction requires nothing special and happens by itself in your tank. It takes 23 days for the eggs to hatch and two or three months for adults to appear. If there is plenty of food available, their numbers grow. If there is less, their numbers decrease. In other words, they adapt to you. It’s a system that is almost self-sufficient from A to Z!
Minimum Maintenance
Well, almost, because you still have to feed these little creatures. Once a week, we give them our leftover vegetables. They are a bit picky about the menu: no citrus fruits, onions or garlic. They don’t like them and leave them there. The risk then is that this waste will rot in the bin, which endangers the little community. Otherwise, after a week, practically everything has disappeared and we are ready for the next trip of banana skins and apple cores.
Personally, I would be afraid of having nothing to give them for a week. We don’t even waste onion and potato peelings at home: everything can be eaten with a little imagination! But then I thought about the leaves from the garden vegetables. I guess frozen squash or bean leaves could be useful for emergencies? It’s definitely worth a try, anyway!
In short, that’s all the maintenance there is. In fact, my biggest revelation is that vermicomposting is not like having a pet. I imagined a complex maintenance, like for a hamster: cleaning the cage, changing the litter, dealing with odors… In reality, it’s more like a beehive. Give it the right conditions and the colony takes care of itself.
The Most Reliable and the Fastest
No, this is not a car ad, I am still talking about vermicompost! The advantage over outdoor compost is that production is continuous: there is no need to wait for spring to have a supply for your seedlings. Even in the middle of winter, when our outdoor compost heap is frozen and unusable, the worms continue their work in the comfort of the house. And in summer? Your worms will produce their compost in a few weeks instead of a few months, as well as avoiding attracting unwanted critters near the house, like traditional outdoor compost.
Vermicompost has a fine, granular texture that makes it easy to use, even for the most delicate seedlings. The worms not only break down organic matter, they enrich it: their digestive system adds enzymes and beneficial bacteria that stimulate plant growth. After all, it is also a bit like manure!
Be careful, however, because this compost star is very rich and should be used sparingly on your seedlings. One part vermicompost to ten parts potting soil is generally sufficient for seedlings. This quantity is doubled for mature plants or for outdoor gardens. The liquid collected from the tap at the very bottom of your bins can also be used as compost tea. It is an excellent liquid fertilizer.
A Change of Perception
I must admit that this visit completely changed my perception of vermicomposting. It is neither complicated, nor disgusting, nor particularly expensive. It is simply an ingenious system that transforms our waste into fertilizer for the garden, thanks to small, silent and efficient workers!
Thank you for teaching me not to put citrus in my worm compost. Did not know! I have been raising and placing red wigglers in compost piles and later around the yard for years My understanding is that they are not considered an invasive species and it is fine to do so. Please correct me if u have heard otherwise. Thank you as always for your great articles
Thanks as always for a thoughtful and interesting article. I understand that Red Wigglers cannot survive our Canadian winters, but can their eggs? Jumping worms don’t survive the winter, but their eggs certainly do, hatching each spring to wreak havoc on our environment. It is this fear of using vermicompost that may contain eggs of any invasive worm that stopped me vermicomposting. Are my fears justified, or is it just my ongoing war with jumping worms that has me cautious?
It never hurts to be caution with invasive species! Red wigglers can’t survive Canadian winters outdoors, and while their eggs are more cold-tolerant, they typically don’t survive sustained deep freezing. They may endure mild cold if insulated in compost, but in most outdoor settings, exposed to harsh winter conditions, both worms and eggs usually die unless they are well-protected or heated. Also note that, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), importing Eisenia fetida (commonly known as red wiggler worms) into Canada is permitted, provided that an import permit is obtained. For the moment I know of no evidence showing red wigglers are spreading in Canada, even though they have been used here since the 70s.