What are the various ways to compost?

When you compost, you break down organic matter.

There are three types:

• 1.- aerobic
• 2.-anaerobic
• 3.-vermicomposting.

Each has good and bad points.

Compostable materials are made in homes, farms, restaurants, schools, offices, and places of business.

Some things that can be composted are food scraps, grass clippings, leaves, animal manure, and coffee grounds.

By composting, you can make cheap fertilizer for your lawn, garden, or farm. Here is a brief description of each kind.

Composting with air

With aerobic composting, air is used to speed up the process of breaking things down. Every few days, you need to turn the compost. A “tumble” composter can save you a lot of time and work in this situation. Put in the scraps, and then turn the handle or spin the composter to keep air moving through it. You might want to add a lot of grass clippings or other green matter that is high in nitrogen, like leaves. The temperature of the compost will rise as the bacteria break down the high-nitrogen scraps. This moves things along faster. Also, you may need to use a hose or watering can to add water. Aerobic composting will have bad smells if you don’t keep it moist and turn it often. Also, the composter needs to have a lot of room for air.

Composting without oxygen

Just by looking at the word, you can tell that anaerobic is not the same as aerobic. Composting without oxygen takes almost no work at all. Just throw your food scraps into a compost pile or composter and leave it alone for a year or more.
But don’t be a snob! Composting without air stinks to high heaven. Without oxygen, bacteria that aren’t very nice take over. This is what happens in a garbage dump, and it’s not good for your health. Since landfills make so much methane, they can even explode. Methane is a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and hurts the environment. An anaerobic composter that smells bad and hasn’t been used in a long time has ruined many a garden party.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting breaks down organic matter safely and with few smells by using worms, oxygen, and water.

Most of the hard work is done by worms, but bacteria also help.

Most of the time, red worms are used for this kind of composting.

Worm composting is better than the other two ways for the following reasons:

 

Not much of a smell (it should smell “earthy”).

Methane and dangerous anaerobic bacteria are not present, if at all.

There’s no need to “turn” often.

Can be done indoors or outdoors

With a composter that has trays, it’s easy to get the fertilizer.

Children love caring for the worms.

Takes minutes a week

Worms live in your house and do work for you.

If you like to fish, there is a never-ending supply of bait.

Worms that make compost love to eat scraps of non-acidic fruits and vegetables from your kitchen and garden. Grains like rice, oatmeal, pasta, and bread are some of their favorites.

Just don’t put in any foods that are greasy, meat, or dairy.

Cows, horses, and rabbits, which eat plants, can be used to get old manure.

Make sure that the manure has been around for a few days or more.

A few clean, crushed eggshells add grit and help keep the PH level in the bin at a good level. Small amounts of fallen leaves and grass clippings are great.

To start vermicomposting, you need to choose a type of composter and then order worms that can break down organic matter.

Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm has videos on how to make your own composter and a variety of easy-to-use composters that you can order online. We also tell you how to make your own composter.

Some people want to compost outside when it’s warm and inside when it’s cold. Our Worm Factory 360 and Can-O-Worms are perfect for this.
Order a bag of  Red Composting Worm Mix, our best composting worms, to get started with vermicomposting.

We pack and ship the worms carefully so that they arrive alive.

We also have Super Reds, which are bigger and better for letting out in the garden.

So, given the choice, steer away from anaerobic composting unless you have no sense of smell.

Aerobic composting with a tumbler or pitchfork works, but it’s for outdoors only and requires a bit of work to maintain.

Vermicomposting with worms is the best of both worlds: you can compost indoors or out, and the worms become your partners in reducing waste.