Worm composting 101

DEXTER — On Thursday, March 12, at 4:30 p.m. Jock Robie of MainlyWorms will be conducting a workshop on vermicomposting at the Abbott Memorial Library. Robie has been raising worms since 2008.

“What it is,” explains Robie, “ is simply composting food and vegetable scraps from the kitchen into a worm bin, which is set up inside the house … after three or four months of feeding a worm bin, you then have to harvest the castings. The worm castings are what you then feed to plants, and the plants benefit from the castings tremendously.”

Robie starts the first five beginners to register with a single bin and 100 worms, but over time that number multiplies, allowing you to expand your worm farm if necessary. 

Some of the many benefits of vermicomposting include: waste breaks down faster than in traditional composting; castings lock more nitrogen into the soil; and produces compost and fertilizer that is richer in macro and micro nutrients than traditional composting and much higher in beneficial microbes and mycorrhizae. 

Space at this free program is limited, so please call the library at 207-924-7292 to register.