worms eat my garbage

How to Set Up & Maintain a Worm Composting System

by Mary Appelhof

This book was originally published in 1982. Mary Appelhof has spent over 30 years working with worms, and has now released this revised guide for today’s ‘worm workers’.

The original, and definitive guide to vermicomposting, Appelhof tackles many aspects of working with worms, from where to keep your worm bin, to building one from scratch.

She looks in detail at different bedding materials, species of worm, types of waste to feed them, and even looks at other ‘critters’ you will find in your bin.

The methods of ‘harvesting’ compost from your worm bin are rather scary though, and involve making multiple piles of compost on a big plastic sheet. I’m not convinced I’d ever do that, but interesting to read about it.

This is a good introductory guide to setting up a worm bin. It doesn’t get massively scientific, it’s easy to read, and well illustrated. I suspect there may be a better worm composting book out there, but I haven’t found it yet.