Compost and Water Quantity
The key consideration in worm-composting is that you are maintaining a healthy environment for the red wiggler worms. They need a balance of airflow and water to survive and thrive as they turn food scraps into nutrient-dense compost. Like aerated static piles, they also need approximately 70% moisture. A general moisture content guideline is to rinse your feedstock container once and add this water to the compost to maintain your pile in the 70% range. It is also important to ensure that greywater that you may want to use doesn’t contain any soaps or additives that could harm the worms.
whether more straw, a piece of corrugated cardboard, a tarp or a reused carpet scrap can help hold in moisture and warmth during cold spells. If your summer extremes are consistently 100 degrees and higher, you may need to consider shade options for your compost system, from a tree to an umbrella to a piece of cardboard. Naturally, higher heat leads to faster evaporation, so working with shade is an important water conservation strategy. The scale of a straw bale worm compost system makes adjustments quick and easy. If your pile becomes too wet, adding more high-carbon material and giving it a gentle fluff with a pitchfork can reintroduce the essential porosity needed for healthy airflow, and if it becomes too dry, an additional rinse and empty of the feedstock container or additional water from another source will remedy the issue quickly.
Contrary to aerated static piles, vermicompost is NOT a high-heat process, and you must maintain a temperature range between 32 Fahrenheit and approximately 100 degrees. The insulative design of the straw bale pile maintains this range in most moderate climates. If you live in a place where winter temperatures are consistently in the teens or below, additional top cover insulation,
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