Education/FAQ

What is the difference between compost and vermicompost?  Basic definitions are as follows:  Compost is decayed organic material used as fertilizer.  Vermicompost is the waste (castings, poop) that are produced by composting worms that eat organic material.  Both of these materials (compost and vermicompost) are great for the environment and great for plants because of the recycling of organic material.  Putting organic material in landfills is wasteful and is not responsible.  If you participate in or support in some way composting or vermicomposting activities, cheers to you.  You are helping and you are doing the responsible thing for the environment.  

Main advantages of vermicompost are the following:  1.  Time.  Composting worms can eat up to their weight in food per day.  Making compost is traditionally a very slow process.  2.  Nutrient content.  Many tests have shown that nutrient content is higher in vermicompost than traditional compost.  3.  Vermicompost requires less work and doesn't have the requirements for extreme heat temperatures like traditional compost.  

Does worm farming help global warming?  It is the opinion of Work Hard Worms owners that global warming (too many greenhouse gases in the environment) is actually the greatest environmental threat to people and our planet.  Vermicomposting does not improve global warming.  The way that vermicomposting contributes to the environment is in the turnover of organic materials, keeping them out of landfills (worms love most ruined vegetables--don't throw them in the trash.  They also eat our cardboard boxes, paper, spent coffee grounds, etc.).  Work Hard Worms contributes indirectly to help decrease global warming by contributing 5% of products to Trees, Water, and People.  We are committed and always will be.

Should I buy some worms and make my own vermicompost or should I buy vermicompost?  You can be a worm farmer in almost any environment.  Worms thrive best in temperatures between 40-80F.  The worms usually require less care than traditional houseplants like cats or dogs, but they do require some amount of work.  Some of the work involves feeding, harvesting (collecting vermicompost), and separating the worms.  (These little animals reproduce fast.). In optimal conditions(temperature, food, and water), your worms could double in numbers in as little as 3 months.  

Does vermicompost smell?. Vermicompost is worm poop, but it does not smell like poop.  Vermicompost is mostly described as being odorless or having a light "dirt" smell.

What is the life span of a compost worm?  Worms can live up to four years. Worms are also interesting in that they are hemaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female parts on a single worm.  However, a single worm cannot reproduce itself. 

Do you like worms?  We love our "ewwwy" worms!  We have named them (we called our first worms Auggies), named their houses and habitat, and go above and beyond to make sure our worms stay alive and are happy.   

 

Do you have a question for us?  Just send it to us.  If it's a common or interesting questions, we might just print it on our website.  E-mail us at annelid@workhardworms.com and put "FAQ" in the subject line.