Squash Vermicomposting

Way back in the fall I mentioned that I was going to be making a “squash decomposition” video. Well, I DID set up the experiment and take a bunch of photos, but alas I just didn’t have the time to make any more powerpoint videos at the time, so it (and other planned videos) got put on the backburner for the time being.

I came across the folder of all the images last week and decided once and for all to get the video put together. It did take awhile but I’m definitely glad I finally made it - I think it’s kinda fun! Hopefully it will help to make more people want to compost with worms. To some, 47 days may seem like a long time to compost a few pieces of squash, but do keep in mind the fact that fresh squash is actually quite hard and resistant, and there was also a lot of shredded cardboard in there that was processed as well.

At some point I want to post the actual photos somewhere on the website so you can see them up close and personal. There seemed to be some interesting things taking place. At one point it looked like my worms were trying to high-tail it out of the bin - I suspect that the decomposing squash was giving off some sort of unpleasant gas that was irritating the worms. Whatever it was, they seemed to settle down within a day or two.

As you’ll see I wasn’t able to capture every single day during the experiment. I went away for Thanksgiving (a trip that ended up being extended unexpectedly) and simply forgot at other times.

Anyway, hope you like it!

Next on the agenda is vermicompost harvesting. It goes hand in hand with a new project I’ve recently started so I’ll likely be able to get to that this week or next.

Technorati Tags: composting, compost, squash, decomposition, rotting, decay, vermicomposting, worm composting, red worms, red wigglers

Written by Bentley on March 30th, 2008 with 5 comments.
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