By Dawn Schuett
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

In college, Lynnea Pfohl accessorized her dorm room with an item more unusual than a mini refrigerator and a bunk bed. Her place had a worm bin where a pound of red wigglers turned Pfohl's food scraps into nutrient-rich compost.

Pfohl made the worm bin for a class project while earning a degree in environmental studies at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

"I went through a couple batches (of worms) before I perfected it," said Pfohl, who suspects her first batch died because conditions in the worm bin were too acidic. In the right conditions, worms are "little machines" when it comes to composting, she said.

Now living near Vasa in Goodhue County, Pfohl, 24, no longer maintains a worm bin, but she's given them as gifts and readily shares her experience in vermicomposting, as the process is known.

"I try to encourage it as much as I can," Pfohl said.

Composting with worms is a convenient way to compost indoors through the winter for those who live in colder climates. Plus, Pfohl said, a worm bin doesn't require much space, and having one is a reminder that there are better alternatives to throwing something away.

Worm bins for composting can be purchased online, but Pfohl said anyone can make their own by drilling small holes in a plastic tub to allow for drainage and aeration. Wood can also be used for building a bin.

A worm bin needs bedding, a material that can hold moisture and is suitable for worms eating garbage buried in the bedding. Shredded newspaper with black ink only or pulverized coconut shell that's been moistened is ideal.

It's best to use redworms, also called red wigglers, since they can rapidly convert large amounts of organic material to compost. Pfohl said she's not aware of any place in Minnesota that sells red wigglers, but those too can be bought on the Internet. A pound of worms, which is enough to get started within a one- to two-person household, costs about $20, Pfohl said.

Once the bin is set up, factors such as temperature, moisture and acidity should be monitored to provide the best environment for the worms to work. People also need to be careful about the kinds of food scraps they put into worm bin, Pfohl said. Although worms can be fed many types of waste, no dairy products or meat should be placed in the bin.

A worm bin may have an earthy smell, like peat. It should not have a strong odor of rotting food, but if it does, the smell can be neutralized with coffee grounds.

For anyone wanting to learn more about vermicomposting, Pfohl recommends reading "Worms Eat My Garbage," by Mary Appelhof. The book was self-published in 1982 and later revised by Appelhof, who died in 2005, leaving a legacy of environmental awareness.

Dawn Schuett is a Farmington freelance writer.

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