From the page: Used coffee grounds: far beyond the cup
Idea 10
Worm farm and home composter
The worm composter with red wigglers — little red worms famous for eating their own weight in organic matter every day — is an old technique of those who turned kitchen leftovers into top-quality fertilizer. The worms digest the material and give back humus, a dark, pleasant-smelling fertilizer that nourishes plants without burning anything.
What you need
- Two or three buckets or plastic boxes that stack inside one another
- Lid and a tray or small plate for underneath
- Awl or hot nail to make holes
- Red wiggler worms (sold at gardening stores or online)
- Damp soil, dry leaves, or shredded cardboard
- Coffee grounds, fruit peels, and vegetable scraps
How to make it
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1
Poke holes in the bottom of the top box so the leachate (the dark liquid that forms) can drain into the bottom box, and make a few small holes in the lid for air to circulate — the worms need to breathe.
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2
Line the bottom with damp soil and shredded cardboard: this is the "bedding" where the worms will live.
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3
Release the worms into the bedding and wait a day before feeding them, so they can settle in.
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4
Bury small portions of grounds and peels under the bedding, always in alternating corners — this way you can see where they've already eaten and avoid attracting flies.
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5
Keep the material as damp as a squeezed sponge and never let it dry out or get waterlogged.
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6
In two or three months, the dark humus will be ready in the lower part: remove it and use it on your plants.
Finishing touches
the leachate collected underneath, diluted in ten parts water, becomes a powerful liquid fertilizer. Too much coffee makes the medium acidic, so alternate with banana peels and vegetable scraps.
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