Composting and Worm Composting

Composting has been practised since man needed to return goodness to the soil. Traditionally the tried and tested method of inducing aerobic decomposition of piled organic material has been the widest employed method be it in a heap or in a composting bin. This method has certain drawbacks, rarely does the material compost equally throughout the pile even when turned, it may take a long time due to adverse weather conditions or lack of balanced ingredients, it can attract vermin and flies, it can have an offensive smell and the end result can be difficult and unpleasant to handle with little or no nutrient content.

Anybody who has had a compost heap that has been invaded by worms will recognise the immediate benefits. History shows that our predecessors have used worms to assist in the composting of organic matter but had little understanding of why they were so effective, more recently studies into this fact have been carried out in many countries across the globe, the results of these studies show that there are far more benefits to using worms in the process of recycling organic matter, not only at the domestic level but also in large scale agricultural and industrial situations, than at first appreciated.