Vermicomposting in Pondicherry

Before and after: kitchen waste and vermicompost

Shuddham produces vermicompost from the garden and kitchen waste that it collects from households that segregate their garbage.  Vermicompost is a much richer nutrient than ordinary compost (without worms), and is sold through word-of-mouth to gardeners in Pondicherry.

The worms

Vermicompost is basically worm castings (or worm shit).  When fully established, worms will eat their body weight in decomposing vegetable matter (and produce a lot of manure).

Castings

The worms are bred in a moist bed covered with bricks and balls of cow dung.  (The worms congregate under the bricks and dung balls.)

Breeding worms

Once the worms are established, they are moved to compost beds that are kept covered to keep out rodents and other insects.

 
Open compost bed                       Closed compost bed

Garden and kitchen waste is first shredded (to make things easier for the worms), then added to the compost beds.

Shredder

Vermiwash is collected, diluted, and sold separately as a plant nutrient.

 
Concentrated vermiwash           Diluted and packaged vermiwash

A beneficiary of vermicompost and vermiwash

Waste is turned into a nutrient-rich natural fertilizer.