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I hate worms.

Or so I thought.

Although, I don’t have the courage to allow any one of them to remain on my skin for more than five seconds, I believe composting worms are our friends, never fiends.

What’s vermicomposting?

It’s simply using worms to turn organic waste into rich, potent fertiliser for plants. In fact, it has been around long before man discovered it. Nature is as such, it happens without requiring our help. Google “vermicomposting” or “worm composting”, you’ll know what I mean.

So how is it different from the composting method (i.e. The “lazy” Experiment) that Joe and I have been at for 2 years now?  Well ours does not use composting worms. We just allow organic wastes to gradually break down all by themselves – again, another example of nature!

However, with these gentle, quiet and harmless creatures, our composting would take much less time, and the results better.

Why so?

Because composting worms have the awesome ability to churn organic waste into mineral and nutrient-rich fertiliser with their guts – no pun intended. It’s a unique organ in the composting worm’s body that most other creatures do not possess in its exact form.

Moreover, composting worms are known to have pretty good appetites. It is said that they can eat up to their weight per day. (We can’t even imagine ourselves doing that, can we?) As a result, composting worms not only help to break down food waste within a shorter time, their unique internal bodily functions also produce higher-grade compost that are known to have proven results.

It’s no wonder why vermicompost costs significantly more than normal compost!

After much learning from several informative resources online (we’ve compiled some of our learnings here and here), we feel somewhat ready (and eager) to try out vermicomposting on our own. It’s one thing to witness worms turn waste into fertiliser, and another to simply purchase vermicompost off the shelves.

My dad’s even more excited than we are – did we mention that he’s a nature lover? He can talk about plants and animals at great lengths. Taking nature walks with him is like going to Narnia and almost never coming back. Lol

Here’s what my dad has done so far in preparing for the vermicomposting experience:

Scout out the perfect location for vermicomposting. Notice that we decided to put the worm bin in the kitchen because it's nearest to food preparation. This makes it easy for us to dispose unwanted kitchen scraps into the worm bin directly.

Our perfect spot would be the empty kitchen shelves on the left. This is because there is ample space there, and being near the window means better ventilation (oxygen) and cooler surrounding temperature. We also made sure that direct sunlight do not reach that area. If not, the worms will die a slow painful death, or crawl away to cooler pastures.

A closer look at the ideal spot. See the empty space on the shelf where we can slot in a worm bin?

Check out our worm bin which fits snugly into the empty slot. We chose a black box ($9) as composting worms prefer darker environments (they hate light actually). The box also has to be waterproof and durable. In this case, the box measures 57x39x28cm. Its surface area is ideal for approximately 200g of composting worms.

An overall view of our worm bin in the kitchen corner. We also decided not to drill any holes into the bottom of the box because we didn't want to manage straying worms that could potentially crawl or fall out from the bottom. Others may differ and choose to drill holes at the bottom to prevent excess water from drowning the worms. But this also requires a tray to be placed below the bin to catch excess liquids (potential mozzie risk!) We decided to control the amount of moisture that goes into the bin instead.

We also bought a lid ($3) so that we would have the option of sealing the bin whenever we wanted to. We intentionally chose a white (instead of black) translucent lid, so that the top would remain bright, thereby discouraging worms from crawling out. Moreover, the lid allows similar boxes to be stacked on top of one another. Do note that stacking in this case requires holes to be drilled at the sides of the bin to improve aeration for the worms.

Alas, preparing food and bedding for the worms. Before worms can live in your bin, they require bedding (usually moistened shredded newspapers and cardboard) and food (i.e. raw kitchen scraps). Note that composting worms only feed on ROTTING parts of organic material, so we prepared the bin at least a week before the worms arrive. This allows the material in the bin to break down (rot) partially so that worms can start working on them immediately.

Unwanted raw kitchen scraps cut into smaller pieces. This increases the surface area for the worms to feed on.

Moistened shredded cardboard and leafy vegetable scraps

We've got some used tea leaves as well! Notice that they have already started to break down into a mushy state. Good and moist for the worms!

Mixing browns (i.e. cardboard) and greens (i.e. vegetable scraps) together. This ensures that the contents are not too dry or wet. It works the same way for normal composting without worms. A compost bin with a good mix of greens and browns enable composting to take place more efficiently. A bin with too much browns will take too long to break down, while too much greens will cause the compost bin to be anaerobic and smelly.

Can you identify the food scraps in there?

They may look colourful now, but everything will eventually turn into fine brown compost with the help of our composting buddies

A final overall view of the worm bin's contents. We sure hope the worms will be happy with this when they arrive a week later!

This spray bottle ($1.80) would be really handy as we would need to moisten the bin's contents every now and then. For example, the top may become dry due to evaporation when the bin is left open most of the time. Be careful not to spray too much, as worms prefer moist (not wet) conditions! They will flee when they sense that something is wrong.

Also, it would be ideal to get a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle, so you will have the option of making misty or direct sprays. Remember to use aged water, as chlorinated water is harmful to your worms!

Here’s more information on the items listed above:

Plastic worm bin $9

Lid for the worm bin $3

Spray bottle $1.80

Well that’s all for now! We look forward to updating you again once the worms arrive. Can’t wait!

It’s been an awesome week for Joe and I as we celebrate Christmas with our loved ones. Indeed, nothing can beat the special warmth that Christmas time brings. Even the season’s tunes that fill the air in the streets and malls remind us that tis the season to be jolly!

Here’s one of my favourite Christmas songs.

We’re also thankful for another reason to be jolly: My family’s just moved into a new place!

I kid you not, living at our new home now is soooo much better. It’s definitely larger (from a 4-room to 5i-room flat) and we’re now located on the ground floor for the first time.

Not only that, we’ve got plenty of recess area just outside our home, and I know my dad’s just itching to get his green fingers down to work. He’s even got a banana tree planned for.

Our plants and compost bins (left) right outside our ground-floor apartment

Check out the recess area!

View from the other side of the compost bins - even more recess area

The back view of our apartment. Can you see lotsa space for my dad's potted plants?

Outside our kitchen window. I love the fact that there's ample space for our compost bins. It makes it easy for us to dispose off our kitchen scraps! And having that belt of grass also gives us the option of placing our compost bins there to drain off excess liquid through the bottom, and straight into the soil. The grass should grow better as a result

For the time being, our DIY compost bins are located outside our main hall window. It's pretty awkward for us to have to carry wet kitchen scraps from the kitchen, through the main hall, down a few steps from the door, and finally to this area.

Our trusty "Please Do Not Touch" signs. Notice that the bins are uncovered - this allows rainwater to fall in, and excess water to flow out through the bottom of the bins. This way, the bins' contents remain comfortably moist so that composting can take place effectively. And rainwater's FOC!

Just like our old place, we ensure that the bins are being propped up so that excess water can flow out easily. No risk of mozzies breeding!

A peek into the bins - dark, rich, moist compost! It's sometimes hard to believe that they were once kitchen food scraps eh?

Admittedly, our compost bins have been underused since we moved. Because of unpacking and settling down at our new home, we haven’t had the chance to place the bins at our most ideal location yet.

Right now, you can see that they are located at a considerable distance from the kitchen. So throwing kitchen scraps into the compost bins would require a fair amount of maneuvering and walking.

As much as possible, we’d like to stick to the simplest aim-for-the-bin method. Based on the pictures above,  we could actually place the compost bins next to our kitchen window. (Another perk of living on the ground floor with lots of recess area!)

As aforementioned in our previous entries, we’re also planning to try vermicomposting (worm composting). My dad’s really excited to start this hobby, as he has read and heard so much about vermicomposting before.

Besides, which gardening hobbyist wouldn’t want a few creepers to play with whilst churning fertiliser for his plants?

More about our worm composting plans in the next post!

But we have been up to our necks for a reeaally really good reason.

Remember what I said about building an aquaponics startup in Singapore?

Well, we’ve got a video which we are incredibly excited to share with you.

Enjoy!

Pardon my burst of enthusiasm. As usual, work has been hectic. Now that I finally got my hands on a new blog entry, I’m almost tempted to write a novel!

In the past months, Joe and I have our hands deep in sustainability-related projects. We’ve been working on our own humble startup that does business development for environment-related services. The project that currently heads our list – which means taking up almost all our work hours – is an aquaponics startup.

What’s that, you say?

Aquaponics simply means a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture. Here are some definitions from Wikipedia:

• Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.
• Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish.
• Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment.

  In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.

In a nutshell, aquaponics produce very little – or no – waste, while at the same time churning out meat and vegetables. Awesome eh? There’s just so much to learn along the way, and we do thank God that we get to do meaningful work that impact lives in a real (i.e. filling hungry tummies) and positive way.

Apart from work, Joe and I have been pretty busy with moving too. My family will be upgrading from a 4 to 5-room HDB flat, and we’re gonna be living on the ground floor for the first time! We’re all really excited about this because there is a considerable amount of recess ground area at my family’s new place. This means my dad can grow the plants that he’s always dreamed of. He’s quite an avid gardener and nature enthusiast.

Moreover, we’re planning to increasing our composting capacity (i.e. bigger bins) and even setting up our own mini DIY indoor aquaponics in our kitchen. It’s quite a big DIY family project on its own, especially when we are still relatively new to its technicalities.

Nevertheless with a simple aquaponics setup, we hope to grow and consume our home fish and vegetables. No pond or soil needed. Simply search “aquaponics” on YouTube and you’ll find plenty of brilliant ideas.

Here’s one of our favourite videos:

The whole experience of moving also got Joe and I thinking about our future dream home. We’re truly passionate about all things green, sustainable and cost-saving. Some of the ideas ping-ponging in our minds include green walls, natural wind flow (no need for aircon!), rainwater irrigation, natural toilets and pool (i.e. using plants to cleanse waste water), aquaponics, our own home composting facility, herb and vegetable garden, electricity-saving appliances, natural lighting etc.

Sounds like a mouthful, but they are really just the tip of the iceberg on sustainable living!

On the sideline, we have been ignoring or neglecting our bins almost 100% of the time, and they have been faithful in magically turning our household trash to compost.

The view from our apartment door - our two DIY compost bins followed by our potted plants

Notice how the level of material in our bins have decreased drastically over time. We have also used the remaining space in our bins to store some of my dad's potted plants. The left compost bin currently contains new material to be composted - junk mail.

The right compost bin: there is little compost leftover as we have used some for our new chilli plant. We also composted some leftover fried fish in this bin! Amazing results.

As aforementioned, we added a chilli plant to our current collection of potted plants. This happened when my dad ate a really spicy chilli and decided to grow its seeds so we can enjoy some good homemade belachan anytime. (If you haven’t been growing your own plants, you should!)

Our new chilli plant! We're still waiting for it to fruit though

Check out the rich, dark compost used to grow our chilli plant. The chilli plant seems to be the healthiest and strongest plant amongst the rest for now! (Ermm.. ignore the plastic sweet wrapper. Someone must have tried to compost it by mistake.)

That’s all for now! Can’t wait to share more once we’ve moved! Feel free to contact us or follow our updates via:

• Our Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/compostinginsingapore
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/CompostingInSG
• Email: info@kainosis.com
• Leaving a comment on this post

Have a blessed weekend ahead!

“I ate a lime and threw the unwanted seeds into our compost bin. Instead of composting, they are growing into plants!”

Immediately, I got up from the sofa and peeked into one of the bins. Indeed, there are two young seedlings with the freshest, brightest, greenest leaves I’ve ever seen!

An overall view. Can you see the two seedlings?

A closer look at the two seedlings

Seedling 1

Seedling 2

My fiance Joseph couldn’t help but slap his forehead with amusement. He said, “Of course the seeds will be growing in compost!”

My brother Eliah finds it intriguing and hilarious too. Curious, both of them paused a (really noisy) zombie Playstation game to check out the bins for themselves.

Like me, there was an inevitable smile on their faces.

After this “unexpected expected discovery”, we’re all just pleasantly surprised by the high potency of our DIY compost. You see, you don’t even need to mix the compost with soil. The plants grow incredibly healthily in compost alone.

It’s amazing what our trash at home can do for us.

I guess we also should “think twice” before throwing anything into our compost bins. We may just end up with a mini forest in a container! Hehe.

Finally, I’d like to say that the bins have been very convenient for us. Instead of having to walk all the way to the kitchen to dispose of eaten fruit cores, peanut shells etc, we could simply play a mini game of basketball by aiming for the compost bins right outside our door.

Check out our new video update of our DIY compost bins!

And witness the awesome end-product: rich plant fertiliser

I was boiling some homemade barley for feverish Joe when I reached out into the fridge for some Manuka honey. I was in a mood for a refreshing drink as the weather’s been terribly warm these days – not surprising for tropical Singapore in the summer season.

I caught sight of a plastic bottle with a colourful sticker that says “Manuka Honey”. From the bottle, I scooped out a generous amount and dipped it into a cup of water. The mixture soon turned milky white with a very distinct smell of cream.

It immediately dawned on me that the bottle contained condensed milk instead! Joe’s family had recycled/reused the Manuka honey bottle to store it.

Unwilling to waste that generous scoop of condensed milk, I left the cup in the fridge for later consumption. And I made myself some ice-cold ribena instead.

Ahhh… The simple joys of a cool drink on a warm day.

Anyway, as the barley seeds gradually boil in the kitchen, I figured I had some time on my hands. Hence, this entry, which I’ll be sharing an interesting event that happened in one of our compost bins last night -

At about close to midnight, my dad informed Joe and I that one of the compost bins had started to stink. It immediately struck us that the fried fish in one of the bins must be up to no good. (It’s been two days since we first experimented with composting cooked food.)

Poor Joe – already down with fever – had to come over to my place and investigate. We also had to make sure that the bins were not inconveniencing the neighbours in any way.

As we walked up right up to the bins, we did not detect any smell. It was only when we stuck our noses right up to the top of the bins that we could make out the odour that reminded us of dried fish snacks:

Quickly, we topped up the bin with hay all the way to the brim. It was a good 20 to 30cm of hay that we added. We stuck our noses at the bin again and viola! No odour at all.

Nevertheless, we covered the bin with the lid because my dad seemed pretty worried about annoying our neighbor. “Just in case,” he said. We tried advising him to leave it uncovered to improve aeration in the bin; an anaerobic compost would result in unpleasant odours.

Just this afternoon, my dad told us that he decided to remove the lid afterall, and indeed the compost did not smell since the generous amount of hay we added last night. The bin has been left open since then.

This still makes as wonder at the benefits of using hay for composting. It never fails to surprise us each time.

Yup, that’s right. Composting cooked food has since been on our radar when we realised that adding hay as a covering seemed to work wonders in preventing smells and pests.

So the first thing we grabbed for this daring experiment was some leftover fried fish from dinner.

Notice in the video how Joe added more hay to the top. We wanted to be a lil more cautious since we’re composting cooked food for the first time. Besides, a good hay covering keeps smells and pests far faaar away! (At least that’s what we are keeping our fingers crossed for.)

If you are generally new to composting and wondering what all this big hoo-ha’s about… Well, composting cooked food is quite a “taboo” of sorts. That’s because it contains oils and other factors that may lead to odours and attract pests and rodents.

Bones also take forever to break down. But Joe said, “The compost could do with some calcium.”

Last but not least, if Joseph Jenkins could prevent smells and pests simply by covering his humanure (human manure) with hay, why not for small compost bins like ours that don’t even have a hint of hamster droppings?

Excited about the results? We are! Stay tuned for updates.

We got some unwanted vegetable parts leftover after preparing lunch in the kitchen. Here is a video demonstration of how we use our DIY apartment compost bins to turn organic wastes into plant fertiliser.

Feel free to leave any comment or enquiry. We’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

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“Darling, can I start my own vermicompost bin?”

My fiance, Joseph, looked at me from his computer game with a puzzled look. We both know our moms would go crazy if they knew they were going to have creepy crawlies in their house.

“It won’t be big or anything. Just this size,” I said, as I drew a rectangle in the air.

To make a more compelling case, I quickly added,

“It will just be a few worms. We could easily keep and maintain our little vermicomposting bin under our desk. We both know how great the fertiliser always turns out. Besides, my dad would be more than happy to experiment too.”

(Note: my dad is an avid gardener with a green thumb, and we would soon be moving to a ground floor HDB apartment with ample space for homegrown plants.  I repeat, AMPLE.)

“Okay,” Joseph said with a smile.

“Okay? Really?”

“Uh huh.”

“We could probably ask a few worms from our friends, right?”

“They will be more than happy to,” he said.

(What followed after this were my excited hugs, exhilarated thank-you-for-supporting-this, and gleeful I-can’t-believe-its.)

And so from here, we have finally moved on from our (very successful) completely lazy method of composting to… vermicomposting (composting with worms)!

OH MY GOOOODNESS! I can’t wait to get started! Vermicomposting has always been on my mind since a year ago. And I actually get to touch worms for the first time in my life! (Not that I am particularly looking forward to it though.)

And you’re in for a treat. We’re going to post every detail of our vermicomposting experience along the way – good and bad. So keep your eyes glued to this site!

And yes, our moms still don’t know about this.

Shhhh.