Things like vegetable scraps, especially squashes, and non-citrus fruits are fine for composting worms. They’re also very fond of sweet foods like watermelon rinds.
Can earthworms eat watermelon?
Composting worms will absolutely love eating any members of the cucurbitaceae plant family like pumpkins, squash, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, etc. These fruits break down very quickly, are high in sugar, and lack the sinewy nature of plants like broccoli, so worms are quick to swarm them in your worm bin.
Can worms eat melon skin?
Whether you have an abundance of melon rinds, spoiled apples or fruit trimmings, you can feed them to your worms by slicing them up into manageable portions. Think of it this way.
Are watermelon rinds good for soil?
Watermelon rind is an excellent source of nitrogen, nutrients, trace minerals, calcium, potassium, and moisture, which are all important for composting watermelon rinds. When popping them into your compost pile, it’s best to chop them up into small chunks. In addition to the melon rinds, you need to add browns.
What do you do with watermelon rinds in the garden?
Watermelon rinds are a valuable source of green matter for the compost bin or heap, contributing nitrogen, nutrients, other trace minerals such as phosphorous, and moisture, beneficial to the composting process. The rinds, however, need to be chopped into smaller bits for them to compost completely and more quickly.
What should you not feed earthworms?
Avoid feeding the worms large quantities of meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods. Some processed food also contains preservatives, which discourage the worms from eating it. These foods won’t harm your worms, but they will avoid them and those scraps will break down and rot in the bin.
How long does watermelon rind take to decompose?
How Long Does It Take For Watermelon Rind To Decompose? It may take on an average of six weeks to a few months for the melon rind to disappear. It depends on the bin and the size of the rind. The rind may take time to decompose than flesh as they are tougher.
Do worms eat banana peels?
Bananas are a great and inexpensive snack for both us and our worms. Those peels are desirable to compost worms no matter what shape they’re in. They’ll make short work of what otherwise would have taken up space in your trash.
Can I put watermelon in my compost?
Watermelon is an ideal fruit to compost as it contains a lot of water and decomposes quickly. The fruit’s moisture easily balances out dry compost ingredients such as leaves, grass clippings, straw, or cardboard. Watermelon will contribute these essential nutrients to your compost: Vitamin A.
Should I stir my worm bin?
So in order to keep a compost bin healthy, you need to mix and turn your compost to aerate it and allow oxygen to reach down the deep unreachable places. The aeration not only provides oxygen for the good bacteria, but it also kills off the anaerobic bacteria since they can’t survive with oxygen.
What can I do with watermelon scraps?
5 Smart Uses for Your Watermelon Rind
- Pickle it. Plan to make this a few days before you use it, so the rind has plenty of time to develop a tangy pickled flavor.
- Make it into a chutney.
- Use it in an Indian curry.
- Make it into a cool gazpacho.
- Candy it.
Is watermelon rind biodegradable?
Because the watermelon rinds may be a bit large after you’ve scooped away the tasty fruit inside, leaving the rind as-is in a compost pile means it will take a while for them to break down. Cut the rinds into small bits to allow them to break down more quickly.
Can worms have watermelon skin?
Things like vegetable scraps, especially squashes, and non-citrus fruits are fine for composting worms. They’re also very fond of sweet foods like watermelon rinds.
What are watermelon peels good for?
It’s rich in fiber. Another benefit of watermelon rind is that it’s a rich source of fiber. A diet high in fiber has a whole host of health benefits, including the following: Fiber helps maintain regular bowel movements and may help reduce the risk of developing diseases of the colon.
Is watermelon water good for plants?
In its pure state, fruit juice is not good for most plants simply because it is so acidic. As a rule, most plants are happiest in a soil that ranges from a pH of 6.5 to 7, which is slightly acidic to neutral (7 is the neutral midpoint on the 0 to 14 pH scale).
What do earthworms love eating?
They will eat some of their bedding, but they really love scraps of fruit and vegetables. Worms will eat the parts you won’t, like cores and peels. Don’t feed them too much or too often at first. A yogurt container full of scraps once a week will be enough.
What do worms hate?
Worms hate: meat or fish, cheese, butter, greasy food, animal waste, spicy and salty foods, citrus.” The food-to-worm ratio is not precise, nor is the amount of castings they will produce. The rule of thumb is that a pound of worms will eat one to two pounds of food in a week.
Do worms eat eggshells?
Eggshells as food for composting worms
Composting worms can absolutely be fed with crushed shells from eggs. You should know that compost worms will eat just about anything that’s organic (all except meat, seafood, poultry, dairy, oily, or spicy stuff).
What should you not put in compost?
DON’T add meat scraps, bones, grease, whole eggs, or dairy products to the compost pile because they decompose slowly, cause odors, and can attract rodents. DON’T add pet feces or spent cat liter to the compost pile. DON’T add diseased plant material or weeds that have gone to seed.
How do you compost watermelon?
Chop the watermelon rind into small pieces about several inches long, and layer with other fruit or vegetable scraps in a compost bin. Cover the mixture with a thin layer of “brown” compost ingredients such as shredded newspaper, cardboard, or dry leaves. This will also absorb any excess moisture.
Can dogs eat watermelon rind?
It’s also unwise to give your dog the rind — the hard green outer skin of a watermelon — as ingesting it can cause gastrointestinal distress that triggers vomiting or diarrhea. While the fruit of the watermelon is a healthy snack in small quantities, eating too much of it could also give your dog an upset stomach.