How to make compost

I became interested in compost when I caught sight of a compost bin in my friends kitchen.  Of course I did not know what a compost bin was, so  I simply asked my friend, why she had a bin full of rotting garbage in her kitchen? and she explained to me that she is making her own compost.  I also asked her how she came upon this idea and what made her decide to grow her own compost, she then explained that she has been a part of CSA for some time now, CSA is Community Supported Aagriculture, and learned that this is a great way to help the environment.  The group held a compost making demonstration headed by Helen HO, in Vesta Trateria, this is an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, and my friend went to see what the demonstration was about and if this was something that she would really be interested in doing.  Because a restaurant was willing to host such an event she thought how dirty or high maintenance can this project be?   Helen HO began her demonstration and gave everyone a pound of worms, a large strolite container, about 66 quarts big.  To start she showed her how to make a composit mixture of browns and greens.  Browns are leaves, newspapers, junk mail, etc.  The greens are vegetable scraps that are left over from cooking.  The greens get placed at the bottom of the container, then the "bedding" which is shredded newspaper.  Newspaper is great to use because it is biodegradable and provides an appropriate amount of moisture and helps absorb the odor.  Then the worms are added and you are ready to begin your composting process.  Since my friend began composting she has cut her garbage down by 50%.  This is mainly due to the fact that her leftovers and table scraps get fed to the worms to make compost.  She also informed me that it takes alot less energy to compost garbage then it does to actually recycle it.  This was very interesting to me because just by walking up my street I see how much garbage people go through a day, if more people started to compost their garbage they can dramatically cut that number down, and help the environment.
How to make compost step by step:
The worms used in compost are red worms, Eisenia fetida or lumbricus rebullus.  These particular worms thrive in the compost bins because they are good at recycling food scraps.
Warm Bin
Step 1: The container should be shallow (8 to 12 inches) with a lid to keep container dark and moist.  For every pound of worms you should have a surface area of a square foot.
Step 2: In the lid of the container drill ten quarter inch holes, for air circulation.
Step 3: Shred newspapers into one-inch strips and soak in water for the bedding.
Step 4: Wring out the excess water from the newspaper strips and place into the container and fluff up to make bedding.
Step 5: Add worms, lay them on top o the bedding and leave lid off warm bin for an hour in a brightly lit room.  Since the worms are sensitive to light they will burrow into the bedding.
Step 6:  Once the worms are settled in the container, add food to the bottom of the bin (greens) tucked under the bedding.
Step 7:  The scraps of food you place in container should be enough to keep container moist, but it may be necessary to add water from time to time.

When feeding the worms, you can feed them a little amount everyday or larger quantities once a week.  Excess vegetables you can keep in the freezer, and the frozen vegetables also provide the right amount of water needed to keep container moist for compost. 

There are problems that can arise when composting, fruit flies appear when fruit scraps are given to the worms for compost.  The rotting peels attract these flies.  This can be managed by limiting the amount of fruit in each feeding and maintaining the moisture in the container.  Also odor problems can occur.  Odors arise from the container being to wet, not having enough air ventilating the container, because the food container is naturally odorous you can avoid it being rancid by avoiding leaving meat scraps, bones, and dairy products because these products all smell horribly when decomposing.

Harvesting
Step 1:  When bedding resembles dark, crumbly soil (About 1 month to 4 months time) it is time to  harvest your vermicompost.
Step 2:  Move contents over to one side of the warm bed
Step 3:  Add new dampened bedding to the empty side, start placing food scraps on that one side.

After a month the worms should move over to the side with the food and new bedding and you can scoop out the worm free vermicompost.  If not scooped out in a timely manner the vermicompost becomes toxic to the worms and they can die.  
Vermicompost is an excellent source of nutrients for you plants and should be diligently.  Even when replanting plants you can use vermicompost to keep plant strong and fertile.

I know that the thought of a bin in your house full of worms and rotting food is not the most appealing idea.  But in reality it has many benefits to the environment and produce we consume.  To learn more about this product you can go to www.nyccompost.org