Home & Garden Garden Vermicomposting and Vermiculture: Worms, Bins and How to Get Started By Collin Dunn Managing Editor Pacific Lutheran University BA, English Colin Dunn is a writer and former managing editor of TreeHugger. our editorial process Twitter Twitter Collin Dunn Updated October 11, 2018 Migrated Image Share Twitter Pinterest Email Garden Insects Planting Guides Indoor Gardening Urban Farms What is vermicomposting? Why use worms?Known also as worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, vermicompost is similar to plain compost, except that it uses worms in addition to microbes and bacteria to turn organic waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Vermicompost, or vermiculture, most often uses two species of worms: Red Wigglers (Eisenia foetida) or Red Earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles. How does vermicomposting work?It works like this: after procuring a container and setting it up (more on that in a sec), feed your worms the same organic waste you'd toss in a compost pile -- which includes just about all of your food waste, save the animal leftovers -- and let them have at it. They chew on it for awhile, and when they're all done eating, they poop (hey, everybody does it) and there you go: vermicompost.