How to Compost in a Shoebox
Box composting, also known as worm boxing or vermicomposting, is an alternative food recycling method for apartment dwellers or homeowners with too little yard space for an outdoor compost bin or heap. Red worms of the species Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus, if kept healthy in an indoor composting box, will eat food scraps like fruit and vegetable matter, coffee grounds, coffee filters, napkins and tea bags, and turn them into useable garden compost. Worms thrive in shallow boxes, such as the clear plastic shoeboxes available for shoe storage, when provided with plenty of air, bedding and food.
Fit a hand drill with a 1/8 inch bit and drill at least 10 holes in the lid of a clear plastic shoebox. Also drill holes around the upper portion of the sides of the shoebox to provide enough air circulation for both optimal decomposition and worm survival.
Line the bottom of the shoebox with a few sheets of newspaper. Shred more newspaper into strips 1 foot long and 1 inch wide to make bedding for the worms.
Soak two-thirds of the strips in water, and mix all the strips together in the shoebox to make damp, not soaking wet, bedding. Fill the shoebox shallowly, leaving at least one inch of space at the top. Alternate bedding materials include peat moss, sawdust and corrugated cardboard.
Place the shoebox in an area with temperatures between 55 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a kitchen, basement or garage. Do not place the shoebox in direct sunlight at any time as high temperatures can be harmful to the worms.
Slide a plastic tray under the shoebox to catch any spills. Add 1 cup of soil to the bedding to help the worms get started, and add 1 pound of worms to the shoebox. Leave the lid off for one hour to encourage them to burrow into the bedding.
Place a temperature gauge inside the bedding to ensure that the inside of the box never reaches more than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be fatal to worms.
Wash all fruits and vegetables before adding them to the shoebox to remove fruit fly eggs. Cut large items into smaller chunks. Add scraps daily, burying them under the bedding in different locations.
Periodically check the compost pH with a soil testing kit. Worms do best in an alkaline pH between 4.2 and 8.0, ideally 7.0. If soil is too acidic, which is common for kitchen compost, add limestone or eggshells.
Harvest the compost after three to five months, when little actual bedding is left. In preparation, add no new food for two weeks. Once those weeks have passed, carefully empty the shoebox onto a tarp. Fill the box with new bedding, and gently transfer the worms from the tarp to the shoebox.
Use the compost as desired. If spreading on indoor plants, double check to make sure no worms are left because most plant pots are too small for worms to survive in.
- Clear plastic shoebox
- 1/8 inch drill bit
- Plastic tray
- Garden soil
- 1 pound of red worms
- Temperature gauge
- Soil testing kit
- Food scraps
- Do not add meat, dairy or oily foods to the shoebox as these attract pests and take a long time to break down. Also avoid adding citrus, such as oranges, as they tend to attract flies and cause bedding to become too acidic for worms.
- Shoebox sizes should measure about 13 inches long, 8 inches deep and 4 inches wide to be large enough for composting.
- One pound of worms can compost 1/2 pound of table scraps each day.
- Keep bedding material regularly moist, not wet.
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