Abstract

Abstract
My senior project will be researching and constructing an experimental year-round outdoor vermicomposting system for the ASU farm in Valle Crucis. Through this project I will research and identify the optimal worm type, bin design and location, insulating techniques and local sources of food and bedding. The vermicomposting system itself after construction will require minimal maintenance and cost the farm nothing while supplying worm castings which will provide the farm with its first free source of multiple forms of organic fertilizers and soil amendments. This experimental vermicomposting system and set-up will upon completion of this project provide the ASU farm’s students, local farmers, gardeners, and residents with a regionally specific example and demonstration of vermicomposting’s viability and potential in the Appalachian region.