DAY 14

[DAY 14] Independent Variables. I "fed" the worms on DAY 12 (see photos).
Group Yellow - 100 gm corn cobs, chopped (with mold, from dinner a few nights ago).
Group Red - 100 gm raspberries (molded in the refrigerator).
Group Orange - 100 gm strawberries (molded in the refrigerator).
Group Blue - 100 gm lettuce (soggy and bruised leaves, from the refrigerator).
I'll leave the worms alone for a few more days. [DAY 14]

Group Blue

Group Orange

Group Red

Group Yellow

DAY 11

[DAY 11] I decided to change the experiment set-up again because I can't see the worms or monitor their progress. Instead of having 12 cups divided into 4 groups, I have combined the contents of the 3 cups within the groups into one large plastic container. The plastic containers are disposable plastic containers that held pre-mixed salad that Mom gets from the super market. I used these containers in the beginning but only to hold the cups.
I was frustrated with the experiment because I couldn't see what was going on below the surface. I know that I still won't be able to see below the surface in the new set-up but I will be able to see more surface area. I did a little research and discovered that the worms actually prefer larger surface area instead of depth. However, the new containers are much bigger than the original disposable coffee cups and I had to add more bedding material in order to allow adequate cover for the worms. I shredded 16 pages of the Reader in Mom's shredder and soaked the shredded paper in 350ml of purified water. I repeated this process for all 4 containers then I added the contents of the original cups. I noticed there was still some water on the bottom of the container so I ripped up another Reader and divided the paper bits amongst the containers evenly (16 more pages but in slightly larger pieces than the shredded pages).
Much to my surprise, the worms were very active and there was very little sign of watermelon rind in the mixture. I did see crushed egg shells, which is to be expected because the shells require a long time to break down. Also, what looked like coffee grinds is deceiving because I couldn't tell the difference between the coffee grinds and the worm poop. The Q-Tip was still intact and the cardboard bits were still in original form. The shredded printer paper (credit card offers) showed signs of decay.
All in all, I'm excited about the new set-up. I think this will be better for Observations.[DAY 11]

DAY 10

[DAY 10] Added 50 worms to each container. [DAY 10]

DAY 5

[DAY 5] 2030 Observations and feeding. Mom made hard-boiled eggs a few days ago and saved the shells in the carton for my worms. In order to feed them to the worms, I crushed each egg shell in my hand, then sprinkled the tiny bits inside each cup. Using disposable chopsticks, I gently stirred the contents of each cup in order to spread the egg shells as evenly as possible. I did this because I noticed the worms weren't exactly excited to be living in their current environment. The coffee grounds haven't been touched. In fact, the watermelon rind seems to be in the same state as it was when I put it in the cups. This is unusual because Mom's worms love watermelon. I'm not sure if the worms are content with their new environment. Mom says that her worms were slow to get started as well. She suggested adding more worms to each cup or reducing the amount of food waste that I feed the worms. I don't think that the food is the problem because I haven't given them very much. But as experiments go, I will wait until tomorrow to see how the worms do over night. Observations prior to feeding:
Group A (blue)
Cup 1: one worm on melon rind
Cup 2: six worms on melon rind, one dead worm outside of cup
Cup 3: one worm on melon rind, one worm near coffee grounds
Group B (red)
Cup 4: no worms visible
Cup 5: one worm on melon rind
Cup 6: one worm on melon rind
Group C (yellow)
Cup 7: three worms on melon rind
Cup 8: one worm on melon rind
Cup 9: two worms on melon rind, one dead worm inside cup
Group D (orange)
Cup 10: two worms on melon rind
Cup 11: no worms visible
Cup 12: four worms on melon rind
I am soaking used Q-tips over night. I will drop those in the cups tomorrow before school. Hopefully the worms will be better tomorrow. I'm considering introducing more worms to the experiment but I won't be able to do that until later tomorrow evening. 24 hours should be plenty of time to determine whether more worms will be necessary. [Day 5]

changes

*Mom thinks the worms are escaping because they don't like bright light. Placed the cups inside paper bags in an attempt to eliminate bright light.*

DAY 4

DAY 1

WORMBUCKS COMPOST

Follow me as I experiment with vermicomposting:

I have chosen to use disposable coffee cups from a popular coffee shop whose garbage cans are always overflowing. I am encouraged that this particular coffee company has made great strides at reducing it's negative impact on the environment; however, it is quite obvious that there are large gaps in their plan and it seems that environmental concerns are not being addressed seriously enough. Though the "hot beverage" cups are made from "10% post-consumer fiber," they are not recyclable or compostable because of the plastic coating that is used to prevent leaking. Most of the plastics that are used by this company are labeled for recycling; unfortunately, labeling alone does not ensure proper disposal. As consumers, we should rally that actual store locations take on the responsibility of recycling collection. But, no matter how much noise we make, we cannot solve the problem that these "paper" cups have created: they are just plain garbage and over 300 billion of them end up in landfills each year.

[DAY 1] Each cup will contain bedding material, worms, and decomposing food stuffs. To set up the vermicomposting experiment, wash and dry 12 disposable coffee cups, as well as the plastic lid. Using an X-ACTO knife and following the circle logo on the front of each cup, cut out an observation window. Retain the circle logo for later use. To ensure the worms do not escape from the observation window, tape a small sheet of plastic wrap over the vacant space. Using the rectangular shapes along the side of the cup, cut out small vents to allow for air flow. Using the lid as a base, invert the cup and cut out the bottom of the cup - this allows for a feeding window. Use the circle logo to cover this vacant space, now and after each feeding. Label each cup in order from 1 - 12. The bedding material for each cup will consist of three toilet paper rolls torn into tiny bits about 2cm x 2cm (20gm) and shredded white paper about 5mm x 10mm (20gm). Using a small medicine dropper, moisten the bedding inside the cup with 25ml of purified* tap water. Using disposable chopsticks, fluff the bedding to ensure all of the material is properly moistened. Cover, and let stand over night. [DAY 1]

*Fill a tea pot with tap water, bring to a rolling boil. Pour into a glass container and allow to cool to room temperature before use. Save unused purified tap water for later use.

[DAY 2] Acquiring worms from a local retailer is the easiest and most cost-effective method. On average, $20 will buy 1000 worms (about one pound). To begin, count 50 worms and introduce them to their new home. DO NOT feed the worms on this day. Check the bedding material to ensure proper moisture level. Optimal condition for bedding material is damp, or similar to a squeezed sponge. *I added 10ml purified tap water.* Replace the lid and allow the worms to adjust to their new environment over night. Separate the cups into groups. Group A = cups marked 1, 2, and 3. Group B = cups marked 4, 5, and 6. Group C = cups marked 7, 8, and 9. Group D = cups marked 10, 11, and 12.[DAY 2]

[DAY 3] No change. [DAY 3]

[DAY 4] 0430 WORMS ARE ESCAPING! *Group A, 1 worm. Group B, 1 worm. Group C, 4 worms. Group D, 0 worms. Maybe they're hungry?* 0700 First feeding. Add to each each cup: 12.5ml spent coffee grounds, 20gm day-old watermelon rind (1cm x 1cm). Replace cover. [DAY 4]