composting worms

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

OK this is weird, but DH kept asking what i wanted for my upcoming birthday...and today I decided I wanted a worm composting bin.

So I shopped around and ordered a nice one and when it arrives I'll order a couple of pounds of red wrigglers (special super composting worms). :D :D

I used to have a 'regular' compost pile in my garden years ago but it never worked very well and was a big mess. I researched the worm composting method and it seems tailor made for our lifestyle. Plus, I happen to like worms! :p

I like the neat efficiency of the whole worm composting concept.
I'll probably be the only woman in the Northeast to get WORMS for her birthday. :cool:

Anyone else here on TE do this?

[Zen]

Well, I know this is not exactly the right way to do this but I just keep my kitchen scraps in a coffee can on the counter, save them all over the winter, then just dump the waste in my little sunflower patch and work it into the soil :o

[Dianyla]

Ooh, me! I'm into vermicomposting. I've had a Can O' Worms set up in my garage for the last, hmm, 2 years now. I love it. :)

[OakLeaf]

Keep us posted on how it goes eh?

I can't do regular compost in Florida because we're in town, with nearby neighbors and a large population of raccoons and rats. Professional gardeners assure me that temperatures are too high for an above-ground closed compost bin to work properly. It just KILLS me to throw kitchen scraps in the trash.

If it works well for you, I'm also going to need to find out whether I can get locally native worms to do the job. I'd plan on releasing them each year when we go North, so I wouldn't want to use a potentially invasive species or one that can't survive locally.

[sgtiger]

Well, I know this is not exactly the right way to do this but I just keep my kitchen scraps in a coffee can on the counter, save them all over the winter, then just dump the waste in my little sunflower patch and work it into the soil :o

That works. It's how mother nature does it. It attracts worms and beneficial soil microbes to your sunflower patch. I think it's called honey pot composting or something like that. Most people who do it dig a hole in a spot in their planting bed and cover it up when it gets full.



If it works well for you, I'm also going to need to find out whether I can get locally native worms to do the job. I'd plan on releasing them each year when we go North, so I wouldn't want to use a potentially invasive species or one that can't survive locally.

If you want you can keep a plastic container under your sink and vermicompost in your home. There are instructions for making your own container on gardening forums.

[sgtiger]

Lisa - I've really started to get into gardening this year and I don't think it's weird or unusual that you want a worm bin for your birthday. You should see what people do over on the garden web forum. There's a thread about compost wackos that's pretty funny. I'm finding that I'm doing more and more of things mentioned in that thread.:D

[HoosierGiant]

Oh, oh, oh!!! Please keep us informed throughout the entire process. Our 11-year-old daughter has been asking for a worm bin at every gift-giving occasion for the past year. She keeps her research notes for the project displayed on the refrigerator, just in case we forget.:)

[shootingstar]

I knew a couple who had a worm box on their apartment balcony.

[OakLeaf]

I think it's called honey pot composting or something like that.

Eh... I've always heard "honey pot" refer to the kind of composting that I'm too timid to try. The kind that says NOTHING gets wasted...

[OakLeaf]

I think it's called honey pot composting or something like that.

Eh... I've always heard "honey pot" refer to the kind of composting that I'm too timid to try. The kind that says NOTHING gets wasted...



you can keep a plastic container under your sink

That's how I'd do it, if I did (better moisture control), but taking them halfway across the country twice a year is a little more than I want to sign on for. :p

[sgtiger]

Oakleaf, you could be right. I may have gotten the name mixed up. I'm not brave enough to try the compost everything and anything method either. I found out that most municipalities (on the West Coast, at least) do that for us anyway. Supposedly the stuff is safe to land apply once it's been cured but I didn't want it for our veggie garden. I'm guessing that's the reason for some of our more recent produce recalls. Getting the occasional tainted veggie is one thing, but having the whole yard contaminated by sludge that is not cured right would be a nightmare.


.... but taking them halfway across the country twice a year is a little more than I want to sign on for. :p

I guess the neighbors would give you funny looks if you asked them to take care of your worms while you were away.:D:D:D

[divingbiker]

I don't think getting worms for your birthday is weird at all. I looked into this a few weeks ago, and decided against it.

I live in a neighborhood with lots of apartment building dumpsters and the rats that accompany them, so my worm compost bin would have to be indoors. I read that fruit flies are an issue, and I don't want to deal with them. But I'm still seriously considering it. Being a vegan, I have a LOT of vegetable scraps.

[GLC1968]

We put together our worm bins using rubbermaid bins left over from our storage/move. Cheap, easy and repurposing...all good! We've had them for a few months now and they are happily sharing our kitchen scraps with our regular compost pile, the chickens and the goats.

This is the first house I've had as an adult without an in-sink garbage disposal. I was worried that it would be an issue, but I don't miss it one bit!

Our bin has been inside all winter. No flies anymore (we did have an issue early on, but learned how to fix that). Two things help: 1) lots of shredded paper on top of the added scraps (we saved packing paper from our move for this, but newspaper would work well, too) and 2) freeze the scraps before giving them to the worms. I got this idea from someone else, and I have no idea why it works, but it does. I just keep a leftover container in the freezer for 'worm food'. I throw stuff in it, and then when it's full, move it to the worm bin.

[7rider]

Why would you want to buy worms to compost them? Wouldn't it be better to compost your yard and kitchen scraps??

;)

We have a large compost pile at the bottom of our hill in the back woods. It really doesn't get used a lot. Just added to. Bunnies are generally good at producing lots of good stuff to compost. We used to use a metal container (http://www.composters.com/compost-supplies/stainless-steel-compost-scrap-keeper_208_3.php)(with a charcoal filter) for kitchen scraps - but all it did was get moldy and gross if we didn't get it outside often enough. And DH and I just never seem to get to the bottom of the hill frequently enough with stuff to make it worthwile. Anyone want to buy it? I got loads of extra filters, too!

I saw a compost tumbler at the local food co-op. Kind of like this (http://www.composters.com/compost-tumblers/space-saver-compost-tumbler_38_2.php)...only different. Something like this might be good for folks without much space, without a lot to compost, and with critter issues....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I bought this worm bin:
http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/68/67854/fourtrayhiplain.jpg
As soon as it arrives I'll set up the worm bedding (damp shredded newspapers and cardboard- which they eventually eat as well- with a couple handfuls of earth) and then order my worms! Apparently they even love eating shredded corrugated cardboard, eggshells, and coffee grounds (along with the used coffee filters).
My tomato patch will love the worm castings fertilizer once it gets producing enough to harvest.

The worms are a special type you order (red wrigglers) that eat compost material at an incredible rate- unlike our local usual earthworms. They multiply well if they have decent conditions. Also unlike our local worms, they live within a foot of the surface and thus would freeze and die in our northern US winters if left out or 'released'. I will locate the bin in the garden in the shade for the summer, and move it down into our basement for the winter so the worms won't freeze and die. The whole thing is smaller than it looks- only 16"x16" x30" high, and that small size can house several thousand worms. :eek: Lots of people just use a smaller scale tupperware type bin and keep it under their kitchen sink. Apparently it's also a popular school project. If the bin conditions are right it doesn't smell bad at all- more like an earth or forest smell.
I find it fascinating!
Here is one of the better blogs I found about composting with worms:
http://wormdirt.wordpress.com/

DH is already making jokes about "Sweetie's Worm Ranch". Nothing i do ever surprises him. :rolleyes: I've tentatively decided to name it The Lazy 'S' Worm Ranch. :D Any other name ideas?

[Grits]

Two Christmases ago, my son asked for a compost bin for Christmas. We got him a 'Can O Worms" (or something to that effect). It is still going strong, although we got off to a slow start, mainly because we only got about one pound of worms at the beginning to learn on. We then let it get too dry once and lost a lot of them (I know, poor worms.), but nursed the remaining ones back to health, and I think we are finally ready to expand up to the next layer of the can. We keep ours in the garage, and the worms slow down over the winter. We plan to build a regular compost bin next week over spring break.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Our bin has been inside all winter. No flies anymore (we did have an issue early on, but learned how to fix that). Two things help: 1) lots of shredded paper on top of the added scraps (we saved packing paper from our move for this, but newspaper would work well, too) and 2) freeze the scraps before giving them to the worms. I got this idea from someone else, and I have no idea why it works, but it does. I just keep a leftover container in the freezer for 'worm food'. I throw stuff in it, and then when it's full, move it to the worm bin.

I think the freezing thing works because fruit flies lay their eggs in your little kitchen compost collecting pot for the day or two you are collecting kitchen scraps, before you take it to your worm bin....and freezing kills the fruit fly eggs before you put the compost material into the worm bin.
They also say if you gently make a little hole and bury your kitchen scraps down inside the worm bedding, and have plenty of shredded paper on the surface, then fruit flies are not a problem.

My 'worm condo' has been shipped. I ordered 2 lbs of red wriggler composting worms, but I did something a bit quirky- I ordered 1 lb of worms from two different places, to see what the service and quality differences might be. I also had this weird idea that doing this would ensure that my worms would have some genetic diversity as they started multiplying and that it would somehow be healthier as opposed to getting only worms that had been interbred for years together. Am I nuts for thinking this? Hah, here I am already practicing animal husbandry on my worms. :cool: :rolleyes:

[Tuckervill]

Lisa, you crack me up!

We have red wigglers in the ground here. I wouldn't have to buy them.

I don't compost my kitchen scraps because of um, laziness. But I do compost leaves and every year we chip about a yard of limbs that have fallen from our oaks and pecans, and we use that for mulch. Well, last year we didn't mulch, and now that pile is all lovely, lovely compost that I'm putting in the gardens this year.

Karen

[Dianyla]

I think the freezing thing works because fruit flies lay their eggs in your little kitchen compost collecting pot for the day or two you are collecting kitchen scraps, before you take it to your worm bin....and freezing kills the fruit fly eggs before you put the compost material into the worm bin.
They also say if you gently make a little hole and bury your kitchen scraps down inside the worm bedding, and have plenty of shredded paper on the surface, then fruit flies are not a problem.
I've only had a problem with fruit flies with citrus fruits, so eventually I just stopped adding those to my bin. However, I'm interested in the freezing technique... I hate not being able to compost everything. :)

(Burying them deeper didn't fix the problem for me.)

[tulip]

For years I froze my kitchen scraps in order to eliminate the stink that accompanied the collection. Now, however, I use a stainless steel bucket with a tight fitting lid. I take it out to my compost bin every couple of days. I've had no problems with stink or flies.

I'm a long-time composter, and I'm excited to get my 3-bin system up and running in May at my new house. Right now I have just a big pile of leaves (I have five mature oak trees in my yard) and my black composter. No problems with rodents here, but I did have a terrible problem with rats when I lived near DC. The only way to keep them away was to turn the pile every few days so they couldn't settle in. But that was hard to do with my work schedule. I would consider worms if I didn't have a yard.

[OakLeaf]

My "inside" scrap bucket is a one-gallon plastic container with a snap lid and a carry handle from the paint department at Home Depot. It goes in the dishwasher when it gets too gross. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've only had a problem with fruit flies with citrus fruits, so eventually I just stopped adding those to my bin. However, I'm interested in the freezing technique... I hate not being able to compost everything. :)
(Burying them deeper didn't fix the problem for me.)

They say if you lay several inches of fresh dry shredded newspaper on the very TOP of the surface of the composting bed with the worms, it keeps most of the fruit flies from getting down in the damp food stuff to lay any eggs. Between that and the freezing should help.

My worms have not arrived yet, but any day now, certainly this week. Meanwhile, I keep a little open plastic box for kitchen scraps near the sink, and after two or three days i put the lid on and freeze it and start a new tub near the sink. Then I'll thaw the frozen scraps to room temp a batch at a time and bury them in the worm bin once it's set up.
I read that freezing food scraps and then thawing them helps 'break them down' right away to the stage where the worms will be able to eat them much more quickly than if they were just fresh scraps. That makes sense to me.


Right now I have just a big pile of leaves (I have five mature oak trees in my yard) and my black composter. No problems with rodents here, but I did have a terrible problem with rats when I lived near DC. The only way to keep them away was to turn the pile every few days so they couldn't settle in. But that was hard to do with my work schedule. I would consider worms if I didn't have a yard.

I do have a yard, but I don't have that much yard debris to compost- mostly I've been frustrated as to 'recycling' kitchen food scraps. Here there are too many possums, skunks, racoons, dogs (and yes a few country rats too) to be putting food scraps into an outdoor bin. Those animals can pry their way into anything! :rolleyes:
But I liked the idea of a worm bin...it seems much more efficient and elegant to handle our limited food scraps. I like the concept of letting the worms do the 'turning' of the compost. :p Besides, worm castings will be GREAT fertilizer for my tomatoes!

[deedolce]

I love wormies! I got a worm tower through Freecycle, and got started with worms from a team member, trading her some handspun yarn for worms. :D I freeze stuff too. I also get used coffee grounds from the local Starbucks for the regular compost and my worm bin. I started 3 soda pop worm towers for my classroom too...science project, of course!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My first package of composting worms has arrived! :p
They are in their temporary bin home until their 'fancy' worm hive comes tomorrow.
I posted a bunch of worm pictures here:
My Blog (http://strumelia.blogspot.com/)
....Cute story included about my mailman, too. :)

[Dianyla]

They say if you lay several inches of fresh dry shredded newspaper on the very TOP of the surface of the composting bed with the worms, it keeps most of the fruit flies from getting down in the damp food stuff to lay any eggs.
That probably would help. However, in smaller bins, especially the tray systems, the height of each tray is about 6". As it starts getting full and ready to jump to the next tray, there's absolutely no room for that much additional material added on top. One thing I did try was to lay several sheets of newspaper down around the entire tray, to "seal" the top of the active pile from flies. Didn't work. The only thing that worked was to stop putting in citrus peels. :p

I read that freezing food scraps and then thawing them helps 'break them down' right away to the stage where the worms will be able to eat them much more quickly than if they were just fresh scraps. That makes sense to me.
That should help make the nutrients more readily available to the worms. When processing vegetables/etc. in the kitchen I always make sure to chop the rinds into smaller pieces. Also, I've also found it's a lot better to feed them in batches. I'll collect a pailful of my own kitchen scraps, and consolidate my scraps with a friend's kitchen scraps. By the time I take it down to the worms (about every 2 weeks) it's getting pretty ripe already. But the worms seem to love partially rotted scraps more than absolutely fresh cuttings.

Also, staggering the feedings forces them to eat some of their less favorite foods, otherwise they'll continue to avoid less favored foods and head for the choice items every time. :rolleyes:

[RoadRaven]

2 summers ago I got my parents, and my ma-in-law their own composting bins with worms.
Fantastic pressies, still being used, and the children (although 3 are adults now) really like us having one too!

Go for it. Most excellent.

(Though our worms have to compete with the pet cattle - as opposed to our farm cattle - and our dogs for the scraps from the house)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have added some progress reports on my worms with some new photos to my blog here:
http://strumelia.blogspot.com/

It's VERY exciting, and the worms I put in from a couple of days ago seem to be doing very well and are active. :p

[badger]

Vancouver actually subsidises worm composting, so two years ago I attended a class and came home with a bin and a bag full of red wrigglers.

I don't think I'm doing it quite right, though I'm assured I am by the garden society. I currently have the bin inside my apartment until we're completely out of the freezing point. Because of the fruit flies that tend to proliferate, I tend to starve the poor worms a bit when they're indoors. I'll have to harvest soon, too, it's getting too heavy.

What I found is that those worms can be somewhat picky eaters - I sometimes get sprouts coming out of things like cabbage cores because it takes them so long to chew through.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Vancouver actually subsidises worm composting, so two years ago I attended a class and came home with a bin and a bag full of red wrigglers.

Now that is forward thinking at its best. I wish our area was as progressive.


I don't think I'm doing it quite right, though I'm assured I am by the garden society. I currently have the bin inside my apartment until we're completely out of the freezing point. Because of the fruit flies that tend to proliferate, I tend to starve the poor worms a bit when they're indoors. I'll have to harvest soon, too, it's getting too heavy.
What I found is that those worms can be somewhat picky eaters - I sometimes get sprouts coming out of things like cabbage cores because it takes them so long to chew through.

If you lay 3" of dry shredded newspaper or a piece of cardboard or a few sheets of folded newspaper over the top of the worm soil, it will prevent most of the fruit flies from laying eggs in the scraps. Also, very important to BURY the scraps under the bedding, out of reach of the fruit flies.

It's good to cut the scraps up into 1" chunks- that like quadruples the surface area of the scraps and thus helps them break down and lets the worms work them much more quickly. I keep a spare scissors next to the sink scrap box. Easy enough to snip your banana peel, coffee filter, and other food scraps into pieces as you add it to the box of scraps.
I'm also following the simple advice of when I get a bunch of scraps collected (maybe three or four days' worth?) then I put a plastic box of them in the freezer for a day and then thaw them before giving them to the worms. This enables the worms to eat them right away instead of the worms having to wait til they decompose more first. Freezing/thawing starts breaking down the cell walls of the scraps.

So if you snip your scraps into smaller pieces and freeze/thaw them, you won't get cabbage cores sprouting or large pieces of food hanging around in the bin for too long. It sounds like more trouble than it really is- takes a few seconds really to snip pieces or throw stuff in the freezer.

Mimi- the worms will actually eat the eggshells if you crush them well. I had about 5 shells the other day and I let them dry overnight next to the sink. Then I put them in a cereal bowl and used the bottom of a drinking glass to just crush them up nicely first and mixed them in to the scraps. (I suppose I could get a mortar and pestle if I want to get fancy) They say ground egg shells are very welcome by worms as grit and calcium, and the calcium helps them to produce their worm 'cocoons' (which are actually little shelled worm eggs that hatch when mature!) Reminds me of feeding crushed eggshells to chickens to help them replace their lost calcium from laying eggs.

I have a cool book I just bought (used) called "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Appelhof. Between that and reading the vermicomposters.com forum I am learning an awful lot about worms lately. They are fascinating.

[bluebug32]

How exciting!

By the way, I just moved to Red Hook, so we should meet up for a ride when it finally gets warm :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

How exciting!

By the way, I just moved to Red Hook, so we should meet up for a ride when it finally gets warm :)

Red Hook? That's within driving distance for a ride get together, for sure! (oops, at first I was thinking of Red Rock, which is really close to us...Red Hook is a bit further but still short enough to arrange something). I have all kinds of great rides of all sizes mapped out over the past three years. (most starting with breakfast at Ralph's)
PM me if you want to exchange contact info. :)

[badger]

thanks, Lisa, for the info. I guess I should read the book (they gave it to me along with the bin and worms).

I actually put the scraps in the fridge to prevent them from rotting and letting the fruit flies lay eggs and hatch. I guess next time I'll throw them in the freezer!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I discovered some worm cocoons (eggs) in my worm bin today!
I posted some pix on my blog, for those interested in seeing what they look like....I'm quite excited!:
http://strumelia.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-first-worm-cocoons.html
Obviously some of my worms must have already been 'in the family way' when they arrived here. :eek: :cool:

[Tuckervill]

You're cracking me up, Grandma!

Karen

[badger]

I "harvested" my compost today - I remember why I haven't done it since last year - it's very time consuming to separate out the compost from the worms, and you'll never separate them completely as there are the babies and eggs mixed in there still.

I must not be doing it too badly, though, as I had to take out a whole bunch of worms out; way too crowded. Anyone want wriglers?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ok, so what is the lowest of the low one can sink to? Stealing poop, maybe?
Well that's what I 'almost' sunk to today, for the sake of my little eisenia foetida composting worms.

I was riding my bicycle through the countryside this beautiful Spring morning, and I passed by a large field where black angus beef are kept. There is a very sturdy fence around this field. I gazed longingly at the wonderful cow flops dappling the field, day dreaming about how much my compost bin worms would enjoy a treat of aged manure...
Then, I spied a nice cow patty that had been deposited right next to the fence wire! =8-D I could easily get my hand through and flip it right into the handy dandy plastic bag I always carry in my saddle bag! Technically I would be stealing the poop, but I couldn't quite see myself winding up on the police blotter if I got caught, right?

But I was just at the beginning of my 13 mile ride, and I would be coming home the same way, so I decided to do the poo heist on my way home so I wouldn't have to haul it around for miles.
I got my come-uppence, though, because on the way back I slowed down there and searched for the poo pile with my name written all over it...and I couldn't find it again! I had to go home empty handed. :(

But as fate would have it, interesting developments were yet to come!

This afternoon I had to take one of my cats to the vet. As I pulled into the vet's parking lot, it dawned on me that the vet used to have some sheep she kept in back of her house! When she finished with my cat, I asked if I could have some sheep doo doo, and she said "Sure, take all you want!"

So I loaded up my bag and now I have some nice sheep doo treats to try out on my worms! Should add some good nutrients to their diet- for free, too!

Thank goodness I didn't have to stoop to poop looting. This time.

[Blueberry]

Erm...I was thinking about worms. Until this:D:D:rolleyes:

[sgtiger]

Lisa - You are not alone. There are many others with this affliction. Here's a thread for you about compost wackos - it's akin to our wool weenies thread:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/midatl/2002101805019109.html

If you're not doing half these things, you're not a wacko yet. There is still time to get help. Or you can just come over to the dark side.:p:D

ETA: You might want to find out if the rancher is using de-worming medication for those cows, otherwise your wormies could get very sick. Then you can ask nicely if you can take some field patties home with you. They'll probably give you a bunch of queer looks or you'll have them rolling on the ground snorting, but most cyclist seem to be immune to those sorts of things.;)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here's a cute photo I took yesterday of one of the eensy beensy new baby composting earthworms I found in my worm bin....he/she is waving hello :D :
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/3537217484_561e6d2de4.jpg

[TxDoc]

Here's a cute photo I took yesterday of one of the eensy beensy new baby composting earthworms I found in my worm bin....he/she is waving hello :D :
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/3537217484_561e6d2de4.jpg

Ahem... I'm not too familiar with worms, I must confess... but where is the head and where is the tail, and what are the two darker 'blurbs' on the worm???

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ahem... I'm not too familiar with worms, I must confess... but where is the head and where is the tail, and what are the two darker 'blurbs' on the worm???

the head end is pointing up, exploring. You mean the two blackish things?- they are just little pieces of dirt. ;) Here is some earthworm anatomy:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Earthworms-and-digestion

they have no brain! :eek:

[Biciclista]

Lisa
next thing you know your worms will become partners in crime with Ruby!
My mother told me that when she was a little kid one of the more exasperating jobs she had was that when a horse went by and defecated on the street, her mother would make her go out with a dust pan and brush and pick it up... for the garden.

you're not alone.

Speaking of my mother, there used to be a Donkey that lived about 3 miles from her house (this is the last 15 years) and he always defecated in the same spot, on the edge of his pasture, which was close to the side of the road. I know my mother helped herself to his droppings at least once for HER garden!

[OakLeaf]

I talked with my sister the other day and she told me she's started a worm bin.

An unexpected benefit is that it's forcing her to eat at home more. (She knows how to keep healthy, she's just very, very busy.) At first she had nothing to feed her earthworms but tea bags. :p

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I talked with my sister the other day and she told me she's started a worm bin.

An unexpected benefit is that it's forcing her to eat at home more. (She knows how to keep healthy, she's just very, very busy.) At first she had nothing to feed her earthworms but tea bags. :p

I notice that too!- I find myself buying more fresh veggies and fruits and eating them, partly so I'll have special scrap treats for my wormies! :eek:
Well it's all good!
And we are making plans to put in a bigger veggie garden now in the backyard.

[uforgot]

Lisa, your worm looks like it is sporting a stylish brown derby.:D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa, your worm looks like it is sporting a stylish brown derby.:D

Or a stylish cycling cap? :D
http://www.dirtragmag.com/merch/images/sheilamooncap.jpg
(that guy looks like he has a terrible hangover!) :cool:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well today I harvested my first tray of earthworm castings from my tiered worm compost bin. I really could have done it a couple of weeks ago but didn't have the time til today.

After carefully sorting out the remaining worms and returning them to the bin, I wound up with about 13 pounds of beautiful 'black gold'- pure worm castings. Looks and smells like gorgeous black crumbly forest earth- smells like the forest, too, really nice.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3375/3644934224_9ced22de9a.jpg

Every time now that I plant a new row of lettuce or radish or spinach seed in the garden, i'll work little trowelfuls of castings right in along the little seed trenches as I sow. Unlike manure, castings won't burn the seedlings. Castings are like compost but even better- more-nutrient rich, and all the nutrients are already broken down into a form that the plants can use immediately.

I'm excited! My next tray of castings should be ready to harvest in another month or so.

I've had the worm bin for about 2 1/2 months now, and it's done extremely well for me. The worms have been breeding and thriving. The worms are all now 'up to speed' and can eat more scraps than when they were starting out. I'd estimate that they consume and process about 7 pounds of kitchen scraps per week now. I hope to increase that to 10 pounds per week soon, as the many babies mature. The worms have been multiplying happily and I must have about 30% more than when I started. It's said that their population size will automatically regulate itself according to the bin size and the food supply.
The bin is unobtrusively in the corner of the kitchen, and it never smells or attracts fruit flies or anything. I guess I must be keeping the bin conditions just right. :)

I like that after the initial purchase of bin and worms, it becomes an essentially free way of USING kitchen garbage and old food scraps and converting it into healthy rich garden fertilizer...to help grow new fresh food! :p

[OakLeaf]

Oh that's beautiful! I can almost smell it. How exciting!

[divingbiker]

Resurrecting this thread because my worms are on their way! I finally decided to take the plunge.

I'm wondering if those of you who have worm bins are still having success and if the worms still thriving. I'm worried that the worms won't make it here alive since it's so hot here. And I didn't plan well and the worms will arrive several days before my Can O Worms bin.

I'm just hoping it all works out. I've got a bucket full of scraps under the sink just waiting to be devoured. I'm so excited!

[badger]

after 3 years of having a healthy colony of worms, they all died last month :( I was very sad, because before I left on my vacation, they were doing well, and when I came back 3 weeks later they were all dead.

I believe what happened was they drowned. I was cleaning out the bin (the stuff in there was soup), I noticed that the 4 holes at the bottom of the bin was clogged up like a hard calcium deposit.

so make sure that you have enough holes for the tea to drip out so they won't be drowning like mine did :(

I've since gotten more worms and started another one, but I'm so paranoid now.

[NbyNW]

I love reading everyone's composting stories. I just have a "cold" pile in my back yard.

Would love to try worm composting someday, but right now I move too often. I can just see myself getting stressed out over finding new homes for my worms to get ready for a move!

[KateNTx]

I'm in Texas, where it is currently hotter than (fill in the blank)...but I would LOVE to start Vermiculture...there are very few worms in our soil here, even when I compost (which I've let slide this year because of family health issues), but I'm hoping to be able to start fresh next spring. I wish the area were more progressive with composting/vermiculture, I envy those of you in areas with community support.
Maybe when we get our summer place up north, it'll be on my list of things to try.

[divingbiker]

My worms were delivered today! I'm going home early so I can get the bin set up and get the worms out of their shipping box. Can't wait!

[malkin]

Who still has worms?

We're just starting out.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Who still has worms?

We're just starting out.

Wow, weird coincidence- I just sold my worm bin to some friends yesterday!
Due to our new very large vegetable garden, we really had to create a much large outdoor compost pile system. My worm bin just can't handle the volume anymore, so time for the little squigglies to move to a more needy home. :D
It was a fun three years keeping the worms. :p

[deeaimond]

I still do... and planning to get more because my worms haven't been multiplying much>> I think sometimes i neglect them.. oops.