composting worms

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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

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

[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.


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!

[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.
It was a fun three years keeping the worms.

[deeaimond]

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