composting worms

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I bought this worm bin:
http://images.marketplaceadvisor.cha...rayhiplain.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. 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. I've tentatively decided to name it The Lazy 'S' Worm Ranch. 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.

[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.

[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/2009/0...m-cocoons.html
Obviously some of my worms must have already been 'in the family way' when they arrived here.

[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?