composting worms

[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?

[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.