Anyone compost with worms?

[igorsMistress]

Do you use a DIY bin or did you purchase one? How do you like the results? What bedding do you use?

I’ve composted with worms before but I was really unhappy with the DIY bin and threw in the towel. This time around I’m starting with a purchased bin, but I’m curious how others manage the process.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Have you seen this site?
https://foodprint.org/eating-sustai...ztKEkF75av3jLztrqTOdFJp7dcMON5TsaAq-7EALw_wcB
I used to do vermiculture with my sister and father. Rows and stacks of 2X2X3/4 plywood boxes in our basement using primarily shredded cardboard, top dressed with ground corn.

 

[igorsMistress]

Have you seen this site?
https://foodprint.org/eating-sustai...ztKEkF75av3jLztrqTOdFJp7dcMON5TsaAq-7EALw_wcB
I used to do vermiculture with my sister and father. Rows and stacks of 2X2X3/4 plywood boxes in our basement using primarily shredded cardboard, top dressed with ground corn.

No I haven’t, thanks! Did you sell your worms or compost or just use on your property?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No I haven’t, thanks! Did you sell your worms or compost or just use on your property?

We sold worms and worm castings.

 

[CanadaEh]

Do you use a DIY bin or did you purchase one?

DIY - totes with no drainage and flow-thru

How do you like the results?

the classic kitchen scrap composting generates compost at very slow rates (veggies are 95% or so water, the substance mostly comes from bedding. Also I rather feed scraps to chickens. If you use horse manure as bedding/feed it gets much faster. Later as I got lots of compost I found very few ways to use it (mostly in liquid fertilizer).

What bedding do you use?

shredded cardboard at first, than switched to horse manure

I’ve composted with worms before but I was really unhappy with the DIY bin and threw in the towel. This time around I’m starting with a purchased bin, but I’m curious how others manage the process.

what kind of bin you used and what were you unhappy about?

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I do, sort of. The showed up in a compost bin so I decided to leave it as a worm farm, mostly to feed to the chickens and occasionally pull out the compost to add to new or new seasons garden beds. They breed like crazy in horse manure, I'd go with that as a base and add any scraps as an addition once their numbers have exploded.

 

[igorsMistress]

DIY - totes with no drainage and flow-thru

the classic kitchen scrap composting generates compost at very slow rates (veggies are 95% or so water, the substance mostly comes from bedding. Also I rather feed scraps to chickens. If you use horse manure as bedding/feed it gets much faster. Later as I got lots of compost I found very few ways to use it (mostly in liquid fertilizer).

shredded cardboard at first, than switched to horse manure

what kind of bin you used and what were you unhappy about?

The whole thing turned into a mess. It was an open bin and had holes in the bottom for the leachate. This was quite some time ago.

I want the poop for tea for my plants and to add to the garden. I’m working on the yard here and don’t want to use chemical fertilizers. Also, I’d prefer not to put my kitchen scraps in a pile outside. We have some neighbors that aren’t good about picking up fruit and they’ve attracted fruit rats. I don’t usually have issues with them, but my kitchen scraps go into a tumbler I inherited and I don’t care for that method.

 

[igorsMistress]

I do, sort of. The showed up in a compost bin so I decided to leave it as a worm farm, mostly to feed to the chickens and occasionally pull out the compost to add to new or new seasons garden beds. They breed like crazy in horse manure, I'd go with that as a base and add any scraps as an addition once their numbers have exploded.

No horse manure available but it’s great you’re growing them. Do your chickens like them? Mine wouldn’t eat them.

 

[CanadaEh]

The whole thing turned into a mess. It was an open bin and had holes in the bottom for the leachate. This was quite some time ago.

you can skip the holes in the bottom, the bottom being tight works just fine - you just need watch how much watery veggies/fruits you add vs bedding

I want the poop for tea for my plants and to add to the garden. I’m working on the yard here and don’t want to use chemical fertilizers. Also, I’d prefer not to put my kitchen scraps in a pile outside. We have some neighbors that aren’t good about picking up fruit and they’ve attracted fruit rats. I don’t usually have issues with them, but my kitchen scraps go into a tumbler I inherited and I don’t care for that method.

I found it is easier to add chicken compost and mulch to the plants, than every rain or watering generated all the tea they got

 

[CanadaEh]

No horse manure available but it’s great you’re growing them. Do your chickens like them?

not feeding them from the bin. They have their own compost pile in the run to dig them from. Compost pile being in the run also prevents animals from visiting it.

Mine wouldn’t eat them.

not show how is it even possible. do they dig for ones in the ground?