Do you have a compost pile? Please post pics

[Chicken Fruit]

Quote:
For some reason that made me throw up a little in my mouth.

yuck.

in your BASEMENT? *gag*

LOL... Ok.. That was funny...

Those aren't worms at the top, that's damp shredded paper..

I'd head of people keeping worm bins in their closets.. So long as the bin is healthy, it just smells like wet dirt.

I dont know what I thought it was... but disgusting was on the list... gag.

 

[SophieLain127]

I finally got around to drilling some holes in my composting barrel and boy was it stinky... kinda smelled like horse poop so I added some extra leaves and let it air out a bit. I shouldn't have neglected it for so long

 

[pixiechic]

Here's our pallet composter, with a hinged front so I can get in there with a shovel and turn the pile over. DH has since cut a hole in the cover so we can just pop it open and dump kitchen stuff in without un-bungeeing the lid. More pics and info on how it's built here .

 

[Tala]

I have a VERY healthy crop of regular earthworms outside. I used to just have a pile beside a huge tree where things were already naturally decomposing when we moved in. It was just a pile with hogwire around it, and it was hard to turn. I used to use ground up wheat or pine dust cat litter and it made good compost. Grew nice tomatoes anyway.

I cut the tree this spring, so now I need to move my compost. I wanted something a little "better" this time around, and better covered. We did get flies and bugs, but I blame the neighbor's dogs more than my compost pile.
I was going to use a Rubbermaid bin that I already have, and I can get those special red wigglers for $2/cup on craiglist in my area (new posting just today - wow good timing!) but I was thinking that rolling a drum would be a lot better than trying to turn that stuff in a Rubbermaid.

Or are redworms so much better than regular earthworms that I won't have to turn? (actually the plain earth worms did a pretty good job, but I figure there's always room for improvement!)

Where do you guys find those food grade drums???

 

[SophieLain127]

My dad works for T. Marzetti so he can get them sometimes. We have about five we use one as a composter and four as rain barrels.

Sometimes you can buy them on craigs list for under 20

 

[zachslc]

Red wigglers are very different from "garden worms". Red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) are epigeic worms. They will not live in a soil environment.

 

[SophieLain127]

I called a bait and tackle store because I was told I could get them there... the person told me they sold dug worms which are a type of red wiggler.... anyone know about that?

 

[zachslc]

Since the vernacular nomenclature is likely different in the tackle industry there is a good chance they are not the same thing. In fact, when you google "red wiggler" you see hits for fishing lures. It would be worth a try, but I think you'd be better to ask high-end nurseries or order them online. I got mine from a gardening friend. I'd offer to ship you some, but my colony isn't established enough yet and I don't know how to ship them.

I can see it now:

Bob's bait. Can I help you?

Do you have red wiggler worms?

Well, them's red and them's a wigglin', so golly I reckon we does.

 

[zachslc]

Also, to clarify, in most parts of the country they cannot be kept outside year round.