Kikiriki, You mention using african nightcrawlers, can the ones that we have here work. After a rain I can pick up hundreds of nightcrawlers, and if they would work in the compost I could use them instead of the red wigglers. Thanks
WORMS ANYONE?:-~)
- Thread starter anjaneep
- Start date
Kikiriki
Songster
Typically, the worms you find are the type that live very deep in the soil: we're talking multiple feet deep, up to 12 feet down! They tend to not do well in confinement as compost worms: they breed slowly, eat slowly, or even eat different foods than what you want them too. You can certainly try, though, but if they are grey colored you will probably not be happy with your results. If you find three inch red to purplish colored worms, these would be better. Free is good so go ahead and try a small test bin: lots of info out there on how to make one out of just about any container, but here are tips from my experience:
Have either a weighted lid or one that locks down,
Drill a lot of very very small holes in the bottom, the smallest bit you can find! You would be amazed at how small a hole the worms will fit through!
Or--better--cut out one large hole: you will want to get a sponge like the kind that are inside a Dobie Pad (sold for dish scrubbing) these do not break down or rot, they don't have holes the worms can get into, and the worms will not eat it). Use silicon to afix it to the inside of the bin over the hole. Do this several days--at the least--before you add worms so the chemicals dissipate. This will be your drain, which is very necessary in a closed container. You end up with very gooey mud otherwise.
If this is going inside, or even in a garage, you really need to keep that container inside another container: it should keep the first one raised a couple of inches off the bottom, or use cans or something to lift it. Important if you have this in the house: empty it frequently, because the fruit flies like that liquid!
Use the same small drill to make air vent holes in the lid and around the sides, about two inches down.
If the container is going to be outside, it needs a place that is always in full shade or it will need to be insulated with a reflective material to keep it from cooking.
An interesting alternative I saw on youtube was using a big diameter pipe: like a heavy wall PVC waste pipe of 4 or more inches in diameter.
Get a six foot section of pipe, and you will want a solid cap for the top. (I think you can get a fitting that is threaded and a cap that is threaded, which would be great, but a slip on cap will certainly do fine). Also get and a vented end cap, and PVC glue.
Drill those small vent holes in the length of the pipe two feet down from what will be the top end.
Use PVC glue to secure only the vent cap on the opposite end.
If you found the threaded fitting, also glue that on.
Dig a hole three feet deep and bury the pipe with the vent cap down in the ground.
You will put your compost into the pipe. Add the worms you catch and put on the upper cap. They can move freely into the soil, but most of them will keep coming back because there is food and moisture from the vegetables. If the tube fills up, you can pull it out and use the castings, then just stick it back in the hole.
The only bad thing with this is might attract moles, which have a keen sense of smell and love eating worms. It should not get into the pipe, but may tear up the yard and eat all the worms...
Have either a weighted lid or one that locks down,
Drill a lot of very very small holes in the bottom, the smallest bit you can find! You would be amazed at how small a hole the worms will fit through!
Or--better--cut out one large hole: you will want to get a sponge like the kind that are inside a Dobie Pad (sold for dish scrubbing) these do not break down or rot, they don't have holes the worms can get into, and the worms will not eat it). Use silicon to afix it to the inside of the bin over the hole. Do this several days--at the least--before you add worms so the chemicals dissipate. This will be your drain, which is very necessary in a closed container. You end up with very gooey mud otherwise.
If this is going inside, or even in a garage, you really need to keep that container inside another container: it should keep the first one raised a couple of inches off the bottom, or use cans or something to lift it. Important if you have this in the house: empty it frequently, because the fruit flies like that liquid!
Use the same small drill to make air vent holes in the lid and around the sides, about two inches down.
If the container is going to be outside, it needs a place that is always in full shade or it will need to be insulated with a reflective material to keep it from cooking.
An interesting alternative I saw on youtube was using a big diameter pipe: like a heavy wall PVC waste pipe of 4 or more inches in diameter.
Get a six foot section of pipe, and you will want a solid cap for the top. (I think you can get a fitting that is threaded and a cap that is threaded, which would be great, but a slip on cap will certainly do fine). Also get and a vented end cap, and PVC glue.
Drill those small vent holes in the length of the pipe two feet down from what will be the top end.
Use PVC glue to secure only the vent cap on the opposite end.
If you found the threaded fitting, also glue that on.
Dig a hole three feet deep and bury the pipe with the vent cap down in the ground.
You will put your compost into the pipe. Add the worms you catch and put on the upper cap. They can move freely into the soil, but most of them will keep coming back because there is food and moisture from the vegetables. If the tube fills up, you can pull it out and use the castings, then just stick it back in the hole.
The only bad thing with this is might attract moles, which have a keen sense of smell and love eating worms. It should not get into the pipe, but may tear up the yard and eat all the worms...
I envy you peeps in the warmer states that can have Black Soldier Flies naturally. I tried those the summer before last (I'm in Michigan) with limited success using a dog crate covered with an old sheer curtain and a fairly simple compost bucket tilted so they could self-harvest. I didn't really have time this last year to try again but I want to set it up this summer hopefully . . . the chickens go nuts for BSFL!!! And they are great for breaking down the food that the worms don't. I then fed the BSFL castings to the worms - they thrived on it.
So I told my hubby about my plans to farm worms. His response, just shook his head, smiled at me and asked how much this project was going to cost him. I'll be ordering my worms next month!
I've started my mealworm factory 3 weeks ago and allready have a lot of pupae. I find them fascinating and my chickens go crazy for them!
I also started breeding worms (a mix of Dendrobena) in a leftover cat litterbox at the same time. I allready see a lot op tiny white babyworms, so I decided to move them outside in a while. I'm breeding them to improve the soil of my garden, it's very dense to the point water doesn't drain very well after a rainy day. I also came across the tip of the pvc pipes, so I'll take that on also. I hope to achieve my goal this way, that would be great!
Along the way I stumbled across the Deep Litter Method, wich would also be an excellent idea worm-wise.
Very excited about working with nature to improve my garden!
I also started breeding worms (a mix of Dendrobena) in a leftover cat litterbox at the same time. I allready see a lot op tiny white babyworms, so I decided to move them outside in a while. I'm breeding them to improve the soil of my garden, it's very dense to the point water doesn't drain very well after a rainy day. I also came across the tip of the pvc pipes, so I'll take that on also. I hope to achieve my goal this way, that would be great!
Along the way I stumbled across the Deep Litter Method, wich would also be an excellent idea worm-wise.
Very excited about working with nature to improve my garden!
Should I get you the list of the best Vermiculture sites now, lol? You will be hooked before you know it . . . you wouldn't think that worms are almost as fascinating as chickens, but they are! Tell your DH to start on your flow-through worm bin now . . .
If you have better sites to buy worms from then amazon, please share your knowledge. As for the worm bins, my DH says I have to start small (rubbermaid tubs) before he'll build me anything fancy. I have a tendancy of getting in over my head unless he reins me in to a slower pace.
Rubbermaid bins are just fine to start with - probably the best, really. I have a recycling bin that I use sometimes, too. Cardboard can be cut down to fit on tip for a 'lid' of sorts. I have found some good deals on worms on both Craigslist and Ebay. A fellow CL'er got me started for $10/lb (worked out to be closer to 2/3 of a lb. but there were lots of cocoons in there). I bought 4 lbs of red wigglers (EF's) on Ebay last fall for $60 w/free shipping. Bentley from Red Worm Composting has great worms but they aren't the cheapest, by far. But they do arrive in really good condition, packed well. He has a nice selection, too. I have a friend who simply starts a pile of leaves every fall and each spring she says it's loaded with red wigglers/leaf worms that do a great job composting.
Since I got started in vermiculture I've set several friends and coworkers up with RM bin systems and most have stuck with it.
Happy Worming!
Here's my start up plan. Let me know if any of you think I need to change anything.
6 large (36 gal) Rubbermaid tubs with lockable lids
1000 earthworms
1000 African nightcrawlers
1000 red wrigglers
Rebar frame
Hardware cloth
I've got a blank spot in my garden that will eventually be my chicken coop/run. It has several 10+ foot bushes that shade the area. I'm going to take three of the tubs and drill the smallest holes I can all over the tubs and lids for air flow and draining. I'm going to take the othe three buckets and drill hole in the top half. I'll then place the first tub in the tub with the holes on top. The bottom tub will be able to collect my worm tea easily while I can keep adding compost materials to the top bucket with the worms. Each set of two buckets will hold 500 of a different type of worm. Then I'll put the three sets of buckets under a rebar and hardware cloth frame for predator protection and under the bushes for shade. Of the rest of the worms, 1/3 will go into my current open compost pile and the rest will go directly into the garden beds.
6 large (36 gal) Rubbermaid tubs with lockable lids
1000 earthworms
1000 African nightcrawlers
1000 red wrigglers
Rebar frame
Hardware cloth
I've got a blank spot in my garden that will eventually be my chicken coop/run. It has several 10+ foot bushes that shade the area. I'm going to take three of the tubs and drill the smallest holes I can all over the tubs and lids for air flow and draining. I'm going to take the othe three buckets and drill hole in the top half. I'll then place the first tub in the tub with the holes on top. The bottom tub will be able to collect my worm tea easily while I can keep adding compost materials to the top bucket with the worms. Each set of two buckets will hold 500 of a different type of worm. Then I'll put the three sets of buckets under a rebar and hardware cloth frame for predator protection and under the bushes for shade. Of the rest of the worms, 1/3 will go into my current open compost pile and the rest will go directly into the garden beds.
- Feb 23, 2013
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I started with 1000 meal worms in a 10 gal tank & put about 3 inches of wheat bran as per this web site. Its not quite 2 weeks & have beetles already. They are so easy. Wonder if I got the earth worms if they would stay in my compost pile?
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