| Author |
Garden Gate:  Worm Bin/ Farming  |
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 31 2007 : 09:58:20 AM
|
I confess! I am a worm farmer. Worm farming is really easy, and there are lots of books out there about them. I feed mine my vegi waste. I also have a compost pile for the excess waste that I can't feed my worms. (too many onions, lots of citrus) My population is not large enough for my family of five YET. It will grow. One day I might not need my compost pile. I thought I'd share a bit about what I know about worms. First, let me give you a link to the place I bought my bin. My bin sits in my kitchen. No odor, no fuss, and EASY peasy! I got it here: http://www.co.douglas.or.us/recycle When you get to the page, find the worms link in the navigate bar on your left. GOOD GOOD stuff. Here are a few things you should know about worms.
1. Not all worms are composting worms. Earthworms are NOT composters. They are earth MOVERS. You will need Red Worms for a bin.
2. I have the bin in the picture. It's plastic, and black. This is good for a few reasons. The plastic is not affected by the moisture that a worm bin generates. (one poster in the compost thread called it "worm pee") This moisture is NOT worm pee. It's the water that your vegitables create as they breakdown, and seep through the layers of worm "castings" (a fancy term for worm poop) This worm "tea" as I like to call it, is VERY rich in nutrients. It should never be put on plants at full strength. It's too strong. I dillute my tea 1 part tea to 8 parts water or so. Another nice thing about this bin, is that it is self contained. It comes with an instruction booklet. Everything you need to know is in that booklet. There is a spout on the bottom that makes harvesting your tea very easy. This is handy, because once you get your worms, their food, their bedding, and all that in the bin, it's VERY HEAVY.
3. I have found a way to distrubute my tea onto my lawn. I bought a Miracle Gro sprayer that attatches to my garden hose. I fill the can with worm tea, and spray away! Very easy. My lawn LOVED it. I also used this method to fetilize my tomatoes. So far, I have not harvested my castings. It will be a while before I do that. Until then, I am harvesting the tea, and seeing really good things from it!
4. There are a lot of suggestions for worm bedding, but I think that NEWSPAPER is just fine. I have had very good results with my bin using only newspaper for bedding.
Be sure to check out the link! There are other links on the worm page with worm information! It's a really great way to get REALLY good results VERY fast. I think I had my first batch of tea within 1 month of starting my bin.
Rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
shelle
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Shelle
oklahoma
USA
404 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2007 : 4:40:32 PM
|
Rachel
What a cool idea! I would like to try this when we move to the new house but I bet DH will protest. But it sure sounds interesting.
Shelle
|
 |
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2007 : 4:54:09 PM
|
Worm bins can be kept pretty much anywhere. If DH protests, you could place your bin in the garage as long as the temp. doesn't drop too low. I think it's 20 degrees Farenheight. I love my worms. The goodies they give my garden are better than ANYTHING I've ever tried. Compost isn't even AS GOOD as castings.
Rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Persephone
True Blue Farmgirl
172 Posts
Katrina
Indiana
USA
172 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2007 : 10:53:17 AM
|
I live in a 700 sq foot one bedroom apt, and I"m seriously contemplating this. I have been for a while- we have a small garden on our porch, and right now I'm tossing kitchen waste into the garbage can- there's no place outside for a compost pile- I HATE doing it! I know we could reduce our waste so much if we just started composting and recycling (please don't hate me for not recycling- our city doesn't have a program, and we can't spare the space to save stuff to take it to the proper places!)But I do have some space under the sink that would fit a worm bin...  Anyway, thank you for this post! :) |
Edited by - Persephone on Feb 01 2007 10:54:01 AM |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2007 : 11:03:13 AM
|
I'm glad that your are interested! Let me know if you've got questions...
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
owwlady
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Jan
Tomahawk
WI
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 3:39:50 PM
|
| Rachel, I've been looking into doing the worm composting. I've gotten some info online, but it's better to talk to someone who's been doing it for awhile. I was going to put the bin in the basement. It's plenty warm down there. I'll be checking out the link you posted. I mentioned in another post under Garden Gate, that worms are going to be my first livestock. I like to start small...no barn to build. |
|
|
|
GaiasRose
True Blue Farmgirl
2552 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
2552 Posts |
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 8:18:18 PM
|
Tasha,
I guess in a way, it's like worm pee! LOL It's really actually watered down poop, which is even less yummy sounding! Have fun with your worms! They are really easy to keep. Like I said, My bin is right in my Kitchen.
Jan,
I saw that you are going to be a worm Rancher! Actually, that IS a term! I love the thought! I think you'll like the ease of your bin. It's easy to start harvesting the tea right away, and then over time, you can harvest the actual castings too. I haven't done that yet.
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Aunt Karen
Farmgirl in Training
33 Posts
West Central Idaho
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 07:30:23 AM
|
Oceanfarmgirl I was wondering...since red worms aren't really earthworms what do you do with them once they multiply? I always thought you could put them in the garden, but now I am not sure.
Thanks, Karen |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 07:41:40 AM
|
Karen,
Red worms live in debris, and eat the waste there. If you have a lot of leaves, or other organic mulch in your garden, you could put your worms there, and they would be able to survive as long as your temperatures stay reletively warm. I don't put my worms out, but my husband has used them for fishing even though they are fairly small. Worms in a Bin environment SHOULD regualate their population on their own. Once their living area is up to capacity, they somehow (I'm not sure about how) level their reproduction off. They also won't multiply if their food quantity is low. I hope that answered your question...
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 08:09:35 AM
|
Can you do a worm bin inside? I haven't heard of that before but it sounds like it would be great for in a greenhouse... Unless it gets TOO hot in there.
Also, I saw one lady who put her worm bin underneath her rabbit hutch. Not only did the bin catch the rabbit pellets and food that the rabbit pushed out but also the rabbit "poop". She said it was awesome and her worms LOVED it.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
|
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 09:16:45 AM
|
Erin,
Yes!! You can totally worm inside! I have my bin in my kitchen. You would probably have to take your bin out of your greenhouse in warmer weather, but other than that, as long as your outside temp. is between 20 and I think 80, worms do OK. You should also not have the bin in direct light, because most of them are black, and heat up too much. I'm going to TRY to take some pictures of my set up so you all can see what I have.
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Aunt Karen
Farmgirl in Training
33 Posts
West Central Idaho
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 10:43:07 AM
|
| Thanks Rachel! So if I understand correctly, one would have worm bins for recycling compost and getting castings and tea from the worms. I'm looking forward to getting started - hopefully this spring/early summer. |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 10:51:36 AM
|
Erin,
I think you've got the idea, the link I put in my frist post is a really good one, and I have the bin that you can buy through the county here. I'm not sure if they ship or not, but it's a very complete set up, and it's one that will last forever. I'm JUST ABOUT to the point that I will be moving my first bin down to the second level. The set up I have has three levels, and a fourth bottom that holds the "tea". The top level is the one you start with. All of the three worm levels have holes in the bottoms. You start with one level on the top. Once you've fed your worms enough that their castings reach the top, you set an empty bin on top of the castings, and put new bedding and food in the next level. The worms migrate from the first box to the second, and once you get the third level started with bedding and food, the first box you started with is void of worms. Then it's ready to harvest the castings. This can take up to a year of reagular feeding to reach. HOWEVER, at anytime during this process, you can harvest (should harvest) tea. I use an old MiracleGro watering attachment for the garden hose. I use it to dilute the tea.
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
|
|
country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 12:24:25 PM
|
Rachel, Well, you know how I love my store-bought worm casings. Could I really do this?! I don't know. How long have you been at it? Is a basement too cold or damp or out-of-the-way for it? I have a very low threshold for squeamish...what do you think? Am I a candidate? Was it a difficult concept for you to get used to? Worms in your kitchen? (Actually, the truth is that I have meal worms in my refrigerator for my bluebird feeder, maybe I'm not as squeamish as I thought.) What about the smell? Is there one? The casings I buy don't smell at all but I don't know if they've been processed. This is very interesting. Hmmmmm.
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 12:34:19 PM
|
Rebekah,
I think personally, that worm farms are easier than composting. Once you've built your population up, they will eat PILES of vegi's in a day or two! A basement is definately NOT too out of the way, or damp, as long as the temp. is reletively stable, it's a great place! Being a basement, really the only worry I can see as far as the temp, is that it might get too cold. I'm just trying to remember off the top of my head here, but I think the min. temp is around 20 degree's Farenheight. If you can handle
A. The "rotting" of a regular compost pile,
B. The site of an earthworm,
C. Damp earthy smelling "mud"
Then YES YES YES you can handle a worm bin! The way that your store bought castings smell is the way a bin smells. If you begin to smell odor, then there has been a shift in bacterial ballance, and there are things you can do to fix it. I have never had any odor other than a rich earthy smell. Usually, just laying off the feeding for a few days will handle any odor. Most of the time, odor is just the food rotting before the worms can eat it. I've had my bin for a little over a year now, but I wasn't very good about regular feeding at first. As long as a bin has newspaper bedding, the worms will be OK without feeding for a while. They just eat the paper. Now that I'm on the roll with them, they've really taken off. I should be able to harvest my first castings crop in about 6 months. Here's a link to my gardening blog. This link will take you straight to a tour of my worm bin.
http://oceanfarmgirlsgarden.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-my-worms-are-up-to.html
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 12:47:37 PM
|
Rachel, the site you posted is only good for residents of Alameda County. San Diego (CA) County has a similar program through the Solana Center. People may do best to check their own county recycling programs.
I am excited to be getting my worm bin this spring.
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
|
|
|
country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 1:23:17 PM
|
Okay, Rachel, that does freak me out. That picture of those worms...oh my gosh! Doesn't pass my squeamish tolerance test. I think I'll look at that picture every day until I build up a tolerance. I do think this is a really cool idea, just don't know if I could actually do it. Is there any reason you have to touch those guys? Or, do you just feed them? Ick. (PS My father took me fishing one time...only once, never again...)
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2007 : 3:05:25 PM
|
Rebeckah,
LOL too funny! I handle my worms, but only because I like to, not because it's necessary to hold them when you feed. It's no different from finding worms in the garden, except for the fact that a bin is much more mud like in consistency. I had to really be quick to get that picture, because the worms all dive deep when the light hits them. Usually, the burrow away, and you don't see that many. The only reason You saw the ones on my blog was because I moved food that normally I wouldn't disturb. Keep visiting that picture, girl! Worm tea and Castings are the best thing your garden will ever eat!
Sleepless, I did notice that a little bit ago... The brnd of bin that I have is called the Wriggly Worm Ranch. If folks Google Wriggly Worm Ranch, they might find bins in their area... and as you said, there are a lot of programs available through county recycling programs!
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 07 2007 : 10:33:08 PM
|
Tracy!
Your comment on my gardening blog made me laugh! I've never heard my worms, although, when I open the box sometimes, it sounds like a lot of tiny bubbles in the mud. I think that might be what your friend is talking about. It's just the air moving in the mid and compost. The worms moving it around. I don't think you can hear them eating or anything! If I can convince just one of you that worming is worth it, I'll be a happy girl!
rachel
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com
OR check out my gardening activities at http://oceanfarmgirlsgarden.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
|
|
MustangSuzie
True Blue Farmgirl
634 Posts
Sarah
New London
Missouri
USA
634 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 08:13:32 AM
|
Do you specifically have to have the 'worm bin' or can you use some other kind of container? I was watching a video on a Seventh Generation site and it looked like the woman was using a large trash can for hers.
Blessings....
Sarah
"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." -From The Great Law Of The Iroquois Confederacy.
|
|
|
|
oceanfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
Rachel
A Little Closer to Heaven
Oregon Coast
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2007 : 08:49:05 AM
|
You can absolutely use a regular container. The thing is, that there is a lot of water waste generated by worms and the composting process. A LOT. I say A LOT, right? 
The beauty of a worm bin that's premade, is that the system is complete. Let me explain what I mean by complete.
First, there are four levels in a pre made bin. The first three, have holes in the bottoms that are just the right size for the worms to travel through. Eventually, once your top level is full, and the worms are about finished with the waste there, you place a second bin inside the first, and on top of the waste. Then you start feeding in that level. The worms migrate up into the new bin, and eat there. Once you've gotten your third level on and are feeding in it, the first bin that you started with, which is now on the bottom, is ready to harvest, and there are no worms in it. So you don't have to sift them off. (bin worms don't generally do well in the outdoors of a garden, so you don't want to put them out with the castings if you can help it)
Second, there is a spout on the bottom of the fourth bin, which always stays on the bottom, that makes harvesting the liquid gold of your bin easy. Lifting your bins off of one another to get to the run off would be quite a task. Right now, with only one level full, my bin weighs over 50 lbs.
Third, the bin has ventilation with very small holes to keep out flies and other pests that might try to get into the bin. DIY bins will be hard to place small holes like this in.
Now, this does not mean that DIY bins aren't any good. They can be very good. You can make one with drain spouts, you can make multi levels on your own. The woman that you saw, might not harvest her worm tea. Some worm "farmers" choose to let the tea drain out of the bottom and into the ground.
For me, part of the REASON for worming is the tea. Until I can harvest the castings, the tea has been a valuable resource for my fertilization. For the cost that I would pay to buy the trash cans to make my bins, drill my holes on three of them, and buy a spout to put into a fourth, I might as well have bought the system. Mine only cost me $69.00 through my county's recycling program. It also takes up much less space.
I hope that helped.
See what I'm up to on my blog... http://minetothine.blogspot.com
OR check out my gardening activities at http://oceanfarmgirlsgarden.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Garden Gate: Worm Bin/ Farming |
|
Worm Bin/ Farming
