Let's Farm some Worms = Free soil amendment.

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:56 pm

Barb,

The only place I can find the red worms that I want is on the internet. The red ones are suppose to reproduce quickly and are more often used for their castings.

Yes, when I bought my nightcrawlers they were like $3 something a dozen too. A worm (red wiggler for sure) can live for seven years in idea conditions.

Basements are for cold is what I always understood (?). I put all my junk in the garage or various closets around the house.

Dean

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:55 am

I tried to buy some worms today and they said they were out because some guy in central texas and some gal in Vernon BC bought all the worms.

How long do you thionk it will take to make worm compost. Wonder if you could use shredded paper (like an office shredder) to throw in the worm composter. I have a bunch of shredded paper. I'd like ot use it in my compost bin but not sure what the ink on the paper would do in my vegetable garden. I'd hate for poisonous ink to leach into the ground and make me glow at night.

I think there are no basements in Texas because the ground maybe to solid / rocky / sandy to dig a basement. Just a guess.

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:07 pm

Kent,

LOL!!!

No worms, huh! I don't know how long it takes to make worm compost. I have heard that a pound of red worms can eat about a 1/2 lbs a day in food. I am using shredded junk mail. Don't use any glossy inserts those are likely to have poisnous inks. I know alot of inks are soy bean based so. I do use paper in my compost bins too along w/ coffee grounds, leaves and chicken manure.

Maybe, no basements due to rock. I think I'll have to google it.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:01 pm

Kent, you're a hoot

Dean's right: no colored or shiny paper. Just regular old daily newspaper shredded or torn,
and dampened not dripping wet.
I asked somebody years ago about newspaper ink; heard it's vegetable-based ink now.

Kent you can put everything EXCEPT meat/fat/bones/dog cat poop into a composter.

I read another vermiculture site today...they recommend 1,200 (yup, twelve hundred) worms in one box !

Dean you're right, the red ones are better.
Nightcrawlers are OK if they're European...this is getting bloody complicated

Apparently worms eat when "things" are starting to spoil, i.e. fuzzy stuff, fungus is working on decomp already.
That's probably why there's not even one worm in the top part of my pail which is fresh stuff.

Basements? it's a place to keep your worms.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:24 pm

"this is getting bloody complicated"

I bought a pound of the red worms today, Barb.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

Dean, on eBay?

Ya, well, imagine! European nightcrawlers.

How do you know what you're getting? (na, I think I got French crawlers...ha ha)

How many are in a pound?
If they're as big as they say, there might be a dozen or two?

I'm a long way from the 1,200 that website said.
And I think half of my 60 are on a diet

Eat, you beggars, eat!

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:55 am

Hey Barb,

No, not E-bay. I got them from Shady Creek Worm Farm. http://zencart.shadycreekworms.com/ They advertise Eisenia Fetidia. FRENCH NIGHTCRAWLERS!

There will be more than a dozen or two in a pound. One pound is approximately 1000 worms.

Does your bin still smell? They are not eating, huh?

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:36 am

Dean,
A thousand worms!

What'd you pay?
I'll get some Eisenia Fetidia (doesn't FETID mean rotten?)

if I can find some locally.

The basement doesn't stink anymore since I added more shredded newspaper to the pail.
It's just a "little ripe" when I lift the cardboard cover, which is OK with me.

Husband hasn't complained again.

Barb

BTW this looks interesting:
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publica ... A-6032.pdf

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 7:35 am

I see US sites charging $19.95 for 1,000 red worms.

As usual we Canadians get hosed by Cdn suppliers.
$73.00 for 1,000

http://vermiculture.ca/store/index.php? ... t&catId=16

unbloodybelievable!

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:52 am

Hey Barb,

Sorry, I didn't respond earlier I didn't recieve a message in my inbox?

I paid $19.95. I don't know what the latin name means.

That's good your husband hasn't complained anymore.

Wow, I would google some more for prices. Lest you cross the border for worms. LOL!

Dean

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:58 am

I could always send you some minus the soil.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:42 pm

Thanks Dean, will keep looking locally.
Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:27 pm

Yeah!!! I got my pound of Red Wigglers today!

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:01 pm

Dean,
Cool...they'll make short work of those vegetable scraps and coffee grounds.
Hope they get along with the other ones.

I've struck out locally, but have the phone number of the B.C. supplier of my 5 dozen.
You're fortunate that U.S. prices are low.
Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:28 pm

Dean,
Have been busy so didn't get the worms ordered.
But looked in the bucket today...stirred a bit, tipped it to see where they are.

Didn't see one worm (out of 60!) in the top half of that 5 gallon bucket.
There's enough food in there to last until they each turn 100 years old.

How're your 1,000+ doing?
Are they converting the scraps into friable loam?
Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:21 am

Barb,
My worms are working away. I gave them so old lettuce and it's nearly gone.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:39 am

Dean,
Excellent!
Have you thought about how you're going to separate the worms from the loam?
Wonder how the professional worm farms do it.
Probably some kind of screen?

If and when mine do their job, a tarp on the patio will probably work for me with my small numbers.

You might be at it for quite some time.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:56 am

Barb,
Yes, I was thinking of using a tarp or a garbage bag to seperate on. If I have a few scargglers they'll get dumped into the garden.

I was amazed at the quanity of worms in a pound.

I think the worm farms use wire mesh to seperate the castings.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:30 am

Dean, which plants will you be transplanting that'll get the worm compost?
If and when I have some compost ready, I'll do an experiment with two potted calamondin plants of similar age and size. Adding compost to only one should show some results.

I want to mix compost with fir bark for palms that like water, i.e. Cataractarum and Bamboo palms.

Are you going to keep going with the bucket method?
My neighbour warned me not to dump any worms on the grass.
Apparently a really bumpy lawn will result.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:23 am

Barb,
I plan on using the castings at first in my garden, outdoors. I'll use them on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. I've seen pictures of various plants grown w/ different mediums. The worm casting medium always had healthier plants growing as compared to regular composted manure or sythetic fertilizers.

I won't mind the bumps in my vegetable garden I've used the castings before and would just sprinkle them around the plants.

I also used worm castings before on my houseplants w/ a very beneficial effect. I had to use little or no fertilizer on them since.

I guess I'll keep using the bucket method for now. Unless I buy a larger Rubber Maid type bin for them, later.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:33 am

Dean, I've heard a way to keep worms in the vegetable garden (so they don't take off...

).
Grass clippings two or three inches thick around all your veggies will keep the soil moist near the surface, great worm habitat. Dampened newspaper laid down under the grass clippings works well too.

Wouldn't it be great to completely eliminate synthetic fertilizers...
that's my plan eventually.
And with Tom Broome's proven success of using coffee grounds on cycads for scale insects (as well as for general health), I'm really encouraged by "natural" efforts. He says he's basically eliminated pesticides since he started using coffee grounds. Three cheers for that.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:05 am

Yes, in fact I'm in the process of going all organic. I still have some various fertilizers and insecticides, but I weening myself off them.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:41 pm

Dean, I know so little about rock phosphates, greensand (and all that stuff) that I'll have to keep using boxed/liquid fertilizers but feel if we're using worm compost added to loamy/sandy soil, we're halfway there.

My 5+ dozen worms have been in the bucket in garage for a couple of weeks, they're still not eating as much kitchen scraps as I'm producing (and there are only two of us!)

Bet your 1,000 are making short work of anything you put in there.

Every few years I edge the driveway of huge drifts of perennial thyme that would grow right across if I let it.
Two days ago I edged a 50-foot section.
Could not believe the sheer quantity of worms in the roots of the thyme...just laying on the concrete!

This time I didn't add them to the farmed worms...wonder what happened to my first bunch of collected worms.
Oh, there are also a couple of mice in the garage.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:57 pm

You need to get some composting worms ( aka. red worms).

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:11 pm

I struck out within a reasonable radius of my place, and can't spend any more time looking for some.
These guys will just have to do...

How are yours doing?
Are they eating more stuff now than just lettuce?
Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 7:50 am

Sorry to hear you can't find any red worms.

Mine are doing well. I feed them stuff like bananas, bread and coffee grounds.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:53 pm

I saw three mice in the garage...likely more I didn't see.
This project may be doomed.

How's your worm farm doing, Dean?
Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:29 pm

Barb,

I had a maasive die off. I think I had fed them to much. It's probally going to be to hot in my garage anyways. Sorry, to hear about the mice. What makes you think there cominig because of the worms?

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:07 pm

Dean,
have you found dead worms?
Can you put the container on the north side of your house for shade?

The mice are attracted to the food scraps in the bucket, even tho' I've got a box over it with a weight on top.
The beggars can smell food.
And if I saw 3, there's probably 10 more unseen

This isn't as easy as I first thought...

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:11 pm

Barb,

Yes, I did find some dead ones. I had dumped them out on a trash bag to take a look at them. This was about two weeks ago. Someone told me to put them on a diet for awhile. Let them eat up all the finished compost and what not.

So what your plans w/ your worms now? Are you going to give up on the project?

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:33 pm

Once it warms up (if it ever does

), I'd like to put the food scrap/worm bucket in the back yard.
Close enough to the kitchen to dispose of scraps, yet still protected from harsh weather by the house.

On your inspection, did you notice that there's some nice loamy soil now?
or still not enough to use for your repotting?

I know worms don't like heat, so can you put the bucket inside of a larger bucket?
That way, the outside of the worm bucket won't be exposed to the heat of the sun.
Might work.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:48 pm

No, not enough castings to anything w/.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:12 pm

Dean, this is a tougher hobby than I thought.
Easier to buy worm castings...ha ha

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:08 am

Yes, I think it's a tougher hobby than initially thought.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:57 am

Dean,

Want to Deep Six this discussion then?

We can say the worms won...sort of.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:45 am

Yes, I guess we can deep six the discussion for now. I'll let you know if I have a miracoulous population boom.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:57 am

Dean,
Yes please do.
Thanks.
Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:35 pm

How's the worm farm doing, Dean?

I'm guilty of mass extinction in "my bucket"...oh well.
Bet yours are fine.

Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:02 pm

Barb, there all dead. Twenty dollars down the drain. I give up.

Dean

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:04 pm

Dean, good we didn't quit our day jobs

Poor beggars.

Now when I look at a bag marked "Worm Castings", I'll know how much work went into it.
Worth every penny the farmer wants...

Barb