Come and show off those worm bins!

[canniption]

that was before feeding,heres a couple after i fed em'.i also chop and freeze their food.speeds up the process alt.i harvest casts every mounth or so,average about 6 lbs.of black gold.

 

[CascadeFarmer]

that was before feeding,heres a couple after i fed em'.i also chop and freeze their food.speeds up the process alt.i harvest casts every mounth or so,average about 6 lbs.of black gold.

Looks nice from afar but the 'thumbnail' pic setup here sucks and have stopped bothering to click on em. I click and I just wait...and wait...and wait...

I picked up a 360 unit a few weeks back and like it. Thinking about building a larger custom wood tray unit but not until I get my worm population up in the 360 unit.

 

[canniption]

Looks nice from afar but the 'thumbnail' pic setup here sucks and have stopped bothering to click on em. I click and I just wait...and wait...and wait...

I picked up a 360 unit a few weeks back and like it. Thinking about building a larger custom wood tray unit but not until I get my worm population up in the 360 unit.

sorry cf,i'm not that computer savy,i wish i knew how to post bigger pics.i'll learn someday he he.good luck with the 360.

 

[pinecone]

sorry cf,i'm not that computer savy,i wish i knew how to post bigger pics.i'll learn someday he he.good luck with the 360.

Go into your albums, click on a picture, and cut and past the picture URL with the brackets around it. The picture will show up in the large format.

Pine

 

[GoneRooty]

I've got a worm factory 360 as well. It's a great little set up for a starter worm bin, or if you don't need much. And it's great cuz it's small enough to fit anywhere. Only had mine for a few months now, but already on the second tray, getting ready to add the third tray.

 

[Highlighter]

Hey, I got a Worm Factory for xmas, got it going in january, and I just pulled and sifted my 1st tray.

Man, this stuff looks good!

Double sifted in trowel, w/ the remnants beginning a new working tray.
Kinda bummed the egg shells didn't break down quicker, but back they go!

 

[canniption]

i remember my fiirst casts.feels great.no turning back now.heres mine after drying.
http://www.dayzeddesigns.com/images/ji39y5y1fs1bhe1ffrcy.jpg

 

[dirrtyd]

Going to fill up my first bin in the 360 this weekend cant wait to see how it produces. I have a couple other home made bins I picked up hopefully can blend them all into the 360. have a nice amount of worms to start out with once the 360 is producing will post pics. keepem green dirrtyd

 

[big_daddy]

OSCR Bin

OSCR Bin

Here's some pics of my OSCR bin. I built two of them.....1 for me and one for CC. These are 3'x4' and about 18 cu/ft. They will support up to 36# of worms.

We will be charging them with worms this weekend. Red Wigglers, Malaysian Blues and European Night Crawlers. This is a flow through design with the castings being harvested from the bottom, and feedstock layered on top.

Enjoy!

b_d

 

[StrapAssassin42]

is there a process to finishing the castings before they are ready to use?

There is talking of drying them but won't that harm the microbes?

I'm just starting my research in vermicomposting and can't wait to get started.

What are your favorite bedding materials and how do you layer them?

Is it ok to keep my composter in my grow room?

Ideal temperature?

Thanks for any input!

 

[big_daddy]

is there a process to finishing the castings before they are ready to use?

It's a good idea to let the castings cure for 3-4 months before use. Supposedly, the longer they cure, the more nutrient rich they become.

Usually when you're worms have left, the material left behind is "vermicompost. vermicompost is a mixture of the bedding material, lignin, wood etc that isn't processed by the worms. In order to get pure castings, you'll need a screen of some sort. Pure castings will be whats left after being run through an 1/8" screen.

There is talking of drying them but won't that harm the microbes?

If they are allowed to dry, the microbes will go dormant. Make sure to store them where air can get to them, otherwise they will go anaerobic and kill of the microbes.

I'm just starting my research in vermicomposting and can't wait to get started.

Its fascinating stuff.....I've been researching for a while and even took a class.

What are your favorite bedding materials and how do you layer them?

Sphagnum Peat, coco coir, leaves, leaf mulch/mold, rice hulls, even newspaper strips. I just charged the bin above last night with a layer of kraft paper over the screen then a layer of bedding that included Sphagnum Peat, black leaf mold, Marwest compost and a couple of brown bags of old dry fan leaves.

I mixed everything together in a tote and hydrated it with a water/liquid seaweed mixture then put a layer about 4" thick over the entire 12 sq/ft. I added the worms and vermicompost in layers with the bedding and topped it off with the black leaf mold/compost.

Is it ok to keep my composter in my grow room?

Ideal temperature?

If you can keep your temperatures in check. Redworms are most efficient at 60-70 degrees, but can handle as low as 40 and up to 90 (according to the worm breeder I got my worms from)

I wouldn't use a plastic worm bin in a grow room. The moisture in the bin combined with the heat/cooling would cause sweating IMO and cause anaerobic problems.

Thanks for any input!

cheers,

b_d

 

[River-Running]

BD

That worm bin you built will sure hold a lot of kitchen scraps won't it?

Nothing better than a big ol' mess of lettuce scraps and some soggy rotten cucumbers I'll bet.

That should make for some beautiful castings.

RR

 

[big_daddy]

BD

That worm bin you built will sure hold a lot of kitchen scraps won't it?

Nothing better than a big ol' mess of lettuce scraps and some soggy rotten cucumbers I'll bet.

That should make for some beautiful castings.

RR

Yeah, if I was a gonna feed it that way, I'd a built in the optional sloped drain system to direct the leachate into a tub.

But.....since I'm going to be feeding unfinished compost, leaf mold and various manures, the produce scraps will go to the chickens and turkeys and THEIR manure will find it's way into the worm bin.

b_d

 

[StrapAssassin42]

thanks big daddy!

how do you cure the castings?

i have a leaf fungus (blight/leaf septoria) going on in my grow...is it ok to add these leaves to the worm bin? dont want to spread the disease but would be the easiest way to discard grow garbage.

thanks again

 

[mad librettist]

I would discard any diseased material.

I am all for letting nature take care of things, but you still have to be reasonable.

 

[jaykush]

diseased plants need to be burned in batches of biochar.

 

[mad librettist]

diseased plants need to be burned in batches of biochar.

that's making lemonade out of lemons!

 

[Microbeman]

Spagnum peat and leaf mold (or dead/dry leaf) in a worm bin/pile is a good way to promote a high fungal volume. [horse poo too] kudos

 

[StrapAssassin42]

thanks guys for your comments on diseased leaves...

I imagine its ok to use leaves from outside as my sole bedding, correct?... plenty of those available... i'm gona have my bin up and running soon...very cool.

Is there anything else that should be avoided in a worm bin besides citrus, meats and fats, and diseased leaves?

thanks again

 

[antheis]

i finally have a worm bin.
nothing special, just a single 30something gallon tote in the basement which i didn't bother to put a lid on. i have it under a 60 watt to keep the worms in.
just fed them about a pound or so of ground up squash from the garden that didn't get eaten. hopefully they'll be done with that soon, they are really pumping out the castings too.
i'm amazed at how easy it is to have a worm bin, no smell, no bugs, just wonderful black castings.
the money i spent on a pound of worms was by far the best thing i've done for my garden this year.