Worm bin concepts

[Seandawg]

I am new to the world of vermicomposting (I just got my secret decoder ring even!), and that right there is the concept that I have yet to figure out. I can only imagine using my hands and wrangling out handfuls of worms (and poo) so as to be gentle enough. I fear a shovel would slice through them way too easily.

I am with CC in the horizontal flow looking like the easiest idea for sure. I may have to try to incorporate that into my process, which is a #20 (20 gallon) smart-pot for all-around air-flow.

And since it's "the thing to do", Hi Sean !

First off i just had to! Ive never seen this before so lol.
JDG:
Welcome to the vermicompost club!
I'm still working out the kinks to a perfectly smooth running worm system, so your not alone lol. (oh, and i still didnt get my ring )
But yeah, Hello! to you also!

Stack two rubbermaids on top of each other. Drill holes through the bottom of the upper rubbermaid straight through the lid on the lower rubbermaid. Attach the two together with wingnuts.The holes allow the worms to pass through. Drill some tiny holes in the bottom of the lower rubbermaid and on the lid of the upper rubbermaid. When one bin is done the worms will migrate to the other where there is more food.

RD:
Thank you for the design concept. I am currently running a bin almost identical to what you're describing. Although it's adequate for my current needs. I feel like it will not suffice for my long term needs. And the, "there has to be a better way" thought jumped into my mind...

I just made a new compost bin out of pallets, and I am putting them all next to each other with a shared wall so the worms can migrate from one to another.

I usually get so many worms in my compost, I was just treating the worm bin like another compost bin. I had no idea they didn't like fruit, anything else I should avoid, or anything in particular that is good?

For the most part it isnt just "fruit" they dont like but rather the anaerobic conditions and "soggy" situation that follows from fruits with lots of water capacities like, apples, mangoes, and others. In all reality you could throw those foods into a normal compost heap first and then add the "almost compost" or finished compost to your worm bin for further processing. Be sure to feed them adequately. Not too much, not too less, just enough.

Good luck!

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I usually get so many worms in my compost, I was just treating the worm bin like another compost bin. I had no idea they didn't like fruit, anything else I should avoid, or anything in particular that is good?

shmalyphy

Here's what I wrote, verbatim:

Not that it's the only composting worm that is easily available (at all) but the most popular is the Eisenia foetida and this species has several names with Red Wigglers being a typical one. This is the name that fishermen would use - they are very active on a fishing hook.

Farmers call them Manure Worms and/or Composting Worms because that's what they do - live in compost and manure. Modern vermicompost operations do add other plant materials which is a good thing. But they're not sticking this mixture in a plastic tub which may or may not have adequate air holes for ventilation - usually not. More often than not, trenches are cut into the earth, filled with material and worms and then it's left alone for a few months.

The biggest issue on the 'What's wrong with my worm bin? They're dying?" is water. Worms breathe through their skins and excess water and they literally drown. The 'cure' offered at worm bin blogs is to 'add aeration' like paper. Sure couldn't be a problem with the chemicals used to take a tree and turn it into paper, right?

Here's a way that allows one to have the best of both worlds - a recycling method and be able to produce vermicompost. Again the issue is the water levels especially in melons? Crazy and it's this that has lead to inane observations that worms prefer this over that.

"Oh honey! Let's head down to the other end - they're serving Peach Melba. I'm sick of these cow turds!"

I use 5 gallon paint buckets for this. Drill 3/8" holes in the bottom of one bucket. This one will sit inside the other bucket.

Lay down a mix of some peat or coir and manure, compost, worm castings (microbes) - anything but paper. Wet that so it's close to your soil in containers. As you add kitchen scraps, cover that with more of this mix. The water will be released and you'll collect that in the bottom bucket. You'll still have the plant material available without the excess water.

Since this process is microbe driven, besides the water issue having been dealt with, by the time that the kitchen scraps hit the worm bin they'll be partially broken down.

Other tricks are to freeze kitchen scraps (overnight) and this is supposed to allow for faster breakdown. Common sense doesn't hurt either. Carrots are dense and therefore have far less water resulting in comments like 'My worms just don't like carrots' - uh huh.

Grinding or grating dense vegetables, freezing for a few hours will result in faster processing.

Reminder: Do Not Use Paper

In a compost pile the water from the materials will leach into the soil below meaning that it will not impact the water levels in the compost pile.

Take compost and over hydrate and you'll have huge problems. In a worm bin where does the water go? Especially if you're using Rubbermaid bins - drill all the holes that you want and you're still dealing with the reality that plastics do not absorb water.

HTH

CC

 

[ClackamasCootz]

View Image

Lace bug!
These little butt holes are persistent!
I've managed just about everything else with no problem. Soap seems to work on direct applications. But i dont feel like treating my entire plant with that crap just to catch one last lace bug. They're sucker bugs, and quite a pain i might add!

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7428.html

Apply the Basil botanical tea - watch what happens.

CC

 

[shmalphy]

mine looks like this, only smaller... I am building one about that size next.

 

[Seandawg]

Alright quick update:
Flow through worm bin - done!
I made it out of an old SIP planter bucket that i cut the bottom and added a 3/8" (?) mesh zip tied to the bottom dropped it into a second bucket for easy retrieval. Hopefully it works!

Basil tea - done!
I sprayed it yesterday before lights out. Today far less "activity" today. I'll spray again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

 

[jerry111165]

Good luck on both counts!

J

 

[ClackamasCootz]

From a company in Cottage Grove, Oregon - where the parade scene from Animal House was filmed. Rather appropriate actually.

Here's the first one - the Worm Wigwam which is designed for small restaurants and cafes. These are heated and ail produce a lot of castings given the temperature control and air flow built in.

These run $600.00 - delusional but they are plug-n-play

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Then there's this model which measures 5' x 6' x 4' and are also heated with forced-air ventilation. These are sold to hospitals, large restaurants, etc. He's got some tax deal that makes this attractive to commercial customers. These start at $7,000.00 FOB Cottage Grove so you can factor in some really big bucks for shipping if it's headed to the East Coast.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

And these units can be built as long as needed. These are for using inside a building where the ambient temperature can be controlled whereas the other 2 are for year-round outdoor use.

 

[jerry111165]

I'd like to get my castings and compost to a point (it's all about lack of time at home for me, unfortunately) where any amendments such as my neem, kelp, alfalfa et al are either fed into the worm bins or compost heap prior to use, at which point my soil mix will consist of Pro-Mix, worm castings and compost - maybe a drainage component added if I feel it's necessary.

I can only think it best - lets say ideal, to allow all amendments - including rock dusts to all be composted or run thru the worm bins prior to use.

I guess "ideally" my compost will be used as a worn food "base" in a large flow-thru bin, all amendments are then sprinkled into the flow thru, and the resulting castings/vermicompost is then mixed with Pro-Mix and I'm done.

J

 

[shmalphy]

Jerry, do you have a bokashi bucket? If you already have Lacto B, your almost done, if not, brew some (it is easy) Don't overcomplicated this (like I did) it is just super rich compost with lacto B added.

Take any bucket with a lid. I put one small hole to let pressure out (and that is also my co2 system lol) Ok you are done making your fancy bokashi bin.

I try to balance what I put in to an extent. I do this while at the grocery store, or farm stand etc. Diversity is the key word; produce comes in different colors, and textures, some local and some from far off regions of the world, all containing varying micronutrient contents, mineral values, and microbial populations that will enrich my compost.The main 3 I use are nut shells, coffee grounds, and banana peels. I still have a large compost pile outside, with all my yard scraps etc, but I keep this as a "designer compost" so I only add what it needs and everything else goes outside.

I also add any amendments I might use to this bin, and use it as a mulch, and a little in the planting hole. I am building a worm bin so I can run it through that before use, which should improve it.

Here comes the time saver, when your plants are done, cut the stem at the soil line, and immediately plant another plant in that container with the bokashi on top. Keep worms right in the containers withe the plants. The lacto B eats the old roots. You have compost castings, and the worms aerate.

This is exactly what I do now, and it has saved me SO MUCH TIME and back pain, and truly I can't believe how well it works...

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I'd like to get my castings and compost to a point (it's all about lack of time at home for me, unfortunately) where any amendments such as my neem, kelp, alfalfa et al are either fed into the worm bins or compost heap prior to use, at which point my soil mix will consist of Pro-Mix, worm castings and compost - maybe a drainage component added if I feel it's necessary.

I can only think it best - lets say ideal, to allow all amendments - including rock dusts to all be composted or run thru the worm bins prior to use.

I guess "ideally" my compost will be used as a worn food "base" in a large flow-thru bin, all amendments are then sprinkled into the flow thru, and the resulting castings/vermicompost is then mixed with Pro-Mix and I'm done.

J

Jerry

I'm pretty much there in this regard. By Christmas the worm castings that I'll be working with should be 'fully charged' (stupid term but it's all I've got).

Since I have gallons and gallons of Comfrey 'syrup' I've started adding about 2 cups to 12 s.f. of surface area in the vermicompost reactor. The syrup breaks down in a matter of a few days.

Same deal with Borage concentrated extract - hard to get a syrup as you do with Comfrey - branches = lignin, etc.

CC

 

[jerry111165]

Schmalphy, I do no till now, exactly as you posted, with the only exception that I don't bother with bokashi - I just throw it all out in the compost heap. I don't ever worry about old roots - they all just magically disappear.

CC - to be able to just use castings (which have been amended as stated), peat and an aeration component would be pretty cool wouldn't it?

As far as I'm concerned it's also very realistic...

J

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Jerry

At some point in the past several months, Microbeman described his soil mix that I switched to and have been using for a year or so.

Equal parts: Sphagnum, EWC and aeration amendment (however you get there)

Toss in whatever minerals or 'fertilizers' and you're done. This mix allows for some solid aeration in the root zone and with the SmartPots you get some massive root development (lateral)

CC

 

[Seandawg]

Wow!

Those are some pretty major setups CC! Im not going to say that its outside of my financial reach. But its more than i would be willing to pay for something as simple as worm shit lmao.

Here's an integrated top for my now, no-til, water only, organic, SIP planter.

It at least looks pretty cool

 

[ClackamasCootz]

What does SIP mean?

 

[Seandawg]

What does SIP mean?

"self irrigating planter"
Self watering planter, earth box, whatever!

I fill up the reservoir with water. N it keeps my soil hydrated. It works pretty good to me!

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Makes sense - do you have to aerate the standing water?

 

[jerry111165]

CC, are you still using the blumats? This working out of town shit has my garden in poor shape right now as far as hydration goes - at least for this time of year (summer). I soak on Friday night when I get home and then on Sunday morning before I head out again, but to go from Sunday to Friday night isn't a very good thing. I was able to have my daughter water midweek this week for me but would rather come up with an alternative.

Sean, how big is that basket? It doesn't look real big - I like a good sized pot. I run nursery pots that I think are around 12 gallons... It just gets so hot and dry in the flower room, what with 2,000 watts, the exhaust and fans going - if you were looking to dry something up that would be a good place to do it...

I'm about ready to give up the garden until this project is done because of this issue, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm tired of coming home to unhappy and drooping plants...

J

 

[JoeDudeGuy]

I am getting some blumats soon Jerry. The 'ol Coot' has me convinced