Worm Composting

[Dorine]

I'm excited! When you see worms you know you are doing something right. Won't it be a marvelous experience to garden in heaven!!! No weeds, no drought, no pesky critters, no thorns, no Bermuda grass,  no need for compost or raised beds and the list goes on. Will we even need to save seeds? I try to picture what it will be like but can't.

[Richard Myers]

I am very busy today, but had to stop, after taking a look at my compost tubs, and thank Dorine for her encouragement. I have compost and worms!!  Will take a picture when I get a free moment.  The holes provided for the worms, the tubs made it easy to finish off a pile that never happened with my open pile. One thing that I have learned is that if I want the worms to stay in the bin, I need to continue to feed it and keep it moist. I have not done that and while the worms were in those bins, they do not have any reason to stay if I cease feeding them and let the bin dry out. Of course I stopped adding material because I wanted the compost. I am rethinking this. My thoughts are that I need to find something to feed them that will not take long to decompose, especially with them eating it. 

Again, thank you, Dorine! I am blessed!! Have been feeding my garden with compost.

[Dorine]

  Look forward to seeing your pictures. I`m so happy it is working for you.

[Richard Myers]

Remembering why it was that I began making compost in bins, I checked to see what was happening in them.  To my surprise, there were lots of worms!!  I am looking forward to putting many in my garden soon. And, I will take some pictures, Dorine! Thank you for the help!

[Richard Myers]

OK, I want compost!  So, I went over to my worm bins to take a look. What a surprise!  And, I am going to surprise Dorine, too. I have a photo!

And to think that fishermen and gardeners pay for them!!

I did nothing except throw my garbage and a little soil into the bins. I never turned it at all. The photo shows nothing compared to what I saw. The lighting needs to be worked out so I can show you the hundreds of worms living in my compost bin! No, it must be thousands.      I just broke the soil and there they were! Lots of them!

Why am I excited? Have you priced worm castings?  Very very expensive. And, the worms often are fed cow poop.  Don't want the prions in my garden!  Mine are strict vegetarians!    So, I get the worms and compost laden with worm castings (poop). 

I need some instruction, Dorine.  I did not really know what was going on in the bins because I have been too busy to look. When I have the hose in my hand, I add a little water to the bins. I think I got it right for the worms.  They just love it!!  But, my compost stinks and is not fully composted. I would say it has been four months since I added anything to the one bin. I never turned it. So, I knew it would be slow. If I quit watering it, that ought to speed it up, but will I lose my worm farm?   I am torn now between worms and compost!

I could set the bin on top of another new bin with fresh material in it, and let the old bin dry out? But, this bin is a large one and it is too heavy to lift. I will have to think about this. Help!!  I need compost!

[Richard Myers]

Here is a better photo of my worm farm!

[Dorine]

Wow. I can see why you are excited. The worms are obviously very happy. If it is smelling it is because there isn't enough air getting to it for the amount of moisture. That is where the mixing would be a big help. Stop watering but watch it that it doesn't get too dry. Should always be like a wrung out sponge. The worms should stay until all food is broken down. They are working hard to do the job for you but the ratio of wet to dry is too much on the wet side. If it's possible I'd drill more holes in the sides of the containers to let more air in. Thanks for the pictures. I've been wondering how it has been working for you.

[Richard Myers]

Dorine, I took a bin and dumped it on a tarp. It looked pretty good. Here it is with some of the worms.



Wanting to keep the worm farm growing, I decided to continue feeding them and to add a dry material to dry out the compost. I have rice hulls. They do not break down very quickly, so I never thought of using it for compost, but it really does a nice job of preparing a soil for a planting medium. I have added perlite to compost in my raised beds, but I think that the rice hulls will act in a similar manner. It had helped to dry out the compost. I have also added a little more clay and some dry matter also.

To feed the worms in the bins that are ready, instead of placing vegetable matter whole, I have been putting melon rinds, seeds, and other material in the blender and then feeding the liquid to the worms. It seems to be working.  Thanks for the encouragement!

[Dorine]

I'm proud of you Richard. Many would have given up by now. It's looking good and it sounds like you are doing the right things.

[Richard Myers]

I don't know, Dorine.  All who enjoy gardening are looking for ways to improve their crops. We all understand that the plants need good soil and then some kind of fertilizer during the growing process. With trees, we see in the Bible that they need to be "dunged".  Jesus said "Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Luke 13:7-9. 

When we understand the danger from animals, we do not want "dung" in  our gardens. The risk is too great. Alzheimer's is an epidemic and not a good way to die. Like Mad Cow Disease, I believe it is infectious. The last thing we want is to put infectious agents in a garden that produces our food. So, we are looking for ways to enrich our soil. I have come to the conclusion that God's ways are good. The earth worm enriches the soil. When listening to a man who sells worm castings (worm dung) I realized that I could accomplish two tasks at the same time. You gave me a method to use worms to help in the composting process. And, at the same time the worms enrich the compost.  By having worms in my compost bin, I can forget about turning the pile. This is a great help to me.

I anticipate that your process of composting in bins with worm holes will be the accepted method of composting in the future. All one has to do is check out the price of worm castings and it will motivate all to become DIY worm farmers with their compost bins.  Thanks again for the lesson!

By the way, when you buy worm castings, you have more than likely taken worm dung from worms that have been feeding on cow dung. You will have escaped the risk of e.coli, but not Mad Cow Disease. The prions infect soil for a long time. Don't know if they pass from the cow dung to the worm, but there is a good chance that they do. So, even worm dung may be a vector for infectious disease. Ever wonder why a strict vegetarian could contract Alzheimer's or CJD? There are a number of ways to come into contact with these diseases besides eating the flesh of a diseased animal. Because the time from infection to manifestation of the disease is so very long, it is hard to know the manner of infection.

[Richard Myers]

There are a few items that do not belong in a worm compost bin.  Animal products and citrus. Citrus peel can be used as a pesticide. It can be harmful to the worms. Especially do not blend citrus peel for worm food.

[Richard Myers]

Does the use of a worm compost tea help prevent attacks by beetles and hornworms? Wouldn't that be nice!!

In a study using different solutions of extract of vermacompost after germination of cumcumber and tomato seeds, it was found that in all cases the solution reduced the damage by beetles and hornworms.

"All of the concentrations of vermicompost extracts significantly suppressed the establishment of and the damage caused by the two pests on the plants. The higher the rate of aqueous extract application the greater was the suppression of the pests. We concluded that the most likely cause for the unpalatability of the plants to pests was the uptake of soluble phenolic compounds from the vermicompost aqueous extracts into the plant tissues. These compounds are known to make plants unattractive to pests and to affect pest reproduction and survival rates." soure

[Dorine]

I was interested in the comment on worms feeding on cow dung and the possible dangers. I had never thought about that. The worms we will be getting are red wigglers and have not been exposed to any contamination from animal sources. We have a free source which we are excited about because they cost around $50.00 per pound to purchase locally.

[Richard Myers]

A free source for worms!!!    God loves you, dear sister!  And, on top of that they do not have mad cow disease, bird flue, or Alzheimer's. Never thought about looking for a free source of worms!

I had to come back and edit my post. Of course I found a free source of worms, thanks to Dorine.  I have never purchased worms since I quit fishing 30 years ago. Dorine taught me how to attract and keep worms from my yard!   Sometimes we do not appreciate enough the blessings we have!!

[Dorine]

 

[Richard Myers]

My experience with making worm castings and breeding worms has expanded. I had a pile of woodchips that I had not spread. It sat for quite awhile. I decided to water it to speed up decomposition. I had not thought of worms at that point. But, as I watered the pile, it came to me that it would make a good worm farm!!     So, I started dumping coffee grounds and my vegetable waste into the pile. It is about six month old and the worms are starting to multiply as the chips are being composted. So....not only will I get compost, but by keeping the pile cool with water and adding more vegetable food for my babies, they have found a happy home!! And, soon I will be sifting the compost for my garden.

And, the huge amount of woodchips I have placed in my garden will be getting the same attention. Why make compost in a pile when I can make it in the garden. And, why not put the worm farm in the garden!!  This is quite an expansion from my little totes where Dorine got me started.  The whole plan rests upon getting chips and coffee grounds in large amounts.

I have mulched my raised open beds and in the low spots between the raised beds I have filled with chips up to the top of the raised beds. As the chips break down, the level lowers. Not sure how to go forward as the chips produce compost. I may move the beds to utilize these areas for beds. Or may just move the compost into the existing beds. Whatever I do, I will be attempting to attract worms into those chip beds. I have begun adding coffee grounds into the area and will start watering the chips also. Imagine such a worm farm...right along side of the raised bed!!!

Thank you Dorine!!

[Dorine]

I told you Richard from the start that you would pass me in this area and you have done it. What a great idea. We've come a long way. I had to laugh when you called them your babies because I call mine, my children and feel responsible for the well being of every one of them.

[Richard Myers]

Dorine, as I watch the pot growers continue to grow their crop, paying great attention to all of the particular needs of their plants, I see them ordering huge amounts of worm castings. It seems to me there are few amendments that compare with the benefits of worm castings. Did God gives us worms as He gave us trees?  The trees give off oxygen that we need, then they take in carbon dioxide that we breathe out. Is it not the same with worms. We give them the food waste, they in return give us their castings. But, like trees, we do not have to collect them. We just place our waste in the garden. And, God put in the worms to like veggie waste, not meat. God's people have large amounts of worm food!!

Seems too easy, Dorine.