Anyone here do vermicomposting?

[Beekissed]

I would like to eventually try this and was wondering if anyone here does this? For how long and do you notice a difference in your soil, vegetables, etc?

I will tell you this, I think I have a good start already. When we first plowed this ground there were the average amount of worms in the soil. Now that I gathered the soil into raised beds, lightly sprinkled aged horse manure and covered over with old hay mulch.....well, its like worm bonanza here! The sheer numbers and size of the worms are astounding. I can't even dig a hole for a plant without chopping several worms in two! I would like to keep this going and wanted to know if continuing to lightly dress with the manure would encourage the worms to stay?

 

[Tutter]

Earthworms are great for the garden! :coolsun

One of the first things dh did when we moved here, 20 years ago, was to build a "worm house." I've since seen special containers for the same purpose, but we were following a method I'd read up on in an older farmsteading book.

The more recent ones are wooden, 4' X 7', with a lid.

We started with some composting plant material from the edge of the forest, leaves, green weeds etc.

At one time I worried about what went in it, and all sorts of things, now, with 3 going, I know to relax, that it will be fine with a few small precautions.

The first thing, of course, is not to let it dry out. Here that means that we don't have to think about it all winter, or most of the spring. Though we do keep the lid on. They have no bottoms, btw.

In the summer I find old pieces of carpeting, and lay them right on top of the worms/soil, then put the lid on. That retains moisture better than anything else we've done, aside from cardboard. They loooove cardboard on top! You want them moist, but not sopping wet.

As for what they eat.....older hay, green weeds, and just about anything from the kitchen.

Sometimes it's a real decision as to what goes where. The chickens, goats and worm houses all vie for the same goodies!

Those goodies are things like: potato peels, parts of greens such as collards....stems, yellow leaves etc., broccoli peelings, pretty much anything left from prepping food.

The worm houses gets things the chickens and goats don't, as well, like onion peelings (After my stock bag in the freezer.), lettuce etc.

In the fall we give them oak leaves, and you can watch them turn and twist them, and pull them under!

We have a lot here, too, and before it gets hot, they will go up into the drainage holes of my plant pots.

You've probably read a lot on it, but if you need to know anything more, just ask!

 

[Beekissed]

Do you raise them to sell or strictly for your garden? Do you notice a big difference in the production of your vegetables as opposed to not using the worms? I'm curious if it is worth it to purposely create more and better conditions for them or to just let nature take its course and just make sure that they have plenty of composting material in my raised beds.

 

[Tutter]

We didn't improve the soil up here where the worms already are. There are so many naturally, that they were already doing fine.

However, our big garden is acres from where they are, and there's been a big difference there from them.

We didn't plan to sell any, not even for people's gardens, but eventually the kids began selling a few at a time for fishing. Here you get maybe $2-$3 for a few. The reason being, that come summer, since it doesn't rain here past May, the worms all go deep, and people can't just easily get them. But they are easily accessible in the worm houses, of course.

Now, let's say that you have your stand set up, and, in a worse case, offered a few for only $1. At even just few customers a week, it might be worthwhile . To see what you can really sell them for, check where bait's sold for the going price. Once people know you have them, you might have steady customers. I can't guarantee a single person would buy a worm there, but you never know.

An alternative would be to see if a place which sells bait would like you to supply them. That might be a bait shop, or, if it's like here, just a gas station which carries them.

And at the worst, if the garden seems the same, and no one needs worms....you've got a compost machine going!

 

[greenmagick]

We just started a worm bin about 6 weeks ago. We havent harvested any castings yet, but things are looking good

 

[Tutter]

That's great, GreenMagick!

Do you use a bin made for the purpose? I've never tried one.

 

[Cassandra]

I'm taking some worms home today. My dad gave them to me. He found them in some leaves behind a laundramat where he washes his work clothes. (If they are really nasty, mom won't let him wash them in her washing machine! )

He has been saving them in a plastic tote. They are HUGE, nasty earthworms.

Like the one in this pic, I think: http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/cheshire/IMAGES/watch_earthworm.jpg

I'm going to go home and make them a nice bed this evening. I have a small tote I'm going to use temporarily. I will build something bigger when I have time, tho.

Cassandra

 

[robbobbin]

I have two worm bins going. One at home(hidden from my hubby) and one also hidden on my desk at work. lol
I love them, I'm all about composting in any fashion. And the weird looks are worth it alone!

 

[greenmagick]

That's great, GreenMagick!

Do you use a bin made for the purpose? I've never tried one.

Nope, we just took a rubbermaid type bin, drilled some holes in it and set it up. I put some packing peanuts in the bottom, then some hardware cloth, and then some landscape fabric. Then I put shredded newpaper, compost, food scraps, and worms

 

[aquarose]

Several years ago, I used my lawn mower to shred a LOT of oak leaves. I just threw them in a pile and forgot about them for a couple of years. Then, one summer, me and the kids discovered that it was a worm farm! You could stick your hand in the pile and FEEL them moving! It was like the pile was ALIVE! All the kids in the neighborhood soon knew about it and would come over to see. It was great. Didn't last long because I started amending soil all over the place with it. I must do that again. I need a good shredder though, it was too hard with the lawn mower. Anybody have a really good, heavy duty leaf shredder that they can recommend?