10 gall. toe(s) + Worm Factory update

14 years ago

Merry Chrismas to All Squirmalists out there. LOL

Update: I was trying to run 5 x 10 gallon totes with no air or drainage holes, just managing the moisture by adding dry shredded cardboard and newspaper. Well, bin 1 (now 3 months old, 100 worm to start) has many, many, cocoons, young are hatching and the first ones getting close to maturity, AND just had my first pot worm invasion (not stressed at all, just got a bit damp I think). Early conclusion: small population cannot keep up feeding on the amount of bedding required to keep the system moisture low enough to be perfect. I won't drill holes quite yet, but I have started leaving the top(s) off to aid in moisture reduction. I think I'll let the population increase to see if they can go through enough bedding to maintain low moisture content before I take the drilling hole step.

That said, they are going gang busters! No free moisture, just a bit damp.

Next: Worm Factory Update: (4000 reds started a year ago, second working tray nearly full). I haven't managed this system very activly for about 6 months, but have now ramped the feeding rate up quite significantly (ie 1 lb of blended kitchen scraps + newsprint twice a week for the last month). What I thought was a low number of worms due to my lack of attention, was wrong. It seems the more I feed, the more active and fast they become. This week I added approx 4 lbs of blended kit scraps in one hit, and they are just going nuts. I think this feed will last about a week, so next feeding will be 2lbs in 4 days (to give it time to season). Very little lechate observed.

All up, Extremely Happy Camper!

Cheers

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Comments (4)

forestelves
14 years ago
If your 1st bins get to wet or moist run a dehydrator by the bin to reduce the high moister content in the bin, it also applies to dehydrating very wet honey. If that doesnÂt work then put a PVC tube running through the worm bin like the compost tumblers out on the market, or you can put the PVC tube vertical through the lid.

The 2nd bins sounds like it's doing great to me.

Do you also blend the feed to the 1st bin like you do for the 2nd bin?
marauder01
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, I now blend feed all bins. I tried this ages ago, but couldn't be bothered until now.

My initial goal was to process all my waste (family of 5) via the worms, so blending just makes it disappear that much faster.

In the process, I have discovered the secret formula for pot worms, just add a couple of slices of bread to each load in the blender, and voila! instant pot worms! LOL.

Don't think I'll go the dehydrator route, but have seen the PVC pipe idea before. I'm setting up a another 5 bins (hooray for Christmas money!), and I'm going to try a side by side comparison by drilling holes in one bin (not the bottom) and not in another (just so they both at least start the same).

My new goal: Free worms for all! During my experimenting, I have discovered at least 20 people, both at work and in the neighborhood who "would love to have worms, but it's just a bit too expensive" (here in Aust, worms and worm farm are around $100 to get started) so, new goal is to establish 10 x 10 gallon totes (excess to the 5 I now have in full running + the worm factory), get them running with 100 worms a piece, run them for 6 months each (numbers should climb to approx 1000+ in that time), and "give" them to my friends. I'm hoping that they might contribute maybe $20 each, which can then, in turn, start another 2 totes (cost $8.50 + black paint) which I'll do the same thing with. Once I have 20 totes going, I should be able to plain old give them away to good homes. I've asked a few of my friends about this approach, and they'd be more than happy to do this, and 2 of them would love to do it themselves.

Worms for all I say, and cheap (or even free if I can get enough totes up and running)

Do you think this is reasonable?
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plumiebear
14 years ago
Great idea, marauder! I've started 2 family members with worm bins, but hope to get even more "converts" next year. Maybe we should get a contest going to see who can get the most new vermicomposters started. Minimum 5 gal. bin with a cup of worms? :-)

If you started with 4 lbs. a year ago, you could have anywhere from 16-64 lbs. now. No wonder they're gobbling up grub. How many trays do you have going in the WF?

What's the black paint for? Can't you buy opaque totes in Oz?

Andrew in Berkeley
marauder01
Original Author
14 years ago
Hi Andrew
It'd be interesting to see how many new worm-ites we can create. I have started 2 myself (neighbors) and they love it too.

The WF only has 2 trays running, just about to add a third (like I said, I was a bit slack for 6 months). I have 2 more trays to add (bought an extra on ebay for $10 last year whoo hoo!). I don't know that a WF can hold quite that may littl'uns (ie reaching max. density etc), that's why I have started 5 totes for myself.

I looked and looked for opaque totes for reasonable cost here, and couldn't find any the right shape for the right price. I found clear with un-sealed lids 57x38x24 (22.5"x11"x10") and paint them flat black, leaving a clear strip up one end as a "depth" guage of sorts. Owe me about $AU10 ea ($US 8.80). Not too bad.

If I can figure out how to load photos, I'll show you all (10 in total now, 5 running, 5 waiting for bedding and worms).

Here's a thought, how am I going to feed that many? LOL, what a problem to have. I guess 100 per tote to start won't eat much, or even 1000 for that matter. :-)

Cheers