New Vermicomposter
- Thread starter theQuetzalcoatl
- Start date
sullivan666
Active Member
The bin I was going to get got sold before I could grab it, so now I'm considering your method Rrog. When you have time, could you give a bit of a breakdown of how you set it up?
Rrog
Well-Known Member
I have two 30 gallon Geopots. I like 'em a lot. One is filling up, after which I will start bag #2.
The bags are on a 2x4 platform, with the 2x4's upright like little floor joists. 3/4" plywood on the bottom, wire mesh (hardware cloth) on the top. The bags rest on the wire mesh, allowing air to circulate under the bag. I have 6 little 1" tall castors underneath so I can glide it out of the way.
I have lava rock all throughout. They like structure so that seems OK. I don't use bedding personally, as I feed Bokashi (fermented plant material). The worms swarm the stuff. I started with bagged manure compost and some "active" soil. It was used soil that I planted clover in as a cover crop. Bioactive and healthy. I didn't want to start the worms in a sterile or dormant microbial environment.
I have in my basement at 62-64F. I keep the bed about as moist as I would soil. I have no runoff at all. No smell either. Unless your nose is right in it. Remarkable. I keep a loose piece of poly film laying on top. They like to crawl on the surface which stays nice and moist. I generally only water the perimiter, as the center stays moister. I only give it a shot of water in the middle on occasion. Interestingly, the only VermiCompost surface that gets dry is the outer ring, the tread on a tire. So I water the perimeter.
No fuss, no muss and this VC is really rich looking. I add crab shell meal and Neem, which is good initially for insecticidal properties, and then later for the nutrients (Ca and N) after decomposition.
The bags are on a 2x4 platform, with the 2x4's upright like little floor joists. 3/4" plywood on the bottom, wire mesh (hardware cloth) on the top. The bags rest on the wire mesh, allowing air to circulate under the bag. I have 6 little 1" tall castors underneath so I can glide it out of the way.
I have lava rock all throughout. They like structure so that seems OK. I don't use bedding personally, as I feed Bokashi (fermented plant material). The worms swarm the stuff. I started with bagged manure compost and some "active" soil. It was used soil that I planted clover in as a cover crop. Bioactive and healthy. I didn't want to start the worms in a sterile or dormant microbial environment.
I have in my basement at 62-64F. I keep the bed about as moist as I would soil. I have no runoff at all. No smell either. Unless your nose is right in it. Remarkable. I keep a loose piece of poly film laying on top. They like to crawl on the surface which stays nice and moist. I generally only water the perimiter, as the center stays moister. I only give it a shot of water in the middle on occasion. Interestingly, the only VermiCompost surface that gets dry is the outer ring, the tread on a tire. So I water the perimeter.
No fuss, no muss and this VC is really rich looking. I add crab shell meal and Neem, which is good initially for insecticidal properties, and then later for the nutrients (Ca and N) after decomposition.
esof
Member
I too bought a couple of those containers, "30 Big Red Worms" (Eisenia Hortensis) as the only other option was "Nightcrawlers" and I knew those kind didn't make for very good vermicomposting. Luckily, the species is known as the "European Nightcrawler" and actually do well in a vermicomposting setup, though not as well as red wigglers. Those red wigglers breed much faster from what I've read but I think we should be ok. The 'Eisinia Fetida' (Red) and the 'Eisinia Hortensis' (Euro) are considered the two best worm species for vermicomposting.
Green Dragon 2
Member
Hello Everyone, You all should check out Redworm Composting, Bentley is the guy that runs the site he has a lot of good info he does bins and outside in rows year round and he lives in Canada the site has people all over and they all want to help out. I have another freind that raises red wiglers in in wood boxes that are 1ftx1ftx8ft long and the way he does it starts with newspaper wets it in a 5 gal bucket and then takes a drywall mud mixer with a drill and the water and paper to a sluge and the spreada this out on fiberglass screen and rolls this up and walks on it to get out all the water out till its just moist then puts it into the box with worms and he feeds them chicken scratch. All he wants is the worms he sells them to other people to start up worm farms. The composted paper ect he gives to people that saves papers for him and they put it onto their flower and veg gardens and have great results. My worm bin is 2ftx2ftx4ft I started with horse, goat shit paperand cardboard about 4inches deep everything was damp then I added my worms that I got from a freind they came in rabbit shit spread this out then I put a small amount of grass clippings then I put down wet news paper in sheets not tore up and wet burlap bags on top of this. When I add kitchen waste in I just pull the paper and burlap back and put it on one side the next time I put it on the other end. When I harvest the castings I pull just 1 side. I put this on a tarp in the shade and pick out all the worms that I can and use the castings and put the worms back in the bin. You do have to plane ahead if you are doing this outside as I do. I put my bin under a tree to keep it out of the sun and give it cover from frost in the winter the reason I harvest half of my bin at a time is that I want to keep one side at deep so the worms can go where they want to find there comfort zone. I have chickens, horses and goats as I live on a small farm (I rent and the horses and goats are theirs) I put the horse nad goat shit into pins with the chickens and let them scratch threw it for about 2 weeks then I clean it out and let it sit for a couple of weeks then I start useing it in the worm binif it is a little hot the worms just stay on the other side and move over as they want I check it in a coupel of days and they are in there. If you are using horse shit from other places you must let it sit for 3 months they use dewormer ect on the horses ect after 3 months the dewormer ect should be gone and you can then use it. If you live in an area that has horse boarding you can pick it up for free usally for free just ask how long it has been sitting out.
GD2
GD2
Green Dragon 2
Member
Hi Snafu, I'm sorry I did not explain it right I don't compost my rabbit manure, I recived my worms from a freind and that is what she breeds them in. I went over and she gave me 2 5gal buckets of rabbit manure and it was full of worms. I am starting to raise my own rabbits very soon I am building my own cages all wire. I want to have six cages with 1 rabbit in each for breeding and 1 larger cage for a grow out with a worm box under each. I will start them with 4 to 6 inches of horse manure put the rabbits in wait about a month then add worms from my first worm bin and start 7 more bins.
GD2
GD2
CaptainCAVEMAN
Well-Known Member
Finally got my vermiposter up and running, no thanks to Amazon. Still don't have my rock phosphate or my alfalfa meal. I officially hate Amazon now and will only resort to them if I can't get it anywhere else.
Anyway, thanks again theQuetzalcoatl and Rrog.
I drink a lot of coffee. Will too many grounds be bad for the bin?
Interesting note - worms produce their weight in castings everyday. That means, in theory, if fed properly they should produce 7lbs. per week. I'll try to see if this holds true.
Anyway, thanks again theQuetzalcoatl and Rrog.
I drink a lot of coffee. Will too many grounds be bad for the bin?
Interesting note - worms produce their weight in castings everyday. That means, in theory, if fed properly they should produce 7lbs. per week. I'll try to see if this holds true.
theQuetzalcoatl
Active Member
it is absolutely true. However, they need the microlife to be REALLY active in order to be able to do that. My bin is a bit smelly today, I think the cauliflower has started to decomp. It's not offensive, just sort of "there"
As for the coffee grounds. There seems to be a few schools of thought ranging from never to as much as you want. As long as you're buffering with eggshell and or oyster shell flour you should be able to use all the grounds you like. Your worms will tell you if they're unhappy.
Your bin looks like it's rocking. Remember you don't need mineral amendments every feeding. Congrats!
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
OoOOo. My apologies Rrog, as I can see how my comment seemed like it was directed at you.
However, I assure you, it was not, I would love to see pictures of your setup of course!
My intent was 'the more the merrier' in people showing off their composting methods, not a 'everyone BUT Rrog please show their setups'.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Snafu
Green Dragon 2
Member
When we make coffee at home we put the filter and all in we use the brown filters. Just remember that my bin is 2ft widex2ft high and 4ft long it is about 1/3 to1/2 full. What I do when I try something new I will put it on one end and leave it over night and check it. The first time I put melon in and check on it it was covered in worms. GD2
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
Cool man. I use Rollitup to spread organic love and knowledge and hopefully learn soemthing along the way.
There are alot of immature people who look to start online fights/flames on here, and I certainly do not consider myself nor you in that category.
Glad we're on the same page, as we are two very similar growers.
-Snafu
theQuetzalcoatl
Active Member
I'm confused as to what you're trying to express here.
kountdown
Well-Known Member
How are you guys handling problems with fungus gnats/fruit flies in your worm bin? I've had moderate success with predatory nematodes but I was wondering if anyone has experience with other products like GoGnats or mosquito dunks and how they affected your worms. Before I deployed the nematodes I would get the vacuum cleaner ready when I opened the lid on my bin and try and suck them up as they came out. There would be a swarm 50 or 60 strong. Now its less then 10 but I'm pretty sure I'll have to apply nematodes every couple weeks.
theQuetzalcoatl
Active Member
Thus far I haven't seen one insect other than my worms. I'll deal with whatever comes, it's worth it.
On an update note I had the bin apart today, stirred it up a bit and discovered that the cauliflower is pretty much gone. I'm pretty confident that so long as you're buffering acidic things, keeping up with your carbon and perlite additions anything could be composted in these bins. I also noticed a significant amount of liquid in the leachate tray, this is the first time I've had any real amount and I figure it was close to a gallon. I've drained it off I'm not making 20 gallons of teas so I guess the bulk of it is going to go down the drain. I'm going to save back about a cup and dilute it and feed my regular houseplants.
Here's a pic
