Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[Mohican]

Worms in kelp meal box:




Animal Cookies Flowers:






Cheers,
Mo

 

[Joedank]

My dad told me that you put night crawlers in rabbit manure and the worms get huge and multiply. Said you could make a fortune selling the worms to fishermen. That was my introduction to the world of worm farming.

that was a whole scam that was run for a short time . mail order get rich quick style... one of the first long distance pyramid scams...
it popped up recently too ...:
Industrial users failed to materialize in anywhere near the numbers needed to justify the 3,000 growers B&B signed up. Purported deals with partners ranging from Tyson Foods to the government of an African nation were never consummated. Investigators said the company appeared to stay afloat in part by purchasing worms from contract farmers like Decker and reselling them not to industrial users, but to newly signed worm farmers.
http://www.happydranch.com/articles/Worms_Turned_Disaster_for_Farmers.htm

 

[MustangStudFarm]

This is great advise. We do a lot of juicing and eat a lot of veggies. All scraps go in a plastic bag in the freezer even for a day or two, thaw and serve lol! I usually mix it up with a little fresh compost, maybe some coffee grounds, and the worms go crazy.

Peace!

P-

I really wanted to get into juicing and start cutting meat from my diet. My wife asked what we could do with the puree other than jam. Does the juice help with your energy level?

 

[Mohican]

I read a study that said it is better to eat the whole fruits and vegetables. You get the benefits of the fiber and the chewing process releases enzymes in your saliva that help with digestion and sugar uptake.

 

[MustangStudFarm]

I read a study that said it is better to eat the whole fruits and vegetables. You get the benefits of the fiber and the chewing process releases enzymes in your saliva that help with digestion and sugar uptake.

I really wanted to use it to replace some bad things like a 3rd cup of coffee. I like fruit and veggies, but it is hard to get an abundance of them everyday... I would rather eat fruit than chocolate but I often fall short on vegtables. I heard of others that juice in the morning and it increases energy. It would be hard to eat that many veggies by noon. I am totally not disagreeing with you. I really liked how you made your meatballs, and that is my problem. I probably eat too much meat.

 

[MustangStudFarm]

Back to composting. I found black soldier flies in my bin again. Do they do anything other than keep the fruit flies at bay? I have a nice population... Do worm bins attract harmful insects? I just put my bin inside with my plants with a/c, it was getting too hot outside and I noticed several kinds of insects.
Last month, I found red mites and I thought that they were the bad kind. I think that they were predatory mites and I didnt have to buy them online!

 

[240sxing]

Hello worm farmers , glad to see a thread , had my red wigglers for 6 months now love the hobbies and the rewards. Pics coming soon.

Back to composting. I found black soldier flies in my bin again. Do they do anything other than keep the fruit flies at bay? I have a nice population... Do worm bins attract harmful insects? I just put my bin inside with my plants with a/c, it was getting too hot outside and I noticed several kinds of insects.
Last month, I found red mites and I thought that they were the bad kind. I think that they were predatory mites and I didnt have to buy them online!

Black soldiers flys larva are used in composting bins and work great , google it , now that being said not a problem but i wouldnt want them, lol.

 

[240sxing]

I run my bin a little different , 18 gallon tote holes drilled in top and sides couple inches down from top. And when I feed I mix up for aeration, never had the problem most due with escapees.

Here's a picture of bin surface and the casting.

 

[240sxing]

And those white looking worms are sprouts I just pulled. Which is a good indicator that the bin is doing good.

 

[hyroot]

Plastic stacking bins or wood stacking bins?

I know wood is better but being that I live in a very dry climate I was thinking I should run plastic bins. My old plastic bins not stacked and open, it would dry out and I had to spray them down to add moisture then add leaves or cardboard.

I'm thinking plastic ones stacked will retain moisture better than wood bins.

 

[240sxing]

To me the housing isn't as important as the bedding , but either would be fine. I personally would stay away from wood.

 

[Dr.D81]

I am using a 28 gallon black tuff tote for one. The other is under the rabbit pen.

 

[240sxing]

Smart on the rabbit pen automatic feed and one of the best sources of food for them.

 

[hyroot]

I have a bunch of 18 gal rubber maids already. Half are empty. Half are filled with recycled soil.

I have everything I plan on using for bedding. I have 3 paper grocery bags filled with dry canna leaves. Half a bale of peatmoss, half a bale of coco, then a bunch of egg shells and veggie scraps and coffee grounds. I don't like using cardboard and newspaper.

 

[Mohican]

I thought cardboard was a waste too. Then I tried it. They love the stuff, and they eat it like piranhas! The Kelp Meal box I put in the worm bin is missing it's entire side where the worms ate it away getting to the kelp.

The Pizza Hut boxes look untouched. That is my biggest problem - finding virgin untreated cardboard.

 

[Mohican]

Animal Cookies grown in the worm bin:




Cheers,
Mo

 

[Dr.D81]

I thought cardboard was a waste too. Then I tried it. They love the stuff, and they eat it like piranhas! The Kelp Meal box I put in the worm bin is missing it's entire side where the worms ate it away getting to the kelp.

The Pizza Hut boxes look untouched. That is my biggest problem - finding virgin untreated cardboard.

Go to a cabinet shop or a lumber yard. The kind of lumber yard that handles high end plywood. They use 4x8 sheets the cover the palettes and they throw tons away.

 

[hyroot]

Everytime I used cardboard and newspaper. It had to compost on it's own. The worms never touched it. They ate everything else.

 

[Dr.D81]

Everytime I used cardboard and newspaper. It had to compost on it's own. The worms never touched it. They ate everything else.

I never use news print but they really like the cardboard. I have not used any except 2 1\2 dozens egg flats in my current bins. I have so much hay poo mix from the rabbits i havnt needed it.

 

[hyroot]

I never use news print but they really like the cardboard. I have not used any except 2 1\2 dozens egg flats in my current bins. I have so much hay poo mix from the rabbits i havnt needed it.

I get the organic brown eggs that come in a clear plastic container with 2 dozen eggs. No cartons. I'm using coco and peatmoss instead of cardboard.

Try and sell your extra castings locally then. I plan on having 4 bins stacked in 3's going by next month. So 12 bins total. I have a bunch of people who don't have room for bins. They order worm power castings from build a soil. Which is far better quality than the agrowynn castings I used to use. The worm power costs $50 with shipping for a cu ft. So I'm going to flip mine for $25 -$30 a cu ft.. I should have 10 extra cu ft per batch.