mohoghead
Junior Member
Posts: 26
Joined: February 2011
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Post by mohoghead on Feb 7, 2014 14:12:49 GMT -5
Our growers group stumbled across an offer we couldn't refuse. three cubic yards, 2700 lbs. of worm castings for $275.00 each bulk tote. so i'm buying one for myself, a couple of questions, Everything I've read indicates it'll be organic even though not certified, true or false? second, i'm thinking of amending my soil at the rate of 25% worm castings for now, opinions?
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Post by coppice on Feb 7, 2014 16:22:12 GMT -5
I think you'll get one heck of a boost the first year, and nearly nothing on subsequent years. If I was gonna club up to get more worm cast, I'd build a compost bin with a roof on it and host worms in it.
In the north the roof would shelter out snow, below the Mason-Dixon line it is to shade the bin (worms cook at 90F. Ideally you want two or three bins in a bank.
Feed your boughten composting worms a fairly high carbon diet and just a keep on feeding them.
You will have to turn a finished compost bin a little differently to get the wrigglers to run from light and just return worms to the newest (working bin).
I used a hardware cloth screen on a frame that fit on my wheelbarrow. As I teased the compost apart they ran to the center of the pile. Dump your lump O squirmy-ness in new bin.
Where I'm going with all of this, is you want worm poo every year. it takes a little fiddling, but it aint rocket science.
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mohoghead
Junior Member
Posts: 26
Joined: February 2011
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Post by mohoghead on Feb 8, 2014 8:55:21 GMT -5
Great information, a couple of us were talking last night about establishing a worm farm of our own in a partially empty warehouse we have. need to study up more on them. I think you'll get one heck of a boost the first year, and nearly nothing on subsequent years. If I was gonna club up to get more worm cast, I'd build a compost bin with a roof on it and host worms in it. In the north the roof would shelter out snow, below the Mason-Dixon line it is to shade the bin (worms cook at 90F. Ideally you want two or three bins in a bank. Feed your boughten composting worms a fairly high carbon diet and just a keep on feeding them. You will have to turn a finished compost bin a little differently to get the wrigglers to run from light and just return worms to the newest (working bin). I used a hardware cloth screen on a frame that fit on my wheelbarrow. As I teased the compost apart they ran to the center of the pile. Dump your lump O squirmy-ness in new bin. Where I'm going with all of this, is you want worm poo every year. it takes a little fiddling, but it aint rocket science.
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Post by coppice on Feb 8, 2014 11:24:53 GMT -5
Any worm and that includes composting worms (foetida something or other). look out for them selves first.
At least a few will make it their lifes work to run away. This is why composting worms don't usually work for me under the sink or in the cellar.
I'm a tight-wad a bank of pallet sided bins with a roof on does about as good as anything I've tried to keep my little wrigglers on the job. YMMV
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Post by w8in4dave on Feb 8, 2014 20:58:20 GMT -5
Ok I did worms before I loved it!! I am in MI. Mo I don't remember where you are... In the winter I kept them in my basement. I had a small setup. Some plastic tubs and I fed the veggie left overs and newspaper and stuff... It was cool!! Except when I put them outside in the summer it attracted some fruit flies so in the house I put some fly strips up ... But let me tell ya! Where ever I put those castings !! I had wonderful results! I love red worms and their castings! If you live in a warmer area that you can grow your own! Do it bud! I am telling you it is the way to go! I gave a few worms to a friend. And OMG They have tons of worms and castings! Put them in your house plants and everything. Wonderful rich stuff!
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Post by w8in4dave on Feb 8, 2014 20:59:46 GMT -5
Organic? Hmmm can they prove it? Thats a tuff one ..
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Post by paquebot on Feb 9, 2014 0:56:33 GMT -5
What Coppice said is correct. It's a one-shot thing for fertilizer benefits. I've seen a lot of inflated NPK values but it generally averages 1-0-0. Being readily available to the plants, it's all used up at once. 2700 pounds for $275 is about $10 per 100# which contains 1# of nitrogen. Compare that to other sources of organic fertilizer to see if it's a bargain or not.
Martin
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mohoghead
Junior Member
Posts: 26
Joined: February 2011
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Post by mohoghead on Feb 9, 2014 8:58:03 GMT -5
W8in4dave, south east Missouri, I have a designated heated plant start room off my greenhouse, I was thinking about using the three tote stack method, and trade the worms for fish from my grandkids.as to organic, everything I've read is they are raised organically, I'm not certified but just try to do the best I can. paquebot, I've also read different claims about the nkp of worm castings, I will be amending my raised beds at a 25% rate with this to improve the soil and get the nutrient effects, I was using fish emulsion but i'm tired of the critters digging up my beds looking for the dead fish.
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Post by coppice on Feb 9, 2014 9:41:30 GMT -5
Getting enough compost, or vermi-compost is a goal not a starting point.
Just know that a Missouri or Arkansas grower needs a hat over his worm bins for shade. Not a tarp, but a roof instead. They cook and die...
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Post by w8in4dave on Feb 10, 2014 10:01:34 GMT -5
Yes in the S. they get too hot , well in the summer here we put the worms in the garage. They are very active in the summer In the winter we put them in the basement. One time I left them on the back porch one day to long and they froze. It was a small set up. I only had a chance to put the castings in a few places.... even a small set up it is rewarding I am not certified Organic either , I think most of us do what we can , probably more Organic than Certified lol ..... Now your making me want more worms lol
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mohoghead
Junior Member
Posts: 26
Joined: February 2011
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Post by mohoghead on Feb 12, 2014 10:27:11 GMT -5
Sounds like I'll be using my plant room to start out on a small scale, when I built it I made 6" thick super insulated walls so it stays mild year round with a small heat source. I'm not certified organic either, Missouri Farm Bureau made sure they wrote the regs so it's too expensive to get certified for a small grower like myself, but as I'm feeding my kids and grandkids I will not use anything that's not natural. when I get the castings I will send off a sample to the state labs for a compost analysis and pay extra to look for any harmful ingredients. There is also a private lab that can certify that sample as organic but they are pricey.
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indigogirl17
Pro Member
Blazing here again...90's and dry after aq period of 3 weeks of solid rain a few weeks back. .
Posts: 191
Zone:: 5b
Favorite Vegetable:: sweet corn, collards, turnip greens, yellow wax beans, Cherokee purple tomatoes
Joined: March 2011
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Post by indigogirl17 on Mar 11, 2014 12:51:36 GMT -5
I keep my own lil worm farm in a clean plastic cat litter bucket...I don't have a big property, but I do have a compost pile, so the worm farm sits out there and i add food scraps (minus citrus, onions, garlic and any meat/grease). If anyone wants an easy Read more: notjusttomatoes.proboards.com/post/new/2400#ixzz2vg5Cwupx
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indigogirl17
Pro Member
Blazing here again...90's and dry after aq period of 3 weeks of solid rain a few weeks back. .
Posts: 191
Zone:: 5b
Favorite Vegetable:: sweet corn, collards, turnip greens, yellow wax beans, Cherokee purple tomatoes
Joined: March 2011
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Post by indigogirl17 on Jul 17, 2014 12:30:04 GMT -5
I agree! A friend got me started on my worm farms and it has developed into a fun little hobby. I enjoy making them and feeding them. I got a bunch of "no see 'ums" (people from Michigan will recognize the phrase) when i kept them under the sink, which i couldn't tolerate, so they overwintered in the compost pile otuside over our brutal winter, cover with layers of leaves. They were fine when i uncovered them in the spring.
By the way, they love the little cardboard TP rolls to nest in, along with veggie scraps, bread broken up, egg shells 9though i save these separately for my roses), torn up used paper towels. Just no meat scraps, onions, or garlic.
I usually make mine in used Tidy Cat containers, which have good lids for this. Throughly clean and air out the containers before use. Nail (or drill) holes all around the top and the sides near the top and holes in the bottom, so they can come and go from the compost pile. Don't worry about them escaping, as they seem to always come back.
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Post by bestofour on Jul 17, 2014 19:19:32 GMT -5
I've never had a worm farm but I do have a compost pile. We bought some worms for the raised beds but I think the birds ate most of them.
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