Aquariums and gardening.

[duanes]

It's real Tom. Tastes good too!

It grows wild (feral) here, seasonally, on sort of spineless cactus, and sometimes even in the crumbling block of old building.


Maybe because of the soil conditions here, its fruit is small, and doesn't have a lot of taste.

I like it best, blended with other sweet fruit, or even a little booze, in a smoothie, where it imparts great color.

 

[Chub_by]

Thanks for sharing, I love the bananas and fortunei especially. Living in zones that can have cold winters are quite demanding for those who like tropicals, but it all adds to the fun. What's gardening without a challenge, and the feeling of accomplishment when you manage to keep them alive is fantastic.

Yeah exactly the challenge is a bit part of the attraction to exotics - the other part of course being the fact they make you feel like you're on holiday

 

[esoxlucius]

It's that time of the year now when I close my wormery down. I stop feeding it and the bacteria, worms and other critters do their bit to break everything down. Once all the food source has gone the worms disappear too. Come spring I just have beautiful rich soil in there which I dig out and feed my plants with.

So today I dug out a tub full of worms for my fish, maybe a few hundred or so, and added the last of this year's kitchen scraps. I have washed and chopped the worms and placed them into old blister packs, which are ideal for this type of fish food. Then I freeze them ready for use.

The photo below is what my wormery looks like now. There is obviously a lot of stuff to break down yet but come spring all there will be is a thick layer of nutrient rich soil.

In spring I will revisit this thread and show you exactly what a year's supply of kitchen and garden scraps look like once it's been recycled. The amount you put in over the year, compared to the amount of finished soil you get out of it is quite a contrast, but from a gardeners point of view, well worth it.

You might ask what I plan to do with all my kitchen scraps now i'm stopping feeding my wormery. Well these will still be saved, but stored in my shed in multi layer bags to avoid smell. All the scraps I save up through winter will be added to my wormery next spring as it's first feeding to start the cycle all over again for 2023.

 

[Niki_up]

It's that time of the year now when I close my wormery down. I stop feeding it and the bacteria, worms and other critters do their bit to break everything down. Once all the food source has gone the worms disappear too. Come spring I just have beautiful rich soil in there which I dig out and feed my plants with.

So today I dug out a tub full of worms for my fish, maybe a few hundred or so, and added the last of this year's kitchen scraps. I have washed and chopped the worms and placed them into old blister packs, which are ideal for this type of fish food. Then I freeze them ready for use.

The photo below is what my wormery looks like now. There is obviously a lot of stuff to break down yet but come spring all there will be is a thick layer of nutrient rich soil.

In spring I will revisit this thread and show you exactly what a year's supply of kitchen and garden scraps look like once it's been recycled. The amount you put in over the year, compared to the amount of finished soil you get out of it is quite a contrast, but from a gardeners point of view, well worth it.

You might ask what I plan to do with all my kitchen scraps now i'm stopping feeding my wormery. Well these will still be saved, but stored in my shed in multi layer bags to avoid smell. All the scraps I save up through winter will be added to my wormery next spring as it's first feeding to start the cycle all over again for 2023.

View attachment 1504596

That looks lovely!

mis it always open on top? Or does it have a lid? If not how do you keep critters from rummaging

 

[Friller2009]

It grows wild (feral) here, seasonally, on sort of spineless cactus, and sometimes even in the crumbling block of old building.
View attachment 1504488
View attachment 1504489
Maybe because of the soil conditions here, its fruit is small, and doesn't have a lot of taste.
View attachment 1504490
I like it best, blended with other sweet fruit, or even a little booze, in a smoothie, where it imparts great color.
View attachment 1504491

duanes dragonfruit is native to Panama.

 

[esoxlucius]

That looks lovely!

mis it always open on top? Or does it have a lid? If not how do you keep critters from rummaging

I'm hoping that you eventually start one of these in your garden Nik, they are so useful, especially from a free fish food perspective.

But having a wormery in the UK, and having a wormery in Canada, pose very different problems from one another.

Firstly, my wormery is in a garden that is fenced off, so no "critters" can get in, other than the odd grey squirrel and magpies. And the damage they do to my wormery is minimal. They just pick for scraps of surface food, they don't really dig that much, no problem.

Yes, it is open top, simply because it needs to be kept moist at all times, worms will not tolerate it drying out, they'll be off, and quick! And our climate gives us plenty of rain to keep it moist. Prolonged dry periods in the summer? I just hose it down when I water my plants.

The critters you are likely to encounter in Canada, especially if your garden isn't well fenced off, will differ greatly to my critters. You may have critters that will rummage and totally destroy your wormery, not only looking for tasty scraps, but they will eat all your worms too!!!

If you eventually start one I suggest you need to have it in a secure shady spot at the back of the garden. Make it quite robust, with a lid. If the lid has holes in the top the rain can still get in to keep it moist. NOTE: sit your wormery directly on top of the earth, NO BASE. The worms get in by migrating upwards through the earth. Once there, if kept well fed with scraps, they will stay, and multiply like crazy.

Below is a picture of mine from my kitchen window to give you an idea, and also a picture of what you have to look forward too once it gets going!

 

[Chub_by]

It's that time of the year now when I close my wormery down. I stop feeding it and the bacteria, worms and other critters do their bit to break everything down. Once all the food source has gone the worms disappear too. Come spring I just have beautiful rich soil in there which I dig out and feed my plants with.

So today I dug out a tub full of worms for my fish, maybe a few hundred or so, and added the last of this year's kitchen scraps. I have washed and chopped the worms and placed them into old blister packs, which are ideal for this type of fish food. Then I freeze them ready for use.

The photo below is what my wormery looks like now. There is obviously a lot of stuff to break down yet but come spring all there will be is a thick layer of nutrient rich soil.

In spring I will revisit this thread and show you exactly what a year's supply of kitchen and garden scraps look like once it's been recycled. The amount you put in over the year, compared to the amount of finished soil you get out of it is quite a contrast, but from a gardeners point of view, well worth it.

You might ask what I plan to do with all my kitchen scraps now i'm stopping feeding my wormery. Well these will still be saved, but stored in my shed in multi layer bags to avoid smell. All the scraps I save up through winter will be added to my wormery next spring as it's first feeding to start the cycle all over again for 2023.

Absolutely love the idea, been toying with the idea of an indoor worm bin for a while now but always been hesitant because of the upkeep and the problems that arise when you don't keep up with it. (Mainly smell). So an outdoor solution is a great workaround!
Personally I'm heavily into composting, soil building etc so I might give this a try come next spring.

 

[esoxlucius]

Absolutely love the idea, been toying with the idea of an indoor worm bin for a while now but always been hesitant because of the upkeep and the problems that arise when you don't keep up with it. (Mainly smell). So an outdoor solution is a great workaround!
Personally I'm heavily into composting, soil building etc so I might give this a try come next spring.

They are literally win, win, win, win.

1. Great source of free fish food for hobbyists.
2. Great source of free bait for us anglers.
3. Great source of super nutrient rich soil at the end of the process for gardeners.
4. And great satisfaction that you are recycling.

Indoor ones could be a little challenging, but workable.

 

[jjohnwm]

There is something about the word "wormery" that always makes me smile.

Back when I lived in the tropics...i.e. extreme southwestern Ontario ...we always had a substantial compost heap, i.e. "wormery", and turning it over guaranteed a good supply of smaller worms. I also was able to pick up huge numbers of nightcrawlers on the lawn the night after a heavy rain. Nightcrawlers are the Incredible Hulk version of the common earthworm; bigger, juicier, faster, meaner. When used for fishing bait, they were chosen on the basis of size and fighting ability. For fish food, only true Monster Fish need apply.

I miss those days. When I moved further north in Ontario, the worm population was greatly reduced. Here in Manitoba, it's a mere ghost of what I had available to me back then. I still keep a huge compost heap, and it still produces some worms...but your wormery is much more wormerier than mine is...

I'm curious as to how many worms are found in Niki's neck of the woods?

By the way, Esox...if I built that wormery you have in my backyard, it would be torn to pieces within days by the local bears. They would eat the food scraps...and the worms...and likely most of the wood!

 

[esoxlucius]

There is something about the word "wormery" that always makes me smile.

Back when I lived in the tropics...i.e. extreme southwestern Ontario ...we always had a substantial compost heap, i.e. "wormery", and turning it over guaranteed a good supply of smaller worms. I also was able to pick up huge numbers of nightcrawlers on the lawn the night after a heavy rain. Nightcrawlers are the Incredible Hulk version of the common earthworm; bigger, juicier, faster, meaner. When used for fishing bait, they were chosen on the basis of size and fighting ability. For fish food, only true Monster Fish need apply.

I miss those days. When I moved further north in Ontario, the worm population was greatly reduced. Here in Manitoba, it's a mere ghost of what I had available to me back then. I still keep a huge compost heap, and it still produces some worms...but your wormery is much more wormerier than mine is...

I'm curious as to how many worms are found in Niki's neck of the woods?

By the way, Esox...if I built that wormery you have in my backyard, it would be torn to pieces within days by the local bears. They would eat the food scraps...and the worms...and likely most of the wood!

Lol. Yes, I know, that's why I advised Nik that UK and Canuckistan wormeries pose different challenges. If she goes down the great and fascinating wormery wormhole (see what I did there, lol) then she'll no doubt face some rather annoying, and probably persistent setbacks.

As she settles in to her new home and her garden begins to takes shape I think she'll realise that something is missing. She won't be able to put her finger on it at first, it'll puzzle her, keep her awake at night, and then she'll remember old Esox sage advice....a wormery, that's what I need, and she'll feel all warm and gooey at the thought, lol.

That's what wormeries do to you, and the wormier they are the warmer and gooeyer you feel, lol.