Worm Farm
- Thread starter CHOMPERS
- Start date
I have had a 18 gallon tote bin going for about a year now. It is true that as long as you do not just dump in a bunch of stuff all at once there is no smell. I mostly use coffee grounds and veggie matter in mine. I just chunk the whole thing in filter and all roll some substrate over it and let them have at it. I threw in some wood lice (rolly pollies or pillbugs to some) to help with the break down of the materials. I use them as a treat so I cannot attest for the reproduction rate except to say there are tons in my bin at all times.
During the Fall and Winter mine were non-existant. I had added some worms from the bait shop to the bin and later I couldn't find any. When things warmed up again, my new worms were much larger than before, thanks to the bait shop worms. Some how the worms go into survival mode and are hard to find.
JayK1320;1805513; said:
I keep forgetting to address the question if it is worth doing or not. Really it depends on everyones individual level of satisfaction. If worm production is the only measure, then I'd have to say that it isn't worth doing unless you can dedicate a lot of space to them.
I know this is going to sound weird, but I get enough satisfaction knowing I am caring for my worms. I also derive satisfaction from composting food waste and other organics. When you send kitchen waste to the landfill, it is being removed from the ecosystem and it is truly wasted. The compost that you get from the worm farm is outstanding natural fertilizer and it doesn't polute waterways in run off like typical chemical fertilizers. So if you ask me, yes it is worth doing
You don't really change it out. You take out what you need when you need it and add fresh food when it is available. The worms don't eat the food until it has nearly ended the decay process. They don't have teeth so they can only eat soft foods (such as cow manure) or decaying vegitation. Thier manure (called Casts) is what is desired for using as fertilizer, although the composted table scraps are good too.
In other words, if all of the compost is changed out at the same time, the worms will need to be given suitable food until the table scraps are ready for consumption by the worms.
Here is some good info on worms and their requirements:
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/organics/worms/WormFact.htm
In other words, if all of the compost is changed out at the same time, the worms will need to be given suitable food until the table scraps are ready for consumption by the worms.
Here is some good info on worms and their requirements:
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/organics/worms/WormFact.htm
