worm farms

[HUON]

Has anyone had any experience with worm farms(kitchen scraps size) I look forward to your recommendations/fond experiences.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Only enough to know not to leave the farm in the hot, hot sun. :B

She of the Green Thumbs now looks after ours...

[Geoff Dean]

Don't throw too much horse poo and wood shavings from the stables in there either, it heats up the compost too much and kills all the worms. :(

It is very good for breaking down the vege scraps quickly though.:D

[jmk89]

Yes. Have had a Can-o-Worms kind for 7 years - it works well and the compost and liquid fertiliser are really good (a shovelful of wormpoo under a new planting gives it a real headstart).

Definately worthwhile, but, as Skew said, don't leave them out in the sun. Ours uis happy under the deck. Also don't feed onions or citrus or too many egg shells to the worms.

[Ashore]

Gave up on the worm farm and empitied the lot into the compost bin ( open to the ground at the bottom ) We put all our kitchen waste into it except excess citris ( orange and lemon peel ) and every 3 years add a worm farm booster pac from bunnies
The worm farm was a pain , got too hot, too dry , not enough food or filled up with water if you had a heavy wet season , by putting them into a compost bin they need no maintaince except a boost every couple of years and the only place they escape to is the garden
The other big advantage you never fill a compost bin , they eat it as you put it in :2tsup:

[HUON]

Thanks for your replies, so no citrus or onions. Interesting about the egg shells, what does the shell do to worms pray tell. On the weekend I was looking at a product called the tumbleweed worm farm (worm cafe, something like that).What are your thoughts about keeping a worm farm inside or are they too messy and smelly?
Cheers.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

A properly run worm farm is clean, with no obvious smell. If it stinks, the odds are good that your worms are dead.

The Boss reckons there's nothing wrong with egg-shells, except that they don't break down. She also says the things to avoid are manure, meat, acidic foods (ie. onions, cirtus fruits, garlic, etc.) and dairy produce.

She also reckons you have to be very, very careful about what garden clippings you add, if any; I guess some are as toxic to worms as they are to us. :;

I'll take her word for it. She's kept ours running for years, whereas I kill them quick smart. :sigh:

[Luddite]

Don't throw too much horse poo and wood shavings from the stables in there either, it heats up the compost too much and kills all the worms. :(

It is very good for breaking down the vege scraps quickly though.:D

Hi,

Residues from the worming chemicals remain in the manure, and it kills the little critters off very quickly....after all the chemical was designed to kill worms.

We have a can-o-worms, it is a very easy way to recycle. I recommend it too.

See you,

Anthony

[HUON]

Thanks folks, this is becoming a most informative thread ( certainly for me ). So no acidic tucker, manure; makes sense a bit smelly as well. Meat, I suppose the maggots would put paid to that before a worm looking for a bellyache got close ( at least in the real world ).
Cheers

[Andy Mac]

I posted my version of a worm farm here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=73150&highlight=worm+farm) some time back. Basically an old bath tub, with shade cloth over the top, and has worked a treat for 4 or 5 years.:2tsup:
I have no compunction about putting crushed eggshells, citrus or onion skins in to the mix, or horse manure either! Basically I put in any kitchen scraps that I don't feed to the chooks, which includes paper towel and cooking oil. It hasn't adversely affected the worm population that I have noticed, always loads of young ones breeding up, and castings by the kilo. They love the manure, which I often put in by the barrowload, mixed with straw, and a mate who originally supplied my worms only uses manure!!

Good luck with it.

[arose62]

Ours is in a foam broccoli box. I made the mistake of leaving it where the sun could hit it, and wondered why I couldn't open the lid - lots of dead worms plastered across the join :(

I wondered if there were viable worm eggs left, as it had gone from a thriving, wriggling mass, to ... just dirt.

About a month later, it was pretty wriggly again. Then one day, after adding quite a bit of rice, I had the same lid problem. This time, judging by the smell, the food rotted and upset the worms. I got a lot of them out and popped them into the compost bin.

A week later, there are masses of baby worms visible.

Our 7 y.o. loves the idea of the worm farm, and recycling. Only cost was $27 for a starter kit from Bunnies, and it's survived at least 2 extinction-level events :)

Cheers,
Andrew

[rotten_66]

How do you keep track of them?? How do you know which ones are yours and which ones are wild ones?

Aren't they too small to brand:q:q

[HUON]

The wild ones don't have names,Derrrhh.

[arose62]

Actually, compost worms are different from common earthworms.

Earthworms tend to burrow much deeper, and like to eat dirt, while compost worms tend to feed as near the surface as they can, whilst staying out of direct light. Compost worms also have a different diet, as described in posts above.

Plus, they come to you when you call "Here wormy, wormy, wormy"

Cheers,
Andrew

[HUON]

Like the idea of a bath as a worm farm, outside of course,as you could partly bury it to assist in temperature control.
Anyone know what species of worm makes a good compost worm ( please don't say Mike,Doris,Joe or Liz etc ).

[rhancock]

If you need more information, have a look at the Permaculture Forum (http://forums.permaculture.org.au/index.php?sid=47de55cf997b25889c06e506e5d0a136).

[HUON]

Thanks but no thanks.

[rrobor]

Saw somewhere that worm juice as a liquid fertiliser is a great urban myth, its just dirty water. The castings etc are fine and a great plant food. Another way to build a compost heap worm farm is with bales of straw, if the heap gets a bit warm the worms can escape into the straw and in the end the lot turns to compost. I never buy worms, diging the garden yoou find a few and chuck em in. You know its going well when yoy see blackbirds turning the top over for you