Yeah, I have a work inn…
VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin, Dark Green with Free Worm-saver Tray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RU0BAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3ZSxEbAW9BQ98
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Oh yes we’ll established bins will have beneficial mites maybe springtails , sow bugs (Rollie pollies) fungi and such.
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So we use this compost service at work, they come in and take our compostables once a week. And they also sell compost, so I got a couple 5 gal buckets.
https://healthysoilcompost.com/
I opened the bucket and looked at it, looks super black like vermicompost. Lots of lilttle critters that are the size of mites moving around in there. Id like to test this stuff out indoors, but I’m worried about introducing something I dont want in my grow room.
My alternative up til this point was buying worm castings from the grow store and compost from buildasoil.com. What do y’all think are the differences in my risk of introducing aomething I dont want using the stuff I bought locally vs. the commercial stuff at the grow store and buildasoil?
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There in lies the problem with municipal waste … your not always sure what your getting most of the time …if I was a betting man the waste recyclers don’t give a rats ass how it’s made or what the conditions were that went into it . There just there do move someone’s else’s trash and make a profit off it , compost CAN get to Hot and be problematic getting over 160 F Id have a tendency to not use it . Your nose should tell ya a lot ammonium smells a big no-no putrid smells also a good indicator
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I’m gonna test it out with my same mix but outside in pots w veggies once it warms up. That was gonna be my plan anyways.
An interesting data point I got about the company was the founders at first didnt think monetizing the compost was ethical- they were going to give it away to urban farms. They felt selling it and the worms was exploiting the worms so maybe there is hope! The company founders did it all bc of their sustainability mission and they saw no one was offering composting pick up services here so they capitalized on that lack of competition starting out. They literally go around on bikes collecting 5 gallon buckets on these special bike rigs. They pick up the full bucket and drop off a clean bucket every week. And they focus on office buildings and food waste so I dont think theyre taking in the lawn bins full of lawn clippjngs people bring to the curb. I’ll do some experimentation- but outdoors first!
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I’ve seen people use the big dust filters that go in industrial inline fans for a lid on fabric pots. I’ve got mine inside, but it’s a manufactured plastic worm bin with a lid. I don’t think the little guys are going anywhere if you give them a palace to live in
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Most soil bugs want to stay in the soil. As long as there is yummy food they never leave. You won’t get an infestation of soil mites or something…unless you live in a pigpen.
You can use a fabric pot indoors as a worm bin. This is what I did for years every fall. I would mix up 20 gallons of equal parts of horse manure, black leaf mold and perlite. I amend this similar to my grow bed with lime and some other goodies. I would add a gallon of old worm castings and no worms.
By summer the bed is full of worms. I like to let the worms have at it for at least 6 months. If you let the bin go for almost 12 months the finished product is beautiful.
Cover with water soaked cardboard. Continually add new pieces of wet cardboard. The worms love Amazon boxes, the vegetable glue is delicious to them and they love to have orgies between the cardboard layers.
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Chris Martenson of Peak Prosperity has been doing yeoman work on his site informing us on the Coronavirus, novel Covid - 19.
In this letter of a couple years ago that argues to me that he should receive honorary memebership here at OverGrow.
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Heres a question, where do you guys get your worms? 2lbs is like 60$!
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O man that was a decent read.i do so enjoy the article posted on the ol OG. This Is good stuff bro
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I dig mine up but I’m blessed with an abundance in my yard. They mulitply fast , start with a few and you will have tons in no time.
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I bought a batch from a guy on Amazon three years ago. He had good reviews and they were healthy worms. I have also bought from NW Redworms. If you have to buy, I recommend buying from a local online company. Worms are fairly hardy to ship but a day or two can make a difference. This is the perfect time of year to ship worms…not to hot…not to cold.
Get a pound of them. They will multiply fast. Alternatively, if you can find some worm cocoons, they are often cheaper. But you have to wait for the worms to hatch and that takes time.
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I received my worms from someone that already Had an established bin if ya ask around you can get cheap think a checked out yahoo exchange groups
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I’m planning to dump out my bin to sort thru it and probably splitting it into 2 different ones this weekend w the kids. Bought 1000 and added some to my flowering plants and the majority into the worm bin.
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I started with 48 worms in 12 pots and within 6 months there were probably 30+ in each pot. Stick a half of a avocado on the surface they will have an orgy and make lots of babies.
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Melon, Strawberries, Avocado’s anything with sugar they love. You have to watch the fruit fly’s and fungus gnats though.
I bought a bag of organic chicken feed. I think mine is “Organic Layer Crumbles”, I sprinkle it on top once a month. The worms go crazy for it and the get huge and healthy. You can over apply so…less is more.
They also like boning between Amazon cardboard.
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Stupid question… But do I have to feed these guys to get them to reproduce, and do I have to feed them in general or can I just put them in my soil and let them eat the remaining plant matter and compost?
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Mostly mine eat the mulch, also the malted barley, and any meal products I put on top.
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red wigglers reproduce a lot on their own. warmer temps help, iirc, about 75-80 F max.
put them on top of the soil & yes they’ll be fine if they have some debris to live under. they hate light & dryness.
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You create food wastes right? I usually freeze food in ice cube trays and unit dose feed them get rid of your smelly waste , cut down on land full waste and create black fild in the process it’s a win-win situation
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