Vermicomposters Unite! Official Worm Farmers Thread

[Wetdog]

Just to be clear for the newer worm wranglers and such, worms don't "EAT" anything. They have no teeth or jaws and very tiny mouths.

What they do is slurp up the bacterial slime from decomposing material. Fungal slime also, but anything solid is beyond them.

Personally, I don't bury food, never have. Like to keep an eye on it and avoid overfeeding. I'll feed 2 or 3x and then add an inch or so of fresh bedding and repeat the process, like a lasagna.

But, whatever works for the individual.

Wet

 

[Rrog]

Slime Slurpin' mo-fos!

 

[Wetdog]

Slime Slurpin' mo-fos!

Wonder if they would like fizzy slime?

Wet

 

[Rrog]

oh no! lol

I have to say, I'm so encouraged that there are so many vermicomposters out there. It is such a good amendment when applied properly. The immune response benefits extend to the leaves and branches, even though the worms are restricted to the soil.

It's the way it was supposed to be.

 

[ShLUbY]

yeah i am aware they munch the slime and what not

@Rrog i definitely noticed a difference in my grow when i stopped using worm power castings because i had enough homemade compost on hand. Seemed like the plants were missing something!

 

[Rrog]

It's like a new creature is created. Plant +microbes + soil. Interesting dynamics we get to see up close. Very cool

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Just to be clear for the newer worm wranglers and such, worms don't "EAT" anything. They have no teeth or jaws and very tiny mouths.

What they do is slurp up the bacterial slime from decomposing material. Fungal slime also, but anything solid is beyond them.

Personally, I don't bury food, never have. Like to keep an eye on it and avoid overfeeding. I'll feed 2 or 3x and then add an inch or so of fresh bedding and repeat the process, like a lasagna.

But, whatever works for the individual.

Wet

ohhh man... you must have a good smell-tolerance...
I have to ALWAYS bury mine...
I freeze em, thaw em, mash em, and leave em out in the bag in the sun for a day or two before feeding, and the smell is just... well..
unpleasant.
speaking of smells.
the smell of composting kale is THE worst smell I have EVER smelled.
no joke, no exaggeration, and i'm a mechanic that has smelled some funky cars, hell we just yanked out a rotted-decaying-full-of-maggots rat corpse out of a lexus,and that one was GNARLY
but that was nothin compared to the kale..
kale when it decomposes smells JUST like a month old deer carcass (don't ask how I can tell)
only worse...
not sure if its the sulfur or what, but composted kale is the worst shit EVER
just beyond funky

 

[Wetdog]

i have all kinds of stuff. peat, coco, leaves, rice hulls, pumice. i made sure i hydrated all of it a couple days before the worms came and let the bin sit with a little food in it for their arrival. it was 15 deg F. today when they arrived lol. they were a bit slow and cold, but they're coming around.

Congrats! Now, just don't kill them. LOL Just because you have all kinds of stuff doesn't mean it all belongs in the bin (pumice?!?). With worms, simplicity in bedding and food will win out over diversity every time, at least till the bin gets established in 4 or 5 months. Then is the time to experiment and try different things.

You'll see as time goes on. Any questions, just ask, have had bins going for over 6 years now.

Wet

 

[Rrog]

Composted kale? Really? Now I want to compost some just to experience it

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Composted kale? Really? Now I want to compost some just to experience it

ohhhhh man....
if you do...
be prepared...
even buried it smelled like a deer carcass was outside my house..
I had to redig it UP, and toss it in the damn forest down the street from my house
just the nastiest..
if you were blindfolded it's literally the SAME smell as a rotting carcass, just a speck worse, a gag-inducing-funk
I had a hair-brained idea that since kale is so loaded with micros for people that it'd be a good like land-kelp type of thing for my wormbin
bad idea...
if you do it...
think of your greasy monkey friend that warned ya

 

[Rrog]

Amazing...

 

[Wetdog]

ohhh man... you must have a good smell-tolerance...
I have to ALWAYS bury mine...
I freeze em, thaw em, mash em, and leave em out in the bag in the sun for a day or two before feeding, and the smell is just... well..
unpleasant.
speaking of smells.
the smell of composting kale is THE worst smell I have EVER smelled.
no joke, no exaggeration, and i'm a mechanic that has smelled some funky cars, hell we just yanked out a rotted-decaying-full-of-maggots rat corpse out of a lexus,and that one was GNARLY
but that was nothin compared to the kale..
kale when it decomposes smells JUST like a month old deer carcass (don't ask how I can tell)
only worse...
not sure if its the sulfur or what, but composted kale is the worst shit EVER
just beyond funky

Would really like to kick whomever touted kale squarely in the balls. That stuff is the WORST! The ONLY way it was halfway edible was braised in bacon grease and even then, my wife and I decided it was a waste of good bacon grease. We do love our collard greens though and have them at least weekly.

What really pissed me off was the wasted garden space in growing the kale for 'real' organic kale.

AAhhhhh Here's the difference and perhaps the reason for no smell. This is mostly comfrey, whole leaves. I freeze them for however long, but put them still frozen on the surface of the worm bin. By the time they start to smell, the worms are scarfing down the smelly stuff. I've never defrosted anything before adding to the bins and never noticed bad smells or frost bit worms.

Give it a try.

Wet

 

[ShLUbY]

Congrats! Now, just don't kill them. LOL Just because you have all kinds of stuff doesn't mean it all belongs in the bin (pumice?!?). With worms, simplicity in bedding and food will win out over diversity every time, at least till the bin gets established in 4 or 5 months. Then is the time to experiment and try different things.

You'll see as time goes on. Any questions, just ask, have had bins going for over 6 years now.

Wet

i'll do my best. seems like the bedding should would out pretty well. time will tell I definitely read in a lot of posts its best to just leave them alone to do their thing, feed once in awhile, and leave them alone some more!

 

[Rrog]

Would really like to kick whomever touted kale squarely in the balls. That stuff is the WORST! The ONLY way it was halfway edible was braised in bacon grease and even then, my wife and I decided it was a waste of good bacon grease.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Would really like to kick whomever touted kale squarely in the balls. That stuff is the WORST! The ONLY way it was halfway edible was braised in bacon grease and even then, my wife and I decided it was a waste of good bacon grease. We do love our collard greens though and have them at least weekly.

What really pissed me off was the wasted garden space in growing the kale for 'real' organic kale.

AAhhhhh Here's the difference and perhaps the reason for no smell. This is mostly comfrey, whole leaves. I freeze them for however long, but put them still frozen on the surface of the worm bin. By the time they start to smell, the worms are scarfing down the smelly stuff. I've never defrosted anything before adding to the bins and never noticed bad smells or frost bit worms.

Give it a try.

Wet

mmmmmmm
BBQ'ed Brussel sprouts braised in bacon grease is yummmmmmmy...
or bbqed asparagus, or broccoli too...
ohhh man that's tasty goodness

 

[Wetdog]

i'll do my best. seems like the bedding should would out pretty well. time will tell I definitely read in a lot of posts its best to just leave them alone to do their thing, feed once in awhile, and leave them alone some more!

That's pretty much it, the original LITFA animals.

Be sure to add a bit of liming stuff and some play sand for grit. Oyster shell flour should cover for both since I thought you said you had some. Don't think they are particular about grit as long as they can swallow it.

Wet

 

[ShLUbY]

yeah i put a couple tbsp of lime in the bedding, and then when i layered the bedding, one of the layers i threw some rock dust and kelp meal, another layer i did some oyster shell and crab meal. like 1.5tbsp of each. i put some garden soil from near my compost pile in it as well, like a pint at the most. fairly loamy soil.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

yeah i put a couple tbsp of lime in the bedding, and then when i layered the bedding, one of the layers i threw some rock dust and kelp meal, another layer i did some oyster shell and crab meal. like 1.5tbsp of each. i put some garden soil from near my compost pile in it as well, like a pint at the most. fairly loamy soil.

I like to roast a good dozen egg shells in the toaster oven at like 200 degrees or so, then pop them in my coffee grinder to make dust of em
oyster flour is badass too
I cant remember where you are geographically, but I LOVE to set tarps out before storms to capture the native earthworms, those guys are SUPER great at aeration, they tunnel up and down, up and down, nonstop, leaving their microbial rich bacterial poop as they go

 

[ShLUbY]

I like to roast a good dozen egg shells in the toaster oven at like 200 degrees or so, then pop them in my coffee grinder to make dust of em
oyster flour is badass too

yup already been doing that in my compost bin i have, so the compost i feed the worms will have them in there already

 

[Javadog]

Congrats on advancing Shluby.

I had not thought of using earthworms....known as better tunnelers
than composters....but that makes a lot of sense. Good stuff indeed. :0)

I am happy that this thread woke up. I need more worms. :0)