March 28, 2012

Compost Worm Countdown, 3...........

Newly built frame for our compost worm bed

Dan and I have been trading information with Tom, over at Worms-a-crawling farm. He's given us some good information on how to get started with composting worms. (Read his step-by-step getting started, here.) Yesterday Dan got the lumber and built the frame for our worm bed.

Next step ........ bedding.

Related Posts:
Compost Worm Countdown, .....2......
Compost Worm Countdown, .............1

24 comments:

Carol............. said...

Thanks for the link. We are heading home to Washington State next week and I'm going to give "worm farming" a try!

Renee Nefe said...

I think that worms are all my old garden location is going to be good for now. I just wonder how much of that dirt I can use in my new garden???

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Good luck with your new farm critters. They are the one animal that if you forget about for a while, they dont seem to mind ;)

Natalie said...

This is new to me. I usually just leave the worms where I find them in the garden, or put them in the composter. I will be watching your progress. Thank you

Ngo Family Farm said...

Woohoo, and great timing for me, Leigh! I was just researching vermicomoosting, and looking for a way to do it outdoors. Thanks for the links.
-Jaime

Michelle said...

Are you buying the worms to go into your bed? I'd be worried the treated lumber would kill them. Any thoughts or info?

Clint Baker said...

Now thats a BIG worm farm! You should have lots of look with that!

Sherri B. said...

I will have to check this out, I always thought the worms just come along in the compost pile. xo

Leigh said...

Carol, it seems very doable, doesn't it? Tom refers back to where he got his information, so there are lots of good references there.

Renee, I love to find worms in my garden! If I find them anywhere else, I move them to the garden. :) These will be composting though, so I'll have something to feed the coffee grounds to, and castings to harvest for the garden.

Jane, I appreciate that. It will be nice to have some critters that are relatively self maintaining for a change. :)

Natalie, what's interesting is that composting worms are not the same as common garden variety earthworms. I'll have to blog about the difference a little farther down the line.

Jaime, don't you love it when things work out like that!

Michelle, yes, I'm going to order from the supplier Tom recommends, Red Worm Composting. Good point about treated lumber, so I reckon we'll be everybody's guinea pigs on that one!

Clint, more than enough for a pound of worms! Hopefully I'll have lots of castings as well. :)

Leigh said...

Sherri, we must have been writing our comments at the same time! It's true a compost pile attracts worms. These though, are a different variety, and by keeping them in a bed, their castings can be harvested!

Anonymous said...

I have a friend that did the worm composting. I've never tried it, but it seems like a good idea. Is there any difference between worm compost and regular compost?
Sandi

Clint Baker said...

I found you Ramps! When you get them just cut the roots off and plant! I also put another link in a comment to you on where to buy the seeds!
http://www.earthy.com/product2.cfm?Product_ID=146

Jocelyn said...

Have you been peeking over my fence? Oh wait, I don't have a fence.

We're doing the same thing, but I'm using the rabbit poo as the food for the worms. Basically I'm just piling it up, putting a box around it, and then adding some of the red wigglers I've got in the basement to it. Easy peasy. I figure I should use those bunnies for something!

Cat Eye Cottage said...

Oooooo! I can't wait to see how that works out. You probably plan to do so already, but I would love to see the whole process.

Leigh said...

I can't believe it! Blogger ate my comment on my own blog! Rats!

Sandi, this is a first for me too. Basically worm compost is worm manure, except that unlike other animal manures, it can be used directly on plants. Other manures have to be composted first. Your question is a really good one though, so I did a little research and found this article, worm castings vs. compost.

Clint, thank you! You're a sweetheart! I live in an area where ramps do grow, so it seems like a must for us.

Jocelyn, I've read that worms love rabbit manure. I saw an article where someone set up their worm beds directly under their rabbit hutches. I don't know how well it worked, but it would eliminate one shoveling and hauling step. :)

Candace, I'll take and post photos as I go along. Hopefully it will work out very well!

Nina said...

Vermiculture/vermicomposting have their fans around here. There are even small indoor set ups to keep them processing organic waste during the winter. This is one project I definitely want to hear more about as it develops.

Tom Stewart said...

Leigh,
YooHoo! The bed looks great! Make sure Dan puts a lid on it, as the birds will be in there digging around to find the worms. I have one bed that has a hinged lid and one that does not. The hinged lid is a lot easier to deal with, open it and do what needs to be done and then close it!
The treated lumber should not be a problem, at least it has not been for me. I use recycled wood when ever I can and I can increase the depth of the bed using pocket screws to add another layer.
Remember that the worms work only in the top 6 - 8" of bedding! Anything below that is casts and compost!
I know that you will be happy that you are doing this and will be amazed at what the casts will do for your garden!
Now you can add "Worm Wangler" to your list of homesteader jobs!
Tom

Leigh said...

Nina, most of the instructions I found were for small set-ups, usually with something like a Rubber Maid tote, perfect to keep indoors. We really don't have room for that (!) though I like the idea of processing and producing during winter months.

Tom, thanks! Yes, we'll be sure to add a lid; thanks for that. Currently I'm reading about bedding and hope to have everything ready in the next week or two. Then I can get my worms!

CaliforniaGrammy said...

Oh, such a city girl gone country that I am, I learn so much from you. I had no idea anybody raised worms unless they might be an avid fisherman!

Leigh said...

Janice, I think lots of gardeners do! And of course those fishermen. :)

Project Girl said...

This is awesome! I had the fancy indoor worm bin for a year and loved it.

Well, I loved it until I got unwanted crawling/flying critters in it. That happened because I thought I could put it outdoors some of the time, and unwanted things found it and laid eggs as well, and ewww. I took it outside, dumped it on a tarp, donned rubber gloves and harvested the castings, saved the worms, and gave the whole set up to a neighbor. (Who reacted as though I was Ed McMahon.)

I would love to have an in-ground outdoor worm farm, but I'm not sure that I can in my climate. I'm in Dallas. If anyone knows...

Please update us as it progresses, Leigh!

Leigh said...

Project Girl, definitely! I hear there are challenges though, as you mention. I'm so hoping all goes well with this project.

icebear said...

i've had an indoor worm bin
for going on 3 years. its wonderful for kitchen scraps!

Leigh said...

Icebear, seems the indoor models are very popular. I'd say it's a perfect way to compost those kitchen scraps. :)