FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi all!

well recent interest in composting and provinding some aid to local landfills from not disposing of most organic wastes can be beneficial not only to the local landfills, but also to you.

I have been researching on how one can compost at home and there are truely numerous ways!

"HOT BOXES" (not related to recreational drug use)
trenches
"WORM BINS"
pilings
and etc.

I decided to go with a worm bin. There are many commercially made bins that can be bought trough county or state fairs or ordered online, but nothing is more rewarding than making your own right?

I decided upon making my own and set out to create my own idea using the research i had used to support it.

I took a small plastic chest of drawers (small ones lilke you could use for kitchen or bathroom organization) and drilled small holes in the bottom of each drwaers in the sane configuration. I then found a small lid that could be used at the bottom to collect the liquid waste of the worms (known as "worm tea". I filled a drawer with damp shredded newspaper to form a bedding for the worms and will go harvest worms tonight at the local horse stable.
If you are not interested in harvesting the worms yourself you can order them nline, but the problem is THEY ARE EXPENSIVE at least for worms. You cannot use the simple earth worms you would find in the soil or use for fishing bait as they will perish in the worm bins.

Here are a few of the sites I used to help me research for the worm composting bin:

http://ladpw.org/epd/sg/bc_bins.cfm
http://www.wormwoman.com/acatalog/vermicomposting.html
and
http://cityfarmer.org

there are many ways to do it, you just have to decide which way fits your needs best. My family is small so we chose a small design.

There are many food that can be used for composting, and many that cannot be used.

Usable foods:
lettuce
avacado seeds
apple cores
mango seeds
egg shells
cabbage cores
tomatoes
banna peels
melon rinds
tea bags/pulp

unusable foods:
citrus peels/pulp
anything highly acidic

You can also use leaves and garden scraps as food to feed the worms.

The benefits of the system are reducing bio waste in the landfill system, creating nutriet rich terrestrial plant foods, and creating a good system for teaching children how to help support the environment.

If the worms are not overloaded with too much food the system will be odor free or have a low odor release. I chose to put my small system under the kitchen sink where it will be dark and not arrid.

casting (or the excrement) can be harvested and used on plants once the worms have eaten and broken down the food completely. usually this occurs after about six months of the starting of the system. an about once every other moth after that dependin on the system and the food load.

it is best to use teirs or drawers to eliminate worm loss and decrease the amount of time needed to break down.

Anyone else ever down this? Anyone interested in more info or doing this in the near future?



\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I have a farm (Reln design, the 3 boxes on stilts) that is going to be set up in the next few weeks. I just need to get some substrate for the little guys, and find somewhere that sells in lots greater than 100

I'm also considering adding whiteworms, but am unsure how that'd go.

Did you have a reason on the banana peels not being used? My folks have had one set up for some time, and I do remember banana peels being quite popular with the worms (though more popular with the guinea pig, so they rarely made it in!)



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

you must have miss read... babana peels were in with the Usable Foods... I am not sure about white worms, all the research i have done says redworms are the best way to go about it... I was going to try the boxes on stilts but there is the smell problem in the suburbs...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I've got the same one calla does I think?
Aussie made with recycled plastics Mine came with the peat moss bedding though. We found worms through someone working at bunnings that said they had a guy who kept asking if they wanted to sell his worms but that they couldnt' cause he was an individual and not a corporation, bla bla blah.

Had mine for over a year now, it never has smelled once.
The thing is not to add too much for the worms to eat quickly. If we've got too many veggies all of a sudden that do need to go in I tend to wrap them up in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer till there's room. Mine tend to keep eating the newspaper and burlap that I use to cover the top layer. I'm due to rotate the trays but haven't gotten around to it.

I've pulled all sorts of plants out of my worm farm too, I had cantaloupe (rockmelon?) seeds growing in there, in the dark, at one point, and anytime I scoop out some of the castings I end up with tomato weeds everywhere!

I had heard from someone here (I think?) a few years ago about using worm farms as a coffee table. Didn't understand at the time how it'd work (I thought it'd smell) but I think it might possibly work, in a very organic way ...not sure it'd work for me though!

We got mine through my local council, during our trip to the States had my MIL wormsit for me, she liked it so much she made up one herself using styro trays.

^_^

hmmm i never knew the larger outside ones wouldnt smell... Yeah alot of people have gotten into it and i plan on making my relatives worm composting bins for xmas... I have mine full of food but i havent had a chance to go get worms... hopefully it doesnt start to smell!!! mine is really small and only a prototype for future construction ideas...

Babel they eat the paper and burlap as a source of fiber... most sites suggest that their bedding have some or be composed of mainly shredded paper... that cool that you get pre grown plants out of it... that must mean its in the sun a bit! you can start growing your oen fruits and veggies!!!!

DO any of you collect the "Tea" for use on any of your plants?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I do use the tea, when I remember.

The booklet that came with mine didn't say to use a bedding after you've done one box (lower liquid, middle to start, top they move up to). But we've found that cardboard works best. The burlap/newspaper that they've been eating that I mentioned is their top cover!

Mines all black plastic, though it's got a few air holes? in the top lid. That must have been enough for some filtered sunlight to get down into even though the farm was under the porch in 24/7 shade . The plants that grew in the farm weren't good, though any time I take some of the castings out, that's when the tomatoes start growing wherever I've spread the castings.

Never had mine smell, I don't think that will be a problem so long as there's pretty decent air circulation. Most trouble I've had is a slight worry over sun. At our new house I don't have anywhere to keep it in the shade like I did at our old place. Now it's near our water tanks and gets shake most of the day, though a little afternoon sun gets through.

^_^