Wormery

[Magnie-na]

Does anyone have one outside? Composting is taking too long up here so we thought about making a wormery for our kitchen waste but wondered if we may need to keep the bin undercover overwinter. Be grateful for any advice.

[shetlandpeat]

I would suppose it depends on its mass. My composter has thousands of worms but during the winter they stay deep inside the core, where it is warmer. Folk also say you should have a composter that can be inverted to allow a propper mix. this would upset the worms cycle and push them to the cooler parts of the drum. I have put it against a North facong fence to advoid direct sunlight and also shield it from the wind. I dont think you should allow it to freeze, perhaps a cylinder jacket may help in the winter.

[shetlandpeat]

http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/acatalog/Composting_Worms__Tiger_worm_mix_.html#a100

 

I did not know they were that expensive, 25 GBP a kilo...

 

You dont need many to start, they sorta have sex and produce thousands of baby worms.

 

Please note, WASH HANDS IF YOU HAVE HANDLED THEM!

 

There was a time I did not and spent a few hours on the toilet.

[MaxFusion]

http://www.originalorganics.co.uk/wormery-accessories.htm

 

here's another one, you can buy them in smaller packs

 

wir heap is full of them already! wonder how good they'd be for fishin

[shetlandpeat]

 

wir heap is full of them already! wonder how good they'd be for fishin

 

I think they would have difficulty holding the rod, all the worms I have do not have any arms or hands.

 

Iou only need a few worms to start, bit like starting a new aquarium, start slowly but always watchful.

[DizzyKipper]

@ shetlandpeat - why do you keep your compost heap out of the sun? Surely it's better to heat it up to help speed up the composting? Down south we had it it partial shade, but it was much hotter there. We had tons and tons of worms in the compost bins. OK maybe not tons, but definitely a lot! We found that the worms bred inside split seeds, big seeds like mango, they became like nurseries, full of baby worms!

 

Here sadly we are having problems siting a compost bin anywhere where it won't be blown away and are considering a bruck box or two as an alternative. Maybe a wormery in the garage might be better... I look forward to hearing your experiences.

 

[shetlandpeat]

There are several factors.

The location was one the other was to keep it away from the house.

But the main reason is overheating and the black plastic becoming distorted with the internal heat plus the heat of the sun, it happened to me before and it meant the hatch at the bottom would not stay shut, the thing starts to droop a little.

The bin is generally nearly full most of the time, in this rented abode the landlord lay concrete instead of grass, so compost is only used for pots and generally getting rid of uncooked kitchen waste.

But, I would guess that at 60 deg north, it would be better in the sun, it needs to be sheltered through the winter tho. I have been filling it now for 4 or more years, the compost is just like topsoil, tho I find the odd branch and cork I put in years ago.

 

Could you not semi bury it, or have a 3 sided boxed heap.

[DizzyKipper]

We'll have to try something, the lawn cuttings alone come to 7 bin bags! It seems very wasteful, and that's without veggie peelings, etc.

 

How fast does a wormery get through your waste?

[Magnie-na]

Well that is encouraging to say the least - but if we semi-buried it Shetland Peat how would we access the end product? Or would that be semiburied overwinter and then moved to summer quarters? Also I know some folk use special brandling? worms for wormeries have you used ordinary compost bin worms.

 

DizzyKipper we mulch (everything) with our grass clippings, it feeds and keeps the weeds down.

 

Thanks for the replies

[MaxFusion]

DK, sounds like you're needing some of this stuff

 

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/Compost-Activator.aspx

10ml of Compost Maker, mixed with a full watering-can, treats about one-and-a-half bin bags of waste.

 

Compost ready for use after ten weeks of rotting

 

Can be used to re-activate partially composted or dead heaps

 

Suitable for use in all types of compost bin

 

Encourages the correct enzymes for faster composting

 

100% Organic

 

once you've got a bin full o compost it'll no blow away

 

SP, I did say for fishing no at fishing......

[DizzyKipper]

DK, sounds like you're needing some of this stuff

 

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/Compost-Activator.aspx

 

 

once you've got a bin full o compost it'll no blow away

 

Yes that looks like Good Stuff

 

At our old house we had 2 open compost areas and 3 compost bins. The first one we put up here, despite being next to a wall and having large stones on top and around the base, we rescued from across the field ditch opposite, where the fence saved it from a fast flight towards Norway. It had blown out across the full length of the garden and over the gates, leaving behind a trail of plant material that was blowing merrily from the washing lines! We are now on attempt number 3

 

Thanks for your suggestions

[shetlandpeat]

Similar to the way the Picts built their homes, only the roof is exposed, you can even turf it, Longdog has built a turf house for his boy, it is on his blog, line the sloping pit with rocks. You would need it big enough to get in and turn.

[Magnie-na]

Interesting but think I'll try the wormery sheltered next to a north wall and see how we fare

[shetlandpeat]

thought you might.

 

The worms may need to be gotten from someone elses heap, they tend to live in mulch and not in the ground, grass can get very slimy, you gan mic in cardboard and newspapers to thicken it up. Slugs are good to as they eat any dead animals as well as vegitation, they are white in my bin due to the lack of sunlight. I have thought about trying just a sluggery with kitchen waste, interesting now.

 

Good luck

[MaxFusion]

slugs in the garden??

they're handy!....Salt em