Vermicomposting (Make your own Worm Castings)

My pound of worms arrived today from Bentley at Redwormcomposting.com.
He sure doesn't skimp when he sends worms.
 

 

 
 

 

A pretty cool vermicompost screen.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n5BZKZBKJE

 

The only problem I see with this is that his screen is going to let a lot of worms fall through.

 

Use a smaller hardware wire size. Other than that it looks like it's do able.

Maybe motorized it down the road with a 1/2 HP belt driven motor

 

True. I would use 1/4" hardware wire.

I would also use wood on the frame instead of PVC as it would be less construction than what he has.

 

Hey Mm,

I have never used Bentley but did make an order last night from him after seeing your post. I have been planning to setup the large static bins like Mr. Coot but decided to do some quicker turn overs using Black Cow manure and some amendments in my 45s.....Basalt, Comfrey, CSM. Thanks for the heads up with on Bentley. I ordered 5 lbs last night and will get the bin ready this weekend.

 

Ya, after reading through his website I was impressed by his passion which shined theough.

 

A couple of my bags of dandelion leaves turned to a black mush and the the rain this week moistened the paper bag. I added the goo, malted barley and the bag to my 45 static bin. They love that mix. Lol top of the mix is nice and warm.

I think I will let this bin sit and be the breeder bin.

 

I picked up a small bag of greensand yesterday to add to my vermicompost bin. Will sprinkling some on the top be sufficient or should it be mixed into the bin? I hate to mix up the bin full of worms, I'm just not sure if a layer of greensand on top will provide the worms with the grit they like. Currently using an 18 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck bin, any ideas on amounts? Maybe just a handful sprinkled on top? Any suggestions would be great - thank you!

 

A handful sprinkled on top will more than suffice.

DO NOT go mixing up anything! The worms really don't care for it and they do a fine job of mixing on their own with all the burrowing.

Case in point. Put a decent sized mound of coffee grounds on the surface and then watch how (relatively), fast the surface becomes level again.

Never used greensand as grit, but should be Ok. Bought a 50# bag of 'play' sand 5 years ago and still easily have 45# left. You don't need a lot and don't need to keep adding it. What I do now is add some when making the bedding mix. Takes care of remembering to toss some in there.

Wet

 

Thanks. Yeah I really did not want to mix anything up I just wasn't sure if the worms would get the grit they need from the top, but sounds like they will - Thanks wet!

 

If you watch the vid, with those bungee cords he has a quick screen change set up going. That was the coolest part of the whole set up IMO.

Wet

 

DO WORMS EAT PERLITE?

Just an observation. My bedding is a basic peat/perlite mix with lime and a few various things added.

When I harvest, there sure seems to be a lot less perlite than went in with the bedding.

Nothing seems to be affected, certainly not the worm population. But, where did the perlite go?

Wet

WELCOME Feanor !!

 

 
They might ingest some very small pieces to use in their gizzards, and I suppose it's possible that over time they would break up some of the larger pieces as well. Still, it seems odd that there would be enough gone to notice.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00yer5Yu2w
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJmx-jOSfg
 
 
Still one of my favorite automated trommel versions I've seen around. Cheap to build, easy to use and effective. 

 

Quick question for you all. 
 
I have an outdoor worm farm. Its an old cabinet buried with the doors on top so they open etc...
 
My question is, can I add a few creek chubs to it? I only harvest this in the fall and should have about 4-5 more months of feeding the worms etc. Should be plenty of time for all the bad stuff to break down in the small fish right? I am talking like 10-15 5-8 minnow type fish. thoughts? I put them in my garden below each seed of my indian corn and the corn seems to love it.