Compost Worm Countdown, ...........1

They're here!

Eisenia fetida, Red Wigglers

Now here's an odd thing. I'm always delighted when I'm working in the soil and find an earthworm. If I find one somewhere other than the garden, I'll often take it there. Somehow though, photos of worms are creepy. Why live are okay and photos not, I don't know!

These are Red Worms, Eisenia fetida, also called Red Wigglers. They are a type of composting worm and differ from earthworms. The common earthworm's scientific name is Lumbricus terrestris.

Earthworms are burrowers. They like to live deeper in the ground and that's where they do their "composting"; good for the soil, but not good for collecting. They are also usually found one at a time, by themselves. Composting worms live closer to the surface, preferring to munch their way through rich organic matter. This makes their castings easy to collect. These are better adapted to "group" living conditions, which probably explains why they multiply so fast ( I read up to double in 90 days). Besides the Red Wigglers, another common variety of composting worms is European Nightcrawlers, Eisenia hortensis.

Compost worm bed with lid

In Compost Worm Countdown,.....2......, I showed you how I divided the worm bed in half. I have a large sheet of damp cardboard covering their half, on the right. For the lid, we bought two sheets of corrugated vinyl roofing. Right now they're just set on top and weighted down with rocks. Soon they'll be attached to a frame. They are light weight, opaque, and easy to manage. My only concern will be the temperature inside the bed. It gets some morning sun and I worry that it might get too hot, so it's something to keep an eye on .

Now I'll just have to wait and see how they do. Hopefully my new "livestock" will be happy in their new home.

More resources:
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/quick-facts-about-worm-composting/
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Redwormsedit.htm

http://www.organicagcentre.ca/DOCs/Vermiculture_FarmersManual_gm.pdf

Related Links:
Compost Worm Countdown, 3...............
Compost Worm Countdown,........2.........

Compost Worm Countdown, ...........1 © April 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

Compost Worm Countdown, ......... 2 ..........

"Remember ...Bedding is your friend!!"

Tom Stewart, Worms-a-crawling Farm

I've gradually been working on the next step in my compost worm preparations, bedding. I say gradually, because we have a pretty good size worm bed frame. I'm thinking big, though I now understand why a lot of folks start with smaller plastic totes. :)

Composting worms do not burrow into the ground like earthworms, they like it closer to the surface, where there is plenty of decomposing organic matter. That means they need a dark, moist, protective environment to live in. Bedding provides that and here's what I've learned about it so far....

Shredded cardboard & newspaper for worm bedding

Shredded cardboard always seems to be the most highly recommended, as well as paper. These must be the non-glossy type and the colored inks must be soy based (thankfully common nowadays). Egg cartons (which I don't have) and leftover rolls from toilet paper (which I do have) or paper towels (have on occasion) are good too. Initially I found shredding the cardboard to be time consuming. I tried scissors and a box cutter, but eventually figured out that if I wet down the cardboard first, it was much easier to tear. This is good, because being able to use cardboard, junk mail, and scrap paper for the worms, is one of the reasons I wanted them. There's never a shortage of these items, so this is the perfect "no waste" way to dispose of them.

Barn muckings from last year, slow to completely decompose over winter.

Partially rotted manure or plant matter is good too, as long as it's not fresh. Manure, straw, and hay from cleaning out the goat shed and chicken coop are the basis for my compost piles, which I turn as I remember, and sift as needed. I use the finished sifted compost for the garden, and can add the larger partially decomposed matter can be added to the worm bed as needed.

The problem with fresh manure or green plants, is that they generate heat as they begin to decompose, which is how we know our compost piles are working. Worms prefer temperatures more like we do. Plus, the worms need the microbes found in decomposing matter. This is what they actually eat, not the matter itself.

Last autumn's leaf rakings. 

Autumn leaves are good too, though their down side is that they don't absorb and hold moisture by themselves; better to mix with cardboard. Most of my leaves end up as winter mulch for garden beds, but I did have one pile that is decomposing, which is good.

The bedding needs to be wetted down to keep it damp, not soggy, just damp. Non-chlorinated water only.

Lastly, some food....

Kitchen compost bucket

Most of our kitchen and garden scraps get fed to either the chickens or the goats. Exceptions are anything that's rotting or moldy. Other than that, about the only thing we have left is coffee grounds, tea brewings (bagged or loose), the occasional forgotten item in the refrigerator, and onion and garlic skins.  Those last items (onion and garlic waste) are a no-no for worms however, because of the volatile oils they contain. The other thing that cannot be used, is non-manure waste from animals (bones, fat, dairy products, etc.)

The bedding needs to be prepared at least several days to a week before adding the worms. This gives the bed a chance to begin to establish the microorganisms that the worms eat.

Bedding mixed & damp.

Since my bed frame is large, it finally occurred to me to put a divider in it to start. This will give me time to fill the other side with more bedding by the time the worms need it. Actually, this is similar to Tom's method of harvesting casts.

Now it just has to sit and age a bit. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't dry out. Still on my to-do list, is a cover for the bed. Even just mixing this up attracted a curious robin. After that I'll be ready for my worms!

Want more info? Try these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost
http://triplegwormfarm.com/
http://www.happydranch.com/articles/index.html
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/

Related Posts:
Compost Worm Countdown, 3...............
Compost Worm Countdown, ................1

Compost Worm Countdown, ......... 2 .......... © April 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

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

Compost Worm Countdown, 3........... © March 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/