Worms or No Worms that is the question.

Now most of you who have read and or seen my You Tube videos know I have raised worms for composting. Unfortunately over the last year they have been dying off little by little. I have found myself in a spot where I need to ask do I replace the worms I have lost of just do with out? So I had to do some investigating as to why the worms dyed. The only thing that I can come up with for any kind of good or descant answer is that the tap water that I have here is bad for the worms. So If I am to get more worms I will need to filter the water. I also think that there might be some rodents eating some of the worms but I believe that the rodents are doing minimal damage. Now for the big point is the cost of replacement, worms are going for about $90.00 for 5 pounds that comes out to just about $18.00 per pound. If they live than all will be good, if they dye off than not so much.
I am thinking that I will be buying more worms in March or April as it worms up out side and the worms have a better chance of making it. I will keep you posted on how that is going and were I am in the process.
The benefits of using worms for composting far out weights not having and using the casting in the garden. I have used the castings to make a tea out of and used it as a spray on plants as an insecticide (I have seen it kill gnats and hard shelled insects) I use it as a liquid fertilizer and the castings as a soil amendment. I also use the worms to compost my trash. Such as coffee, coffee filters, tea and tea bags, vegetable waste, all kinds of paper products, I even will at times get manure and throw it in as a little treat for the worms. So there is some of the things I have been thinking of, I will be blogging more on worms and how to raise them, and some of the down falls.
If you are in the same situation as I am or if you have been thinking about getting in to worms stay posted for a lot of great information on worms.



Till Next Time

Happy Worming

Garden Composting

So by now we all know that adding compost to your garden is a good thing to do, but, how do we go about getting compost? One reason we might garden is to save some money. If that is the case than we don't want to go out and spend all kinds of money on compost.
You can make your own compost. Composting doesn't have to be your collage science project that became so complicated that even the professors don't even fully understand what is going on.
Composting is nature reclaiming that that belongs in the soil. In reality we don't have to do any thing for composting to take place. Our roll in composting is and should be minimal.
My way of thinking, here is my part of the composting process.
I find the location. I can build the bin, dig a hole or buy a snazzy new composer. I get to add the goodies, and keep out what I don't want in my compost. I get to water and turn it. Now that is all that I do, I can do more, or less as I want. Once I start putting waste in a pile the microbes start the break down process that is needed to make compost. Now I can leave it or I can help make it a pleasant place to be around.. (and if I lived in town my neighbors will appreciate that.)
Here is the basic to “easy” composting.
Size, stay with compost bins 3 x 3 x 3 up to 6 x 3 x 3 remember you will need to turn your pile. My bins are 4ft long by 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep. I chose that size because for me it is a manageable size.
Your bin / pile needs to be large enough to generate heat. Heat is a part of the composting process.
Now with some of my compost I will feed to my worms and I will let them take over from this point. The compost that I don't feed to my worms will need more work. I will water, turn and give it time to compost. When I start a bin I will first add straw, or grass to keep the material I want to compost off the bottom and let air in. Once I add the first layer of material to the bin I will add about ½ to 1 inch of soil to cover the material that is to be composted. The soil will serve a dual purpose, 1 it will cover the material and help keep fly's down and rodents out of the bin. 2. There are microbes in even the worst soils that will “kick start” the composting process. Now all I do is let the little fungi and microbes do there work for a few months and we will have nice rich compost.
There are a lot of great web sites and books on composting, I have cut my trash to the curb down by about 80 to 85% of what it was before I started composting, also I figure that I have payed for everything I compost once why pay for compost when I can make my own.

Till next time

Happy Composting

Worm Bin Outdoors

I installed another compost box in the garden. It is 4' x 2' x 2' made of ¾” untreated plywood.
I buried the box 2' deep, by burring the box it will insulate it so the worms don't freeze in the winter or get to hot in the summer. Using worms in your compost bin will help speed up the compost process and you don't have to turn the bin every other day or so. Worms will eat ½ there weight every 24 hours and will double there numbers every 60 to 90 days. Worms will eat old bread, vegetable scraps, manure, paper, grass clippings and leafs. Don't feed your worms any meat, fats or pet faeces. Composting with worms can cut your wast to the street down up to 95% a week and you will have the best soil amendment on your block. Just add your compost to your garden and soon you will have the best garden around. You can see the video on the worm box on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtFYwxSOeLM

Till Next time.



Happy Gardening / Composting