Worm Man's Worm Farm

Archive for the ‘Composting’ Category

I receive emails every week asking about different types of poop and which is best for castings which will be used in a vegetable garden.

The best poop for worm composting are horse manure, cow manure, and rabbit manure.  If you have access to the manure listed above then you are in luck.   The manure should be mixed 50/50 with peat moss.  Horse and cow manure should be moistened and allowed to heat first so that it does not heat in the worm bed.  Moistening it and allowing it to sit for a week should do it.  Then mix 50/50 with peat and let it sit again for a couple of days to ensure the peat does not activate heating in the worm bed.

Rabbit manure can be used fresh from the bunny.  Just make sure it hasn’t been soaking in urine first. If so, then wash out with water first before top feeding your worm bed.

Dog poop, cat poop and human poop should not be used. The poop listed can contain pathogens which are harmful to people.  If you later use the castings on vegetables you may be poisoning yourself and your family.  Dog, cat and Human poop also may contain heavy metals which will build up in the soil  after continuous composting.

Chicken manure can be composting and used as worm food but only after being watered and left to cook.  Cooking chicken manure means allowing it to age and degrade so that the acids wash out.

Chicken manure can be composted well if you use Black Solider Fly Larva.  If you decide to compost with Black Soldier Fly Larvae you can use the chicken manure fresh.  This is the only time fresh chicken poop should be used.
We take the chicken poop and mix it with straw and peat and wet down the pile. We stir the pile every three days and keep it moist.  When the straw snaps when bent then the mixture is ready for the worms.

Horse and Cow poop can be used after a short period of aging unless the animals have recently been wormed or given antibiotics. Do not use manure from treated animals for a week after treating the animal.  If you use the manure you risk passing the drugs to your worms which could kill them.

Worms turn poop into gold for gardeners.

That’s the poop on poop. Any questions?  LOL!

I get many questions about how often to water worm beds during throughout the year.

1. If you have a bed that has good drainage then I suggest watering daily if it isn’t raining
2. If it is cold and the ground is frozen I would only water weekly when the ground is not frozen. If you fed and watered your bed prior to the first freeze then leave the worms alone. They are fine.

3. Worm bins are a different story. Plastic bins or bins with poor drainage should not be watered until until they dry out a bit. If the bedding is damp but not wet and you can’t squeeze out a couple drops out of the worm bedding then it is time to water your worms.

If you are using big beds and want to grow commercially then watering daily is important for optimal growth.

It is getting warm outside and it is breeding season for flies. It is always breeding season for flies but it is super-breeding season for flies right now. Every type of nasty fly and gnat is attracted to your compost pile.

This is one of the worst parts of composting with worms. The flies lay eggs in the food you placed in the compost bin or bed and more flies are born.

A very simple remedy is to bury the food. Place the scraps a couple of inches beneath the bedding and use a new location each time you add more scraps. The flies can’t burrow and need to touch the food to lay eggs in it. This will mean more food for your worms and many fewer flies.

Over the past several weeks we’ve experienced a deep freeze like we have not experienced in 20 years.  It has been very cold and this is threatening our worm beds.  We’ve taken some emergency measures that have brought us through the deep freeze so far. I just wanted to share it with all of you because you may be experiencing the same thing.

We have many outdoor worm beds that are approximately 100 feet long each.  We dig the beds so that we have a portion of the bed beneath the freeze line her in New Jersey.  We do this so that the worms can retreat during a deep freeze, ball up together and stay warm until the beds thaw.  We usually spray the beds with water prior to the first freeze. We do that to allow the top layer to freeze forming a hard cover of ice which allows the bed beneath the ice to remain protected.  It will take very cold weather to freeze the layer beneath the ice shield.  We’ll we received that very cold weather and I began to fear for the worm cocoon, baby worms and breeders.

I decided to heat the beds naturally. We did this by doing something we would never do during warm weather. We allowed our green manures to mix and heat in the worm beds. I took bales of straw and soaked them until they were mushy. It took two days.  I also gathered up all of the horse and rabbit manure we could get. We ued the fresh stuff.

We usually mix the manure and straw together, wet it down and heat and then only use the mixture after it is through the heating process. We do this to protect the worms.  For our warming project we dug trenches down the center of the worm beds and put a layer of straw down (don’t use hay or you may have hay growing in your worm beds when the weather warms), we put a layer of manure down and then a layer of shredded newspaper and mealworm frass from our mealworm beds.  This is a powder from the bran we use to fed our mealworms. It is rich in nitrogen and heats when wet quickly.  We created three levels by alternating the ingredients listed.  Then we watered the beds with water brought to the beds in buckets because the hoses froze.

We covered the beds with landscaping fabric and secured it.  Two days later we had temps of 80 degrees in the center of our beds and the worms were swarming like they do in spring.  We’ve added manure and straw weekly to extend the heating.  a month has gone by now and the center of the bed is still reading 60 degrees. The outer edges are cold and frozen in spots but the center remains warm and healthy.  The weather is supposed to warm into the 30′s and 40′s this week which is normal for this time of the year so we will scale back on the heating measures and we will watch the weather closely.

The good news is that the worms look great and untouched by the killer cold snap here.  The bad news is that we have to keep a close eye now. We had eggs hatch and we have a swarm of babies that we usually only get during spring and in our indoor beds.  If a freeze catches us unaware the baby worms may be killed.  We will have to continue warming the beds through spring now.  I had thought to use soil warming cables but decided to try a natural method instead.

I’ll let you know how this effects our spring harvest which is a majorly important part of our business. 

How do you keep your beds warm?  Any ideas?

I am so excited because the seed catalogs have started arriving in my mailbox over the past week or so.  It’s two weeks before Christmas and it is cold and “snaining” (Mix of rain and snow. Yuck!) here.

I started thinking about my yearly soild improving plan. I have one every year and so should you.  The soil improving plan doesn’t have to be some grand plan written by a professional.  My plans are usually scribbled on scraps of paper tucked into some seed or plant catalog or in a notebook.

Last year my plan was to clean out several 100 foot worm beds and transfer the castings to my garden to create a thick loamy mass off goodness.   I live in Monroe Township, New Jersey.  The soil here is sand that is grey in color and turns desert-like when plowed.  At least until it rains and the weeds sprout.   I live on a road called “Matchaponix”.  There were Lene Lenape Native Americans here hundreds of years before my family came here from Italy at the turn of the last century.  “Matchaponix” was a name given by those Native Americans and mean “land of poor bread”.  It was a reference to the soil in the area because it was difficult to grow grain to make bread.  Enough said about the history of my poor garden soil.

My plan for 2010 is to add nitrogen fixing fodder plants to my garden in between my crops to enhance the nitrogen of my soil.  Nitrogen is very important to plants.  Many garden plants pull nutrients and nitrogen from the soil and use it to feed growth and create fruits and vegetables.

Nitrogen fixing  fodder plants actually add nitrogen back into the soil through their roots.  Some also can add nitrogen and important nutrients when you cut the tops and mix them back into your garden soil.

What plants are nitrogen fixing fodder plants?

Alfalfa- Sow in spring.  This is probably the best nitrogen fixing plant.  The cool thing is that you can plant this in your garden and dig holes in it to plant tomatoes and other vegetables.  The roots do the nitrogen fixing but you can mow the tops and save them or compost the tops while still green and then mix the finished compost back into your soil.

Borage- better known as an herb to most gardeners, Borage also makes an excellent composting crop. Harvest after they flower and flop over.  Then mix into your compost.

Clover (My 2nd Favorite)- I love clover because my bees use the flowers to make honey while the roots fix nitrogen into my soil.  I also love that I can plant it in the fall and it will grow right through a mild winter leaving some really terrific soil for my plants in spring.  My horses and rabbets also love to eat the flowers and leaves.

Crowder Peas- When the summer gets hot and other vegetables start to wither and flower plant Crowder Peas.  They are one legume that loves the heat.  You can also eat them.

Hairy Vetch- My teenage son told me that this sounds like a disgusting body part.  Hairy Vetch  Hairy Vetch is a top nitrogen fixing plant and it is very attractive because it is planted in late summer and isn’t cut until spring.  It is a great winter cover crop.  If you allow it to go to seed it will reseed your garden as a helpful weed and will help choke out other less desirable weeds.

Mustard- Is great for adding leaves to compost heaps.  Mustard is one of the easiest plants to grow and it will grow quickly.  It will not survive cold winters though.  Keep some growing in various spots so that you can add the leaves to composting materials or use it to choke out weeds in your garden.

Quaker Comfrey (My favorite)-  Not only is Quaker Comfrey a great nitrogen fixer right through the roots, it is also a perennial.  Our rabbits and horses love it chopped up into their food and our red worms and euroworms eat it like crazy. All I do is throw some leaves in the worm bins and I let them go at them.  I find more worm capsule(eggs) around those leaves than in any other spots.  Manure from rabbits and horses that eat some comfrey with their food also creates a better worm casting product because of all of the nutrients.

Some good tips:

1.  Rotate your garden spot if you can so that you can use nitrogen fixing plants in last year’s spot to allow the soil to recuperate before using it again.  Giving the soil some time off will do wonders for your crops.

2.  If you can’t rotate your garden spot then rotate your rows.  Plant tomatoes in a row this year and then nitrogen fixing crops in that row next year.  Most gardeners can rotate rows with less space problems.

3.  Try to plant nitrogen fixing crops in the fall so that you can have your garden ready for spring. This will save you work because the cold will cut the plants back for you.  You can then plant over the nitrogen fixing crop.

Please enjoy your garden.  My garden is one of the many reasons I enjoy living.

I’ve compiled a list of facts based upon questions that I receive from people that stop in.

1.  How long until baby red worms become breeders?

Baby worms mature in about 4 to 6 weeks and live for about a year.   This means that you will have mature breeders about 6 weeks after your red worms hatch from the capsule.  You can see how this would exponentially grow your worm population.  The time frame and life expectancy is based upon a proper environment.

2. How many worms can come from 1000 worms?

We’ve heard all kinds of estimates about how many worms will come from 1000 worm and we get questions all the time from people worried that their worm population will explode and spill out of their compost bins.  This will never happen unless you want it to.  The carrying capacity of the bin will dictate the amount of worms your bin will sustain.  More food and space will mean more worms.  If you take 1000  red worms and move the breeders to a new bin every month it is possible to end up with roughly 1 million worms in about 2 years.  This is an estimate based on the very best worm husbandry procedures.    In a normally maintained bin with food added weekly you will never grow 1000 worms exponentially unless you move the breeders to fresh bins every month and care for the bins containing the babies.

3.  Can I use regular dirt from outside for my worm bin?

You cannot use regular dirt from outside for your red worm composting bin.  Red worms require a good bedding made from shredded paper, cardboard , peat moss or coconut fiber.  The food should be manure of food scraps.  The best bedding is a mixture of all of the items listed.  The bedding must be light weight and not compacted so that the worms can move around.  The bedding must also be able to have air flow so that anaerobic activity does not take over the bed.  Common dirt will not allow for any of this and your worms will soon die.  This is why red worms are not good for lawns and gardens on their own but their castings are fantastic.  A handful of dirt in the worm bin will help your red worms digest the food you provide so a little dirt won’t hurt.

That’s it for now.

Have some fun facts or questions?  Post them here or send them to me and I’ll add them here.  Thanks!

Ken

San Francisco has enacted a new law that is stirring up some you know what. Citizens of San Francisco must compost certain items or face fines. This is the first mandatory composting law that I’ve ever heard of.

Here is the story.

I don’t know how I feel about this. I believe in freedom and I believe in personal responsibility. I believe that if you don’t practice personal responsibility you will relinquish your freedoms a little bit at a time. The government must step in to fill the void left when people become irresponsible. I’d love to see everyone composting. Not just because I am a worm farmer but because it is great way to conserve resources and create natural fertilizer that beats the pants off of chemicals.

How do you feel about this? I’d Like to hear your thoughts.
Ken

Moles can be a huge problem in worm beds and gardens. The burrow into worm beds and eat worms. They will make a home in the worm bed in colder climates and ride out the winter with a smörgåsbord of worms.

Prevention is the way to go and I have a post(Mole Prevention Post) about preventing moles in your worm beds. This post focuses only on getting rid of them.

How do you know you have moles in your worm bed? You may have seen them. That could be why you are here. They will scare you half to death if you are digging through your worm bed and all of a sudden a rodent springs out. If you don’t drop over from fright you must take action.

1. Disturb the bedding. Turn the entire bed.
2. If you see a mole try to catch it. If you can catch it and it escapes then turn the entire bed and make sure there aren’t other moles.
3. If you catch a mole. (Don’t use your hands. Yuck!) Move him far away or kill him/her.
4. If you have a recurring problem you may want to use a mole trap or poison. Be very careful that you do not poison your worm bedding with chemical poisons. You will poison your worms and yourself if you are using the bedding around food plants.
5. Seal around the beds with hardware cloth and be sure to use something under the bed to stop the moles from coming up.

I recommend catch and release of moles using traps. I also think that building beds on top of industrial landscaping fabric is a cost effect and mole proof way of protecting your beds and worms from pesky moles.

There are some products that you can check out that can help. Please remember that poison should be a last resort and you should check with local officials to see if poison is even lawful to use in your are.

Protect New Worm Beds From Moles.

Moles are a problem with outdoor worm beds.

A worm bed that is not protected will eventually fall prey to moles who tunnel around the worm bed eating worms.  Mole proofing your worm bed prior to filling it with bedding and worms will be much easier than trying to deal with moles after they are feasting on your worms.  This is a list of things that you can do to mole proof your worm bed prior to filling it with bedding and worms.  A future post will deal with eradicating moles from worm beds after the fact.

• Moles go under and not over worm bed walls. They will burrow beneath the walls of the worm bed and enter where they will tunnel and eat.
• You will know that you have moles if you see tunnels and paths.  If you cover the bed the moles will tunnel between the cover and then bedding leaving a path.

Here are some inexpensive proactive things that will save headaches later.

1. Use professional landscaping fabric on the bottoms of the bed.  Bring it up around the walls and nail or tack it on the outside of the bed so the moles can’t tunnel in. They will not get through professional landscaping fabric.
2. Place a bed of gravel on the ground where your bed will be and then place landscaping fabric or hardware cloth over the stones.  You will never have a mole problem if you use stones and then a second barrier of landscaping fabric or hardware cloth.
3. Place the bed wall on a solid floor of concrete.  The moles cannot penetrate a solid surface like concrete.  Plywood and tar can also be used.  Concrete is best and it’s easy to clean. If you are serious about worm farming then this is your best bet.

What is in my Worm Bin?!?!

What’s In My Compost Worm Bin? A Guide to Other Critters that

Inhabit Worm Bins.

There are many critters that inhabit worm
bins and beds.  Your first inclination might be to kill everything except
for the worms that you want in the bin.  That’s not what you want to do.
Many of the critters you will find are beneficial and are part of a healthy
community of organisms that you will need to break down the food scraps so that
you will have nutrient rich worm castings as your end product.  I won’t
rattle on here. I’m going to get right into it.

Millipedes

They will not harm your worm or you bin. They eat vegetation and organic matter.

Slugs

Snails

Flies

Flies are a nuisance.
Biting flies are a big nuisance and more so for you and not your worms.  To
rid your bin of flies use a cover and burry the food beneath the bedding.

That will re

duce smell and rid the bin of pest flies.

Spiders

Mold, Fungi, Bacteria

Bacteria in the worm bin is very important.  A soil
without bacteria is dead.  The bacteria breaks down the organic matter so
the worms can eat it.  Good bacteria will help break down food and scraps
so the worms can eat it.  Bad mold, fungi and bacteria can harm worms.

The cause is usually lack of air and bedding that is too wet.  If they
bedding is dripping wet and smells and if the worms are dying or trying to
escape then you probably have a

anaerobic conditions.  You should add dried
crumbled newspaper and dry peat or coir to absorb the moisture and mix every day
until the condition improves. It will improve quickly if the bedding is giving
ample air through turning and drier conditions.

Mold on top of the bed can also be a sign of pH issues or
anaerobic conditions.  Bury food to stop the growth of mold on the top of
the bed. If you are using a dry food like Purina Worm Chow and it is molding
then you are using too much.  Only use as much as the worms will eat in a
24 hour period on the t

op of the bedding.

Sow Bugs

Sow bugs are a great addition to your worm bed. They are
attracted by the moisture and food sources like decaying leaves and cardboard.

they will actually help break down some of the items in your bin so that your
worms can eat it.

Cockroach

Roaches are disgusting and can infest your house. before you bring a worm
bin into your house make sure you check it for roaches.  An infestation can
be costly and disgusting.  Kill them if you see them and where there is one
there are many.

Centipedes

Kill centipedes where you see them. They will eat your worms and their capsules.
We just smoosh them with our fingers and let the worms eat the dead bodies. It’s
revenge of sorts in the worm world.

Earwigs

Mainly eat rotting organic matter like leaves.  Some areas may have species
that  may occasionally attack worms but these are very rare.

Soldier Fly Larvae

The Soldier fly is common everywhere. They look like wasps
but they are harmless.  They will deposit eggs in your worm bin or bed and
the larvae will eat the organic food in the bin.  If there are too many the
only threat to your worms is that they will eat the food.  Soldier fly
larvae are great composting larvae in their own right and eat things that red
worms normally will not like fresh chicken manure.  If you find an
abundance of soldier fly larvae you may want to transfer them to a secondary bin
and experiment with composting with them. They do turn into soldier flies though
so you may not want to bring you bin indoors.

Springtails

Are a common find in worm bins.  You will be able to
tell if you have Springtails present because they will jump around your worm bin
when you touch the bedding.  They are small and white and jump or spring
around the bin.  They will not harm your worms but a large amount could
indicate an issue with pH.  Check your pH often and see our article on
understanding the pH of worm bins.

Mites

White Worms

White worms are small segmented worms that many people often
confuse with baby worms.  They are harmless in your worm bin and will help
compost along with your red worms.  White worms are also highly sought
after by fish enthusiasts who use the worms to feed newly hatched fish.

Grindal Worms

Grindal worms are small white colored worms that eat grains in the worm
bed.  They will help break some of those grains down before the grains have
a chance to ferment and sour your bedding by making it anaerobic.  Grindal
worms are also a great food source for fish fry. Baby fish love Grindal Worms.

Planarians

Ants

Are a pest. In some areas they can be a danger to your worms. If you have
fire ants or other predatory ants in your area you may want to keep your bed
away from them.  In many areas small amount of ants are harmless.