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mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 8:03 am Post subject:
They're just working v e r y s l o w l y! Poor little chaps, I bet it's chilly in there! Most of the kitchen waste is going straight into the compost bin at the moment: it's a rather grand 3-bay affair, made from pallets. When it's all full I'll have 3 cubic metres of compost: bliss

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 6:14 pm Post subject:
I wondered if that was it. I've insulated them with bubble wrap (leaving plently of air holes free) and I'm not feeding them - guess I'll just have to wait for the weather to warm up! Not jealous about the triple compost bin at all. Just wait till I move!

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 6:47 pm Post subject:
I had a double compost bin made from pallets until my neighbours decided to build a new fence. Not only did they move the fence six inches into my garden they ripped up my compost bins and a wild rose that was growing alongside it

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 12:01 am Post subject:
Followed the link, built the bin, found the worms. Cost me all of �9.00, 20% of the cheapest anywhere else, and working, may have to put it in the polytunnel to speed it up. Nice one, Gavin

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:27 am Post subject:
Did you have any problems? I'm going to have a go in the summer, but DIY is not my greatest strength!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:30 am Post subject:

Tristan wrote:

Followed the link, built the bin, found the worms.

Cost me all of �9.00, 20% of the cheapest anywhere else, and working, may have to put it in the polytunnel to speed it up.

Nice one, Gavin

Great, let us know how you get on Tristan.

Hedonists

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 95
Location: Romford, Essex.

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 7:11 pm Post subject:

About a year ago I started a worm bin using a regular plastic dustbin.

I drilled plenty of small holes in the bottom of the bin so the excess moisture can escape and used a drill attachment to make four 2" holes in the walls of the bin for airflow; two at the bottom on one side and two at the top on the other. I used a jigsaw to remove a panel from one side at the bottom, and reattached it with a couple of brass hinges so I have a small door that I can open to scoop the castings from the bottom - similar to many composting bins.

I bought a couple of tubs of brandlings (aka red wigglers) from a local fishing tackle shop and added them to the bin along with some shredded paper. I probably started with no more than a hundred worms, and a year later there's hundreds and hundreds of the little blighters

I add kitchen waste, some garden waste, plus cardboard & shredded paper to the bin. I regularly add ground up egg shell, which not only adds calcium, but also gives the worms an aggregate which apparently aids their digestive system (such as it is).

The bin is pretty much full, bar the top 4 - 6 inches. This area contains dry, shredded paper which prevents the worms from seeking out the moisture around the lid and also helps to cut down on the amount of flys.

Everything I've read about this kind of set up suggests that it shouldn't work, but from my own experience I have to disagree. Whenever I harvest the castings, there's always plenty of worm-eggs, and I have very few escapees. All of which suggests they are happy with their surroundings.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:00 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

To be honest, I'm not very impressed with mine so far. I have put about 1 weeks waste in it when I first got it after christmas, and its still there, so I haven't really been able to add any more.

Me too! I started a wormery off earlier in the year ... well here we like to try every form of composting there is. We have the wormery, a couple of compost bins (and bloody big 'uns at that), a leaf mould bin and I am just experimenting with hen manure ....

The wormery hasn't gotten underway as per "WW"

Maybe we are using the wrong worms???

I was told to use manure worms (red) like the fishermen use and so I bought some from our local "Super U" ... they keep 'em in the fridge near the cheeses here (yuk!)

No luck so far though - all advise welcome

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:03 pm Post subject:

Hedonists wrote:

I bought a couple of tubs of brandlings (aka red wigglers) from a local fishing tackle shop and added them to the bin along with some shredded paper. I probably started with no more than a hundred worms, and a year later there's hundreds and hundreds of the little blighters

SO you could maybe spare a few to France then?????

Goxhill

Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:29 pm Post subject: Wormeries
I got one of the ones that look like a small wheelie bin several years ago. Works pretty well most of the time, although we do get quite a few flies from it in the summer. Trouble is, there's lots of moisture [condensation?] inside it, & the worms keep escaping via the lid. I move them to the green house from late October onwards, & I've just brought them outside again.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 8:35 pm Post subject:
What's the problem with the condensation, Goxhill? And what do you put in it, and what do you use the resulting "compost" and tea for (mixed up, diluting, etc)? I'm very interested in that project that Tristan's been and gone and done, and it would be interesting to hear from someone who's got lots of experience with the end result too Welcome to the forum by the way, hope you enjoy it here

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 9:22 pm Post subject:

mine have perked up quite a lot now the world has warmed up a bit. Initially a lot of mine tried to escape. It says in the book to keep the rain off them - with an old dustbin lid or something that the air can still circulate round (I think they were just bloody minded) The they all sulked in the sump, becuase I had put the spare baskets underneath, and the got down and couldn't get up again (

) and then they hid in the middle in a big lump trying to keep warm. Now they are eating stuff, but seem to like their moisture mat (a fibre mat that keeps it dark and moist to encourage them up into the waste at the top) best of all. I got really stupid worms! They are making casts though, so we seem to have made progress.

Now you know how not to do it!

Hedonists

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 95
Location: Romford, Essex.

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 10:18 pm Post subject:

simon wrote:

SO you could maybe spare a few to France then?????

I don't see any reason why they shouldn't survive a couple of days in a cheap tupperware dish, amongst a bit of damp bedding. That's pretty much how the fishing tackle shops sell them.

If you're serious, PM me with your address and I'll send some over in a couple of weeks time.

---

I'm not really sure in which area of the forum I should put this (suggestions

) but if anyone wants a few just-starting-to-chit Golden Wonder spuds, please let me know. They're billed as a great roasted potato spud - we cheekily roasted a few when I first received them, and they're lovely!

I got them from here but even the minimum order is far more than I need. The dozen or so leftovers remained in the box they arrived in and I noticed today that they've just started chitting. If anyone wants half a dozen, let me know and I'll happily stick them in the post - they can't be composted so I'd far rather send them on to someone who'll use them, rather than stick them in the bin.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45670
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 05 10:25 pm Post subject:
I've got dozen or so chitted Duke of York spare if anyone's interested

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Apr 02, 05 7:09 am Post subject:
We could put them in the Trading Post section. Maybe start a thread about young plants, potatoes etc free to be collected etc? I tend to single out people at work and offer them plants. I think there's half a dozen that will get some toms & chilli plants this year.

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