Red Wigglers in Outdoor Compost Bin?
KendraSchmidt
11 years ago
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lonmower
11 years agoKimmsr
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Red worms versus red wigglers? escapes? (newbie)
Comments (7)Thank you for the guidance. The bait cup simply said "red worms" on the label, so who knows what kind of worms I really have. But it sounds like I may have gotten the European nightcrawlers. They seem to be about 3 inches long. This is something akin to a science experiement for me. Don't want to invest a lot of money until I am sure it is going to be workable. I made my bin from two old kitty litter tubs, the kind with a hindged lid. On the bottom one (for catching the drainage) I removed the lid and drilled several holes in the sides (about 3 inches from the bootom). On the other tub, I drilled lots of holes in the lid, along the upper sides and smaller holes in the bottom (for drainage). From what I have read, surface area seems to be an important thing, and since the kitty litter tub is deeper than it is wide, I am only using less than half of the depth. I put damp newspapers, some soil with a bit of sand, the worms (only about 60 so far), a small amount of food, and more damp shredded newspaper on top. So it is a very small set up. I was pleased to find this morning that no worms seemed to have been able to escape (none were even trying - probably too deep) but they had eaten much of the overly ripe 1/2 banana and the centers (seeds) out of a few cucumber slices. So they seem to be happy enough so far. If I can keep these guys alive and producing those wonderful castings for at least a few weeks, then I think I will order some Eisenia foetida and get a bigger tub. Thanks again for the advice. I do hope this works....See MoreNeed few red worms / red wigglers to start composting near torrance, C
Comments (0)Hi all, We recently moved to Torrance, CA. I need to start my worm bin all over. I am looking for few red wigglers. Pls email me if any of you can share few with me or refer somebody local who sells these. My email - Vid_nand2002@yahoo.com.. Thanks in advance.. Vidyaa...See MoreOutdoor worm bin = compost pile?
Comments (10)I think you might want to ask on the Soil, Compost and Mulch forum as well as here, since I believe there are plenty of folks around with experince in both vermicomposting and regular compost piles. Here you might get slanted answers, such as "Definitely worms are better, they have CUTE POINTY HEADS!!" :-) I don't have a good sense of how fast a regular compost pile can produce compost versus how fast a big outdoor worm bin can produce vermicompost. Vermicompost is pretty rich and concentrated stuff, but I don't know that it's hugely, dramatically better than regular compost. If I had a good-sized garden in which to use compost, enough space outdoors to create a compost pile, and much more garden waste to process than I do, as well as the ability to possibly collect materials from offsite (leaves, coffee grounds, what-have-you) I would probably want to do vermicomposting for kitchen scraps year-round, and an outdoor compost pile for large volumes of plant matter on a seasonal basis. As it is, I have mainly kitchen scraps with a very small amount of garden waste to handle, a very small outdoor garden with limited need for compost inputs, no space for a compost pile, but room in my basement for a worm bin, so it's pretty clear what method makes sense for me. Your mileage may differ....See MoreWill red wigglers eat normal compost??
Comments (3)The love to feed where the compost material is in the process of decomposing. However, they do not "turn it in to vermicompost" - (which, let's be blunt, is just worm poop). They just leave their droppings behind in the compost. So, in other words, they are adding to, not replacing the compost....See MoreKendraSchmidt
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