A Tale of Two Composts

13 years ago

It wasn't the best of days, it wasn't the worst of days. It was just an ordinary day. My wife and I were having sweet corn for supper. Two ears for me and one for her. I husked the three ears of corn and wrapped the husks in newspaper about 3 layers thick. I took them out to the compost heap, one of three I have going at present. I dug a hole about 18 inches deep, put the package in and covered it up. After supper I took the three cobs down to the basement and deposited them in the top layer of #3 COW. Fast forward about 6 days, I took some garbage out to the heap where I had put the corn husks and dug in to deposit some more garbage. There were the corn husks, looking as fresh as the day I put them there but the newspaper in which I had wrapped them was gone. One small piece about the size of the palm of my hand was all that I could recognize. Meanwhile, back at the worm ranch I went down to the basement just to look around. I lifted the lid of the bin in which I had put the cobs and there they were, looking just the way I had put them in. No surprise there, but then I took the fork and rolled on over. It was swarming, a solid mass of worms underneath the cob. I checked the other 2. Same thing. As good as watermelon. In another post I estimated my worm population at about 6000. Using this latest intelligence I would raise that estimate to 10,000. This from my original 1000 in early December last year.

Dave Nelson

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

steamyb
13 years ago
1K to 10K in 8 months.
Based on intelligence gathered from turning over 3 corn cobs.
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
No, it's not just the 3 corncobs Steamy. I have 3 COW towers with three trays each, all active and well supplied with food. Does a 10 fold increase sound excessive in that situation? Maybe so.

Dave Nelson
Related Discussions
Tale of two tomato plants
Q
Comments (8)
Thanks for the responses. I was concerned about the cherries doing better mostly because the Early Girls said they took 50-55 days, whereas the cherries said 70-75 days. It's good to hear that this might not be accurate so that my expectations are properly adjusted. Regarding the yellowing, I actually noticed the same thing when I checked the plants after posting. I think it must have occurred in the past day or two. These are self-watering containers so the moisture is theoretically consistent. We have had some heavy rains in the past few days, so that could contribute to the soil receiving more moisture than usual (although most should be draining out the bottom). Could it also be a sunlight issue? Now that the plant is growing, could it be that the top leaves are shading the bottom, given the tight quarters? Would it help to keep rainwater out by using a plastic mulch? Finally, I've been reading as much as I can here and elsewhere, and everyone seems to have a different opinion about fertilizing. I thought I was doing right with the 4-1-1 fish emulsion but it seems like there are many opinions... How am I to know which is right? Thanks again!
...See More
Tale of Two Sycamores
Q
Comments (14)
call your county extension office.. and find out how to submit a sample for analysis ... and then compare that to your DIY system ... just to see if they square up ... ive always wanted someone to do this.. please ... just to test the DIY test kits .... you might also discuss with them.. if this particular tree is good for your specific area... they might refer you to the county forester ... or a state forester ... many times.. they simply know the area.. and the basic facts of such.. that we dont .... when i moved out to this county ... i spent an hour in the office.. and got a lot of great general info ... that would have taken me years to figure out on my own ... like well water is neutral.. as is most the soil except for a few specific areas ... county was half sand.. half clay.. i choose sand ... etc ... your county Ag office is an equivalent for many soil issues .... back in suburbia.. i presumed my suburban lot was basically one micro climate.. micro system ... when i moved to 5 acres .. boy did i learn how wrong that presumption is .... i have at least 3 areas ... where forsythia do different things in spring .... bloom.. no bloom.. and in between ... so dont presume... both spots are equivalent.. in all aspects.. not just soil ... e.g. .. perhaps winter wind is worse out front.. compared to the fenced back with trees.... etc ... winter wind is one of the hardest things on a dormant.. non established tree .... of course.. i dont know TX.. so work that out for yourself. .... ken ps: one other thought ... they are not twins .... frankly.. they both look fine in the first pic ... as to getting established.. and prospering ... [not the chlorosis issue] and maybe the only problem is that you think they should look precisely the same .... that just isnt going to happen .... just like kids.. they do their own thing ... most of it .. underground.. where we cant see to compare ...
...See More
Tale of Two Wus
Q
Comments (13)
my new (fall2016) one and only Wu..record rain and it was flooded for a bit..planted on the high end of a baby slope..has some yellow leaves and the scape is yellow :-( hope it's a rare occurance..hate to move it..seems like I JUST planted it!..I read that because pines are narrow at the top as opposed to a deciduous tree plants under them get some light..interesting huh?..of course mine is under many deciduous trees :-(
...See More
Tale of two cherries
Q
Comments (7)
Another P. pendula seedling. In Japan big ones are treated as revered objects, propped up with posts and bestowed with absurd claims of being thousands of years old. Over here they get chopped down. Probably these have long since become effectively extinct commercially in North America because the ethereal beauty of their small pale flowers on the mature tree is not the kind of thing that would show up well in garden center sizes - why would shoppers go for one of these when they can have named cultivars with bigger, darker, even double flowers? On a tree that will always remain small and in scale with something less than acreage?
...See More
PRO
equinoxequinox
13 years ago
Great Title!

The best time I ever had with my outdoor compost was sitting in my car watching the wildlife attracted to it. No need to buy birdfood. The birds and squirels seemed to like the 4by2 inch wire 3 foot round.

My mature worms are celibate. They got bigger but the population has not increased since spring. It does not seem possible. But that is what I am seeing. Luckily I am happy with the size of my family, maybe about a pound, so am not looking to add on at the moment.

I'm pretty sure worms breed about like elephants.

I should print off M's worm breeding calculator and put that in their bin.

~ I will not be happy until every container I own is filled with wiggling goodness.
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
" I will not be happy until every container I own is filled with wiggling goodness."

In that case EE I highly recommend corn cobs and watermelon. Avoid peanut shells.

Dave Nelson
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
Using the calculator kindly provided for us by Jay Middleton, I think that my estimate of 10,000 total in my 3 COWs is not at all excessive. Given enough corn cobs and watermelon I think I can hit 30,000 by Thanksgiving.

Dave Nelson
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
testing some more
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
Added two new corncobs yesterday. Standing by for population explosion.

Dave Nelson
steamyb
13 years ago
ROFL
You da MAN!
pjames
13 years ago
Yep , better stand back when you drop those cobs in. Best you'll get is a face full of worm slime, worst could be an eye put out!!
PRO
equinoxequinox
13 years ago
You guys better be right about these corn cobs. I broke a few into 5 pieces each. Along with the hard wood charcoal I expect these will be long term items rotating a few times through the bin. I expect they will be islands of wee beastie bio diversity that I can filter out of the castings, toss on top of the bin and they will jump start the new materials with life. They also should absorb and release moisture to the bin as needed which is a key element for me.
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, a little bit of humor never hurts.

Dave Nelson
steamyb
13 years ago
Anyone that answers to 'Wormer', better have a sense of humor.
bigtexworms
13 years ago
rehydrated cracked corn gives me the same squirmy results.
fam62cc
Original Author
13 years ago
Bigtex;

Thanks, good knowledge. However, in general I don't buy anything for my worms. That would defeat my original purpose which is to get rid of the garbage in the most environmentaly efficient way.

Dave Nelson
antoniab
13 years ago
Leftover cornbread will do it too. It overheats, but the worms will brave the heat to eat it.

A Tale of Two Composts

Comments (15)

steamyb

fam62cc
Original Author

Related Discussions

equinoxequinox

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

steamyb

pjames

equinoxequinox

fam62cc
Original Author

steamyb

bigtexworms

fam62cc
Original Author

antoniab

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

A Tale of Two Composts

Comments (15)

fam62ccOriginal Author

Related Discussions

fam62ccOriginal Author

fam62ccOriginal Author

fam62ccOriginal Author

fam62ccOriginal Author

fam62ccOriginal Author

fam62ccOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author

fam62cc
Original Author