Outdoor worm bin = compost pile?
Scott
7 years ago
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thirstypotato
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoScott
7 years agoRelated Discussions
compost bin/pile AND worms
Comments (4)Thanks for all the things to consider. I think I'm just gonna revert to my homeschooling ways and have some experiment piles ... worms, no worms, turning, no turning, lemon rinds (someone on the worm forum suggested they may not like them), pre-composted lemon rinds. Tn_gardening, I wouldn't mind if the worms composted up SOME of my mulch, I just don't want to have to replace it MONTHLY and I didn't know just how fast they would do that. With the size of my beds (although I did just subdivide one with a path so it is now two more manageable beds. Love it now!) if they were very voracious, I'd be spreading mulch ALL the time. I do want the mulch to help retain moisture most of the summer. I did add some earthworms to the beds to help with aeration. I'll let you guys know how it all goes! Robin in NC...See MoreRegular compost pile with worms ?
Comments (19)Hi! Last year we bought a few rolls of green vinyl coated fencing aka hardware cloth. We unrolled it, and cut into sections long enough to make 3 foot diameter circles (+/- 10 feet). Cuts leave "tags" of wire that you use to fasten one end to the other by wrapping (use gloves and maybe pliers). We dumped shredded leaves (got a wonderful leaf shredder with metal blades, not plastic) and then some dirt and fertilizer in layers repeated to the top (about 4 feet). Be sure to wet itdown as you build it up. You will not believe the compost we have already. These are near a wood fence, they get watered from our sprinkler system 1-2 times a week, and that's it. We also paid a lot of money for the black plastic cube bins. They do OK but this technique is cheap and makes lot more compost a lot faster. They have become a raised garden for us now (we are trying tomato plants in two of them now.) The stake goes in easy! Try it. They cost a little time and about $6 each at Lowes ($58 for a 50 foot roll). If you really want to go fast, put a small trail of kitchen scraps in as you build it and then a good bit at the top (put in more every week) nd then throw some red wigglers (or any other worm) in and watch it go! Here is a link that might be useful: Example of the fencing This post was edited by BobCowman on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 11:00...See MoreOutdoor Worm Bins in Northeast
Comments (6)thymesup, You need a good volume of mulch and protection to keep you worms warm for the winter so perhaps instead of making a small worm bin you might do something like a bin within a bin. What I am thinking is section off a bit of the center of your existing bin and collect as many of your worms there as you can in some bedding material (shredded leaves and cardboard would probably be great.) To section that area off from the rest of the bin you could do something as simple as a cardboard box. 2' by 2' for 2 # of worms or perhaps 2' by 4' for 4 # of worms. I'm not really an expert so these are just guesses on my part. Anyway the cardboard box of worms in the middle will decompose and they can escape if they need but hopefully it will keep enough of them close enough together for a while that they can breed and keep your population going. Anyway, that center box should have their favorite bedding and foods . Then in the rest of your 4' by 8' bed you can fill with your other compost materials which should help keep the worm bin a good temperature over the winter as well as providing food if your worms eat their way out of the box (they love cardboard by the way as the glue provides some protiens and the corrigations invite them to crawl in and be cozy.) Perhaps you might line the entire big bin with cardboard if you have a easy free supply of the stuff. Anyway, you don't really want to get a hot compost going (hot would cook the worms) so old horse manure, leaves, perhaps a small amount of nitrogen material like used coffee grounds spread around the rest of the bin. Make sure everything is moist and cover over with more dampened cardboard and your plywood lid. This is just an idea. Your worms may spread out if the conditions in the center box are not to their liking but perhaps you will have another generation that will hatch and keep things going. You may also have a wonderful usable batch of compost from the horse manure and leaves that you can spread around the garden along with worm castings. I have the opposite problem from you, I'm not worried about my worms freezing in winter but cooking in summer, I put frozen bottles into my bin in summer....See MoreWorms in Compost Pile?
Comments (16)@Richard, redworms and other compost worms live in the wild as well, and not just in compost bins. I can state for a fact that some can survive quite nicely even in summer and in winter - or at least they exist in compost piles in the winter, either in stasis or by laying their cocoons which hatch in spring. Obviously they need places in summer that are damp and cool enough (by 'going to ground' or whatever), and I won't claim to know how they survive very cold winters (they won't eat much if the pile is frozen solid), but they do. I am not trying to advocate anyone believing that they will thrive in a garden - earthworms really are completely different. But again, I know for a fact they can live in compost piles, and I presume in the wild that they live in leaf litter in forests or something similar. I'm in a place with relatively cool summers and very cold winters, so YMMV - the 'native worms' in any given locale will differ. That's why I say that if someone wants to have compost worms in a compost pile outdoors, the best way to find them is in compost or manure piles. Anyway, putting some in a pile won't hurt, and adding earthworms to a compost pile - well, that'salso not their native habitat, they live in something more akin to soil and burrow, etc....See Moretheparsley
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorayzone7
7 years agogumby_ct
7 years agoarmoured
7 years agobaldeagleomelette
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agogumby_ct
7 years agothirstypotato
7 years ago
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