Vermicompost vs Compost
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Fresh bark fines vs semi-composted bark fines vs well composted
Comments (17)Raybo, That is the same stuff I tried to grow in and make the 511 mix with last year. When I bought the stuff I asked for the oldest bags they had. Plus I let it age for another month or two. I think that this stuff has too much 'sap wood' in it if you will to be effective as a main ingredient in the 511. I called Earth Gro a few days ago and they couldn't tell me exactly what was in the Earth Grow bark fines stuff. However I'm pretty excited about some stuff that I found at Summer Winds thats called bark mulch made by Redi Grow who is out of Sacra-tomato. They were able to confirm when I talked to them a few days ago that it is 100% fir bark which is as good as pine bark. The only set back about this product is that it is 1/4"+ in size. I opened a couple bags yesterday and it seems to be very close to the size of the stuff from Earth Gro. Anyway I'm gonna give a few bags of this stuff a go in some pots and go from there. Wish me luck! Damon...See MoreWhich is better: vermicomposting or compost bin?
Comments (14)If you're going to get enthused, you're going to want to have an outdoor compost bin of some sort or another. (You may want a worm bin, too, but a worm bin has a limited capacity.) Both bins can be neglected for long periods of time, and both systems can be fed over time. Mystic, I can't imagine stockpiling my kitchen waste until I can build a whole pile. I do build instant piles (out of manure, grass clippings, hay, pumpkins, seaweed, leaves and anything else available that day) and they are my hotter piles, but there's nothing wrong with colder piles built over time. I can't imagine running a house without one. Putting rotting food in buckets or in the freezer waiting until I can build a 3'x3'x3' pile is unfathomable to me. I do have enough space to run more than one pile, and I have access to materials, so I don't have to breathe down the neck of a pile like some people have to. In other words, I have enough bins that I don't really care how long my cold pile takes. I make two cold piles a year and at least five that I attempt to run hot. Here in Maine, though, I start my cold pile in November and I use it by spring, ready or not. My second cold pile is started in May and, ready or not, I spread it by November---often as a mulch around perennials. I've never seen any ill results from using not quite finished compost. If it's brown and is unidentifiable, I'll spread it. (I don't use woodchips or sawdust in my cold piles.) I would say to anyone, if you have yard space, and no fear of wildlife, and don't have neighbors who can't appreciate the aesthetics of rotting garbage, you should have either an open pile or a pallet type or a hardware cloth bin (my favorite). If you can't have a real bin, due to the above restrictions, get a tumbler. For fun, and fertilizer, get a worm bin. Worm bins yield worm castings---a richer fertilizer than compost. A well-managed compost bin shouldn't smell. Mine wouldn't smell if I bothered to cover my nitrogenous offerings with some leaves. The worst was this summer when all my neighbors were bringing me lobster shells. If you run an indoor worm bin, make sure none of your contributions are harboring slugs or slug eggs. I, who cannot kill things, had a thriving indoor slug bin going once....See MoreCompost bin vs vermicomposting
Comments (14)I have both a Worm Factory (with 7 trays) and an outdoor compost bin (actually a 3-bin system). I started vermicomposting 2 years ago, and it is great for small amounts of kitchen scraps (it takes a long time for there to be enough worms to work quickly). I like having the worm bin mainly because I want the vermicompost, but there's no way I could put all of my kitchen scraps in it (too many scraps causes a very stinky mess). When I was researching what type of outdoor composter would work for me (I needed a system where I could add kitchen scraps & chicken litter on a daily basis), the bin seemed like the best fit. It was my understanding that the tumbler works best when you don't add to the contents of the original material to be composted, although I could've totally misunderstood....See MoreFor composters: Do you vermicompost too?
Comments (24)It all gets mixed up. I find lots of them in my compost pile, so where to put them to keep them away from moles and a rapidly heating pile? Well I put a bunch in a bin with some scraps and some mulch over them and covered it. They finished that, so I gave them more. Now the bin is full of poo, and I start over again. I am a huge believer in serendipity. If you wind up with a handful of something, put it somewhere to get the greatest benefit. Do that enough times, and you produce more, learn more, and have better... luck. Beetle larvae love unfinished compost, so I raise those too for my grandkids. I have varmint problems in my compost pile recently, and I have some meaty things (not human) that I have to get rid of. I will let worms and soldier flies go to it in a secure bin rather than expose it to critters in an open pile. Having both technologies and reactors, so to speak, expands my production possiblities frontier. Technology increases the value of all resources....See Morearmoured
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoNevermore44 - 6a
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked Nevermore44 - 6awestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years ago
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