Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: loubylou29 on March 21, 2007, 08:11

Title: Wormery
Post by: loubylou29 on March 21, 2007, 08:11: I am thinking about getting a wormery.
Does anyone have one, any advice to using it? I had a friend who had one, but she said it ended up full of flies :( .
I know there is a bit of an art to how much to put in, but I really fancy the idea of it and of getting th liquid compost from it.

Thankyou
x
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 21, 2007, 08:24: Firstly, get a plentiful source of horse muck without sawdust or wood chips.

Secondly, get a cheap source for agricultural lime. Smiling nicely at a farmer will probably work - they have it delivered in 25 tonne loads. The wee bags in garden centres are LUDICROUSLY priced.

Thirdly, save all your corrugated brown cardboard boxes (the kind the recycling centre don't really like).

Fourthly, I'll post some pictures of my patented(?) wormery system.
Title: Wormery
Post by: loubylou29 on March 21, 2007, 12:59: ok David.. I wait with baited breath!

(I did a little cheat and asked on freecycle for one too!!)
We visit a farm weekly with the kids so I could smile my way to some lime I expect, but I know the horses have sawdust in their stables so I may have to re source that!

Will start saving brown card! (no prob I assume monitor boxes would be fine!)

and I look forward to instruction! :)
Title: Housing for Composting Worms
Post by: WG. on March 21, 2007, 13:57: Housing for Composting Worms should be designed to keep everything else OUT and not to keep worms IN. Worms are Nature's fast food and are devoured eagerly by moles, birds, mice, shrews and fishermen. Keeping worms IN is simply a case of providing the correct conditions - food and a place to have sex. Sound familiar?

There are three possible products from a wormery : worms, compost and liquid manure. I concentrate on the first two only.

There are a million expensive wormeries on the market and I would recommend none of them unless you plan to keep them indoors. The system I use utilises free or nearly free items in an outdoor location. I use a number of open polythene bags within a roofed rough timber frame. The timber frame keeps the sun(?!?) off the bags. The roof lets through the rain but keeps out the birds, the polybags keep out the moles and mice (although I will now use the safe mousebait too). Shrews I like so I don't mind feeding them.

See - I told you we had snow ...

(http://www.farexchange.com/images/wormery/p1010001.jpg)

(http://www.farexchange.com/images/wormery/p1010005.jpg)

(http://www.farexchange.com/images/wormery/p1010002.jpg)

(http://www.farexchange.com/images/wormery/p1010003.jpg)

(http://www.farexchange.com/images/wormery/p1010004.jpg)
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 21, 2007, 20:31: Hi Loubylou, just how abated is your breath?? I dropped what I was doing to rush these pictures onto the site for you! Have you really been holding your breath for 7 1/2 hours!!! :D
Title: Wormery
Post by: muntjac on March 21, 2007, 21:42: i hope you gave that worm a warm drink after ya dreaged the poor * out to pose for pics :shock: ............ wicked man get him anty :lol:
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 21, 2007, 21:44: Quote from: "muntjac"
i hope you gave that worm a warm drink after ya dreaged the poor * out to pose for pics :shock: ............ wicked man get him anty :lol:

I did. I even combed his hair. OMG, I'm in enough trouble with Aunty already tonight ...
Title: Wormery
Post by: Aunt Sally on March 21, 2007, 22:12: WG :!: I'll be sending you off to bed if I have to speak to you again :evil:
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 21, 2007, 23:01: Quote from: "Aunt Sally"
WG :!: I'll be sending you off to bed if I have to speak to you again :evil:

Okay, okay. I'm going to bed anyhow - gotta get up at 4:30am to get to Inverness. :roll:
Title: Wormery
Post by: loubylou29 on March 22, 2007, 08:00: :oops: not embarased just holding breath! Stand back before I exhale, I've been eating plenty of that garlic!!! :shock:

Phew!! that was exciting!
That all seems like alot of work (not that I'm lazy you understand) and as I want this in my moderate sized garden I might sell out and get a 'proper' wormery, (I have a birthday coming up) why do you not rate them then?

Thanks for the lovely picture though, and I am jelous of your snow!

xx
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 23, 2007, 11:42: Quote from: "loubylou29"
That all seems like alot of work (not that I'm lazy you understand) and as I want this in my moderate sized garden I might sell out and get a 'proper' wormery, (I have a birthday coming up) why do you not rate them then?

I understand that space is an issue for many. Reason I don't rate them is that they are too small. I'd estimate horse muck and cardboard constitute 95% of what I feed & this take space. Most wormeries fail when acid conditions prevail through feeding of too much kitchen green waste.
Title: Wormery
Post by: loubylou29 on March 23, 2007, 13:29: OK, so what is the advice to help a normal 'small' one then? to chuck in plenty of paper/ card and the occasional poo?! (horse!)
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 23, 2007, 13:42: Quote from: "loubylou29"
OK, so what is the advice to help a normal 'small' one then? to chuck in plenty of paper/ card and the occasional poo?! (horse!)

60% horse dung (weathered for at least 3 months old unless you know horse has not been recently wormed)

30% corrugated cardboard

10% green kitchen waste (use the rest on a regular compost heap)

Plenty of agricultural lime (which means figures don't add up to 100% of course)

Add little and often, rather than lots at one time. Composting worms only feed in the top 4" or so.
Title: Wormery
Post by: bramble on March 25, 2007, 21:05: thank you soooooo much for that and the pictures
I too want to start a wormery I have the horse muck, I have the carboard and we always have a bucket full of veggie scraps every week

but where do you get the worms from??
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 25, 2007, 21:10: Quote from: "bramble"
where do you get the worms from??

Any number of places on the Internet - expect to pay around £24 per kg + delivery.

OR, you can collect them gradually - they will breed quickly in the right conditions

OR, I might be able to offer a part-exchange (barter) with you. PM me if interested
Title: Wormery
Post by: bramble on March 26, 2007, 21:02: thanks for that, apparently there was a huge worm farm only a mile from
me where u could 'fill a bag' but has closed now.
Off on holiday in a few days but will definately get me worms when I am
back home.
Cheers
Bramble
Title: Wormery
Post by: muntjac on March 26, 2007, 21:17: ok qwik entry here cos its doing my head in worms for £24 * that .got ya manure heap ya straw and all that rubbish .good put a lid of some sort on it now when the local angling tackle shop has brandlings in go and get ya self a couple tubs .£1 for 50 tiger brandlings i think they called . pour em out over a bit ya compost that ytou peeled back to the moist bit . and stand back put ya cover on dont be trying to cook em cos they dont like that . and when you open the wormery in a konths time to have a look take a few old marg tubs and chuck a few werms in em and take em back to the tackle shop and sell em fer 50p a tub
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 26, 2007, 21:31: Quote from: "whisky_golf"
OR, you can collect them gradually - they will breed quickly in the right conditions

Now who's the wassock ... that's what I said innit? And £1 for 50 is a lot dearer than £24 per kg ... :wink:
Title: Wormery
Post by: shaun on March 26, 2007, 21:33: wot like these little beggers and dont believe the blackbirds they taste horrid
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/shaungill/P1270013.jpg)
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 26, 2007, 21:36: Quote from: "shaun"
wot like these little beggers and dont believe the blackbirds they taste horrid

That's 'em, Eisenia Foetida. Sounds like you need some of my smoked garlic to flavour them up laddie.

Most of mine are Eisenia Hortensis (previously known as Dendrobena Venata).

"More tea Vicar?"
Title: Wormery
Post by: muntjac on March 26, 2007, 21:39: oyyyyyy wassuck i only advocated buying a couple tubs ...... £2 max no t £24 ....... :tongue2:
Title: Wormery
Post by: muntjac on March 26, 2007, 21:40: and them is brandlings in normal areas :wink: :lol:
Title: Wormery
Post by: shaun on March 26, 2007, 21:41: http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/default.php?cPath=24_68
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 26, 2007, 21:44: Quote from: "muntjac"
oyyyyyy wassuck i only advocated buying a couple tubs ...... £2 max no t £24 ....... :tongue2:

And where exactly did I suggest to buy a whole kg? :shock: :wink: :lol:

You are correct of course, postage costs mean that piddling little amounts are more economically bought locally. :tongue2:
Title: Wormery
Post by: muntjac on March 26, 2007, 21:47: 8) :tongue2:
Title: Wormery
Post by: loubylou29 on March 27, 2007, 10:09: ok, back to the topic!!!!
SO I am seriously looking at putting a wormery on my birthday list, it seems to me the big company plastic wormeries don't get such good reprts, but how baout this kind? http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/default.php?cPath=21

The waste buster is big but wooden with a good turnover of matter?
I like th look of the wigwam one too, looks a bit smaller to manage than the big one.
They seem more honset about the more regular one being no good in winter.

What do you experts think? :lol:
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on March 27, 2007, 10:15: Worms Direct is/was run by a nice guy called Nigel. Drop him an email (with some specific details) and ask which he'd recommend for your parameters. You can mention that the "barter guy" referred you but that you are paying cash.
Title: Wormery
Post by: Annie on April 01, 2007, 21:51: I have a bought wormery,I use it for cooked kitchen waste,peelings and add paper and a lime/bran mix when I remember also collect,dilute and use the liquid produced on crops/plants.I empty it once a year and the compost is the caviar of compost!I think if I was buying for the first time I would get a `can`o`worms`type one for ease of use,if you want to save money then a water but is ideal if you raise the inside level a bit so as not to drown worms but still be able to drain liquid from the tap.
Title: Wormery
Post by: jellybean on April 10, 2007, 13:49: hmmmmmmmm, I was all set to buy a can 'o' worms today - then I read this thread, what to do????? I used to have chickens but due to an overwhelming rat problem we have just had to give them to some friends & I am now unsure what to do with all my veg peelings etc, I thought that a wormery would be a good idea but I can't be doing with making one myself.

Does anyone have any ideas about whether it is best to get a composter or a wormery? - any help/advice would be great, I am a total newbie when it comes to all things gardeny

JBxxxx
Title: Wormery
Post by: jellybean on April 10, 2007, 14:10: Okay - double post here, I just rang wiggly wigglers for some advice & they were telling me about Bokashi, has anyone else heard of/used this??? :shock: :?:

JBxxxx
Title: Wormery
Post by: slow_worm on April 13, 2007, 14:27: My wormery works OK and the fruit flies live ok with the worms...food for spiders is the flies!
Title: Wormery
Post by: Rob the rake on November 22, 2007, 07:32: I only have a half-plot, WG. Do you think your design will work if it's scaled down, to 1mx1m say?
For those who are struggling to find worms, simply ask at your local allotment site. Most will have old heaps writhing with brandlings and won't mind parting with a few handfuls.

Rob.
Title: Wormery
Post by: WG. on November 22, 2007, 10:12: Yes, the frame pictured is a little over 1m x 1m and contains 8 bags or so. The area you require will be determined by the amount of material you want them to eat. Most wormery failures are attributable to over-feeding.
Title: Wormery
Post by: Rob the rake on November 22, 2007, 14:48: Ta very much, WG. :D
Title: wormeries
Post by: weeeed on March 17, 2008, 12:33: Hi ther. If you have a fishing tackle shop near you just buy some tiger worms from there. If you want to make your own wormery phone the coucil for some free recycling bins and put a brick in the bottom one, in the next one up put soaked cardboard in the bottom and kitchen scraps (Ihang mine in plastic carrier outside for 2 weeks) not too many, lots of egg shell, banana skins, even bread thats gone off. I've been doing mine since last summer and it's going great guns. Just keep adding layers the worms will work their way u. The liquid goes down to the bottom and as the worms move ever upwards what is left behind is fabulous compost. Jan :lol: