[juliec]

Hi all,

Firstly sorry if I have posted this on the wrong place wasnt sure.

I have had a 3 tier wormery for a few ywars now and it usually makes me about 2 small batches of compost a year,  Now I have my compost bins set up would it be better for me to combine the wormery into the compost bin or continue to use both.

Also are worms etc attrached naturally to the compost bin or should I add them either bought or as ai find them by digging in my plots.

Many thanks again for your help

Jools

[Kleftiwallah]

The worms in your wormery are brandling worms (sometimes called tiger worms because of the stripes).  These are a different species?  to the worms you will find generally as you dig your ground. 

Brandling worms just appear in my compost bin as it is on earth, where they come from I have no idea!  I know they come from the earth but how do they know where to go!   Cheers,   Tony.

[noshed]

You will have no problems getting worms into your compost. You don't have to do anything, just keep it ell mixed and aerated.

[strangerachael]

I used to have a wormery but found it more trouble than it was worth. Yes the wormery worms appear naturally in your compost, as they appear in  other rotting vegetation habitats such as in piles of rotting leaves.  But it wouldn't hurt to add a few from your wormery to get  them started. Is there a particular reason you want to carry on with the wormery? eg for the 'juice'? or so that you can add cooked food for example. Another system for composting cooked food is the Bokashi system, food treated in this way can then be added safely to your ordinary compost bin. (Although I put a layer of rigid mesh under mine to prevent any unwelcome scavengers). Have a look at the 'Wiggly Wigglers' website for info about Bokashi - I've been using it for a few years and find it much more convenient than the wormery.

[JayG]

I know a couple of people with wormeries who despite the fact they seem to have great trouble keeping the worms alive throughout the four seasons seem to reckon they're great! 

As for worms in compost bins, my 3 daleks are always full of worms, even the one stood on flat concrete, although you don't see much of them at this time of year!

[juliec]

I got my wormery, worms, bins and food for them for wiggly wigglers.

My question was should I put the two (compost and wormery together in one bin) or should I keep them separate.

What are the advantages of
a) comining them
B) keeping them separate

And if I keep them separate should I put a few worms in the compost to help it>


thanks

Jools

[strangerachael]

As I see it, the only advantages of a wormery over a normal compost bin are a) the juice you collect from it which can be used as a liquid feed, and b) that you can add a certain amount of cooked food/food that you can't normally put in a normal compost bin.
If you particularly appreciate these advantages, and are not experiencing any problems with your wormery, then you may as well carry on with it. However if you are finding it all a bit of a faff (as I did) then I would be inclined to tip the whole lot (apart from the cooked food) into your ordinary bin, so you only have one system to worry about.
If you decide to keep them separate, you don't need to add worms to the compost bin, they will find their own way eventually, but as I said before, it wouldn't hurt if you can spare a few.
Does that answer your question?

[juliec]

question answered thanks very much to you all.. yet again.

[Zippy]

If you tipped  the wormery into the compost bin it would be compost not a wormery unless you are thinking of placing the wormery in the middle of the comnpost bin I - eh? Oh I don't get it.

Life was so simple when it was just compost bins.

Bokashi? ... Bokashi? What's wrong with not cooking any more than you are going to eat and eating everything on your plate? No scrapings, no problem. Bokashi - huh!

[strangerachael]

I don't think there can be many families out there who never have any plate scrapings, even if you're very frugal, then there's bits of fish skin, rejected cat food, dried up old cheese rinds, greasy kitchen roll etc. bokashi bins are just another type of kitchen compost bin, you just don't have to be quite so fussy what you put in them.

[Zippy]

I don't think there can be many families out there who never have any plate scrapings, even if you're very frugal, then there's bits of fish skin, rejected cat food, dried up old cheese rinds, greasy kitchen roll etc. bokashi bins are just another type of kitchen compost bin, you just don't have to be quite so fussy what you put in them.

I'm vegan, don't have a cat, don't eat cheese or use greasy kitchen roll.  I do have a composting toilet    ..  .. 

[hamstergbert]

..... dried up old cheese....

otherwise known as part of the welsh rarebit kit!

[strangerachael]

I'm vegan, don't have a cat, don't eat cheese or use greasy kitchen roll.  I do have a composting toilet    ..  .. 
[/quote]
OK, well you win then!