[Totty]

Hi all,

we have just been given an "Original wormery" i was expecting something with multiple trays stc. This is more like a small bin with a drip tray.

Can anybody shed any light on the best way to use it, and hopefully how to empty it when it is eventually full with the Black Gold?

Totty

[8doubles]

Found this, hope it helps.

http://www.originalorganics.co.uk/wormery-questions.htm

[kermit]

I was given one of these a few months ago. Looks like u just empty the whole thing when full. Simple (and messy), but hopefully effective. I just hope the worms survive this cold.

[Zippy]

I just let one of those go on freecycle.

I found the best way to use it was to tip the entire contents onto one of my compost bins and use the wormery as a water butt for liquid feeds - works brilliantly!

[fatcat1955]

Agree with you Zippy, if you compost correctly then the wormery is a (very) expensive water butt.

[JohnB47]

Our council has recently introduced a new recycling collection. Basically every sort of food I used to put in my wormery (and more actually, like onion peelings and citrus stuff) I now can put in a seperate bin for collection each week.

It's making me reconsider using the wormery. I started using it because it felt wrong to throw away all that foodstuff. But it wasn't as quick or productive as I thought.

It produces lots of worm juice but I've never found any good use for it (definitely not tomatoes - I tried). And it does produce compost but it takes a long time (at least 6 months) and not a great deal of it. Plus, despite what the manufacturers say, you can't put cooked food (even cooked spuds or veg) into it - they very quickly produce a spectacular mould. Even old bread does this. So you have to be careful with it.

I'll probably give up on it this spring. Too much bother, now that there's an alternative.

[Totty]

Well we already have an excellent set up for composting, 3 very large composting areas being worked in rotation, 3 large tumblers used solely for grass clippings and chicken manure, and seeing as though the wormery was free and its easy to source large quantities of worm for a fraction of the price of catalogue "composting" worms, we think its probably worth a little effort to try and produce possibly the best compost of all. Ill let you know how it goes. Thanks all,

Totty

[Lindeggs]

I'm not familiar with the particular worm bin you have there, but I have been using a worm composting system for getting rid of my kitchen scraps for more than ten years and it works brilliantly for me!

Bear in mind I'm in New Zealand so climatic conditions etc may play a part.

I put all my food scaps in my worm bin (including the dreaded onion skins and citrus) and end up with lovely, rich composted stuff at the end.  The "worm juice" or "worm tea" has made a visible difference to trees, veges and flowers when I use it (diluted) for watering.  For the last few months I have just left the tap open where it stands, and I have never seen such lush, green mint in my life!

When I first started my bin, and in colder weather while the worms are working slowly, I chop up the scraps a bit.  If I'm putting in a lot of citrus or if the contents start to smell a bit acidic, I sprinkle some dolomite on the surface of the scraps.  And if I'm putting a lot of any one thing in, I stir it around a bit to distribute it over the surface.

Apart from that, all I do is throw the scraps in and remove the wonderful results at the end of the cycle!  I wouldn't be without my worms, even though I now live in a place with a large backyard and have plenty of space for heat-activated compost bins as well.  For cold composting you just can't beat worms.  

[zazen999]

If anyone has a wormery that they don't want - I have 5 charity SEN schools in the south that are on the lookout for one.....we want to teach the kids to love their worms!

I will be making them with them in the spring, but if any are going spare then we'd love to take them off your hands.

FYI - we are making 5 organic veggie gardens in these SEN schools....and most of the kids have never 'done' growing veg - giving them worms to look after and love is just one way of giving them responsibility and attachment to something 'living' that benefits everyone.

[Lindeggs]

If anyone has a wormery that they don't want - I have 5 charity SEN schools in the south that are on the lookout for one.....we want to teach the kids to love their worms!

I will be making them with them in the spring, but if any are going spare then we'd love to take them off your hands.

FYI - we are making 5 organic veggie gardens in these SEN schools....and most of the kids have never 'done' growing veg - giving them worms to look after and love is just one way of giving them responsibility and attachment to something 'living' that benefits everyone.

What a brilliant project!  I hope you collect a lot of lovely worm bins and any other materials you need to make your work with the kids productive.

I have "converted" a lot of families to worm farming over the past few years.  Most of them just use large plastic containers with holes in the bottom for drainage.  But the commercial layered farms definitely make the whole process much easier.

[Zippy]

Zazen - I think that is the best use for wormeries in that it makes it possible for people to see earthworms at work close up. I have always found them to be surplus to need if you have enough compost heaps, but in a classroom or educational situation a wormery is a brilliant educational tool.

[JohnB47]

If anyone has a wormery that they don't want - I have 5 charity SEN schools in the south that are on the lookout for one.....we want to teach the kids to love their worms!

I will be making them with them in the spring, but if any are going spare then we'd love to take them off your hands.

FYI - we are making 5 organic veggie gardens in these SEN schools....and most of the kids have never 'done' growing veg - giving them worms to look after and love is just one way of giving them responsibility and attachment to something 'living' that benefits everyone.

Well, if I give up on my wormery, I'll certainly bear you in mind. I won't expect to sell it, so giving it to someone who will actually use it would be ideal - it would also solve the problem of what to do with the worms (if you could take them too, of course)! I'm in East Devon - how could I get it to you if it worked out that way?

Cheers.

[zazen999]

We'd find a way! One of my schools is near Swindon and one in Wales so I'm out and about quite alot

[JohnB47]

OK. I'll get in touch, via this forum, if I decide to stop using it.

[zazen999]

OOh - thanks John for even thinking of us.