Well folks , i have decided to go ORGANIC for my next grow and why not a worm farm . FIRST i owe alot of thanks to "allgrownup" for help with this idea .Alot of this post is owed to him !! Thanks man !
This farm is simple and is that way for a reason . i had 2 large rubbermaid containers allready and decided to get started . the first container i drilled 1/2" and 5/8" holes in the bottom for water drainage and to collect tea . This tea great and can be used as a foliar spray and is sold in stores for a hefty price considering what it is .Next i drilled some 3/8" holes around the top of the container for airflow . i used a large container and put the holes up high above the soil level to keep the worms from excaping . Next i used some cheap window screen and wrapped the container with it . This will keep fly's and unwanted pests from entering the airholes and is wrapped on the bottom to keep the worms in and the soil from falling through the holes also .
*( this screen will later be removed so the worms can migrate down to the bottom bin . The idea is to get the first bin started , then when you have a sufficient amount of castings, start adding the scraps and food to the bottom bin and let the worms migrate down to it.)
If you give them a good moist 60-80 climate with plenty of food they won't try to wander away from you. With two containers you can use one lid to place under for a tray to catch some tea. Getting about 1-2 gal bucket every 8-10 weeks on 750-1000??? worms.
The bin is then filled with your soil mix .For this you will need some good soil and you can use a number of things for thier food including table scraps (BUT EXCLUDING) , meat, poultry, fats, etc.
Think of worms as veagans. crushed egg shells are good for them though. and yes, they love coffee grinds. its funny to see what the worms leave behind. they're actually pretty picky eaters. they seem to leave behind the stickers and stem from banana's, skin from tomatoe, etc.
place damp shredded newspaper in container. add food scraps to an area and cover all with thin layer of dirt. the dirt helps contain the smell of food that isn't consumed as of yet. cover this mix with water and leave it set for a day or 2 , stirring to airate it occasionaly .i will wait a few days or even a week or two to get this soil going before adding the worms . When adding worms start by adding a few dozen to see how they like thier new homes . If these survive then it is safe to put in the rest , if not we do not want to waste our whole worm crop . adjust soil accordingly . You need to add at least a 1lb of worms to start(approx 500 worms) a good sized worm farm. they multiply very fast.
when you have converted a container to castings you just repeat process in the second container followed by stacking the used container on top of the fresh one. the worms will naturally migrate to where the food is (bottom container). DO NOT ADD ANY MORE FOOD TO TOP CONTAINER. Also you need to check the holes in top container beacause they may keep getting clogged with castings by the worms migrating down through and trapping the others.
Try not to leave the bin uncovered or you will have a fly/knat infested box very fast. make your own organic pesticide to kill them if need be.
Castings have no unpleasant odor and may be used as a soil amendment or an addition to potting soil.
Drippings from the worm composter can be used as liquid fertilizer or a foliar spray. *Commercial worm bins have a small faucet at the bottom of the container so you can easily draw off the liquid .
I used a mix of good store bought organic potting soil ,
native soil from my yard ,
table scraps including ( parsley , lettuce , celery , bread )
honey & molasses
sugar
coffee grounds
alfalfa hay & feed pellets
Bunny POOH
newspaper
cornmeal
crushed up few day old bread
and 1 can of beer
water with superthrive
mix is prepared and watered down to get it nice and moist .
*Not only is it a way of collecting castings but also minimizing the table scraps you throw in your garbage and using it to your benefit . The point of this and other organic growing ideas is to be totaly self sufficient . Composting is recycling !
