Winter Worm Windrow-12-09-10

Kim from Milwauke
#1. December 9th, 2010, at 10:33 PM.

Bentley, looks like you make alot of trips to McD’s with those stacks of drink holders! Impressive!

Anna
#2. December 10th, 2010, at 12:16 AM.

I’m envious of your large collection of cardboard coffee cup holders .

How are you keeping your scraps from freezing in the trash can?

Carolyn
#3. December 10th, 2010, at 4:43 AM.

The cardboard coffee cup holders and the unique stackable aging method is what caught my eye too. No doubt Bentley is preseeding them with efficient composting microbes spread by a secret soon to be patented snowflake induction method.

Cardboard coffee cup holders, because they stack so nice are money in the bank, I never know if I should spend them now or save them for a rainy day.

Egg cartons, however, burn a hole in my pocket and are in the bin even before all the eggs are used. My spouce is left wondering why there are homeless eggs in the fridge.

Frank
#4. December 10th, 2010, at 11:23 PM.

Carolyn,

I chuckled at your comments. Thanks.

VC…it’s a bit of a disease, don’t you think?

+Frank

Bentley
#5. December 11th, 2010, at 2:28 AM.

ANNA – The idea with the scraps is that they should actually freeze while in the container since this will help to break them down a bit. It’s when they are brought inside for a few days that they will become worm-bed-friendly
———————–
CAROLYN – No microbe seeding, but plenty of microbes in the waste materials. I was kinda hoping to keep the snowflake induction method hush hush, but oh well!

Larry D.
#6. December 11th, 2010, at 3:56 AM.

Carolyn,that is some funny stuff! Cha-Ching!
Can you stand eggs up yet? Or do they still lay sideways?
My store got smart and quit carrying cup holders.I guess they did an audit on how many was being used? Now i have to stick to my cardboard boxes.

Anna
#7. December 11th, 2010, at 2:04 PM.

Do you let the scraps thaw again before adding them to the bed or do you rely on the heat of the bed to thaw it?

Carolyn–lol about the eggs. I love it!

Bentley
#8. December 11th, 2010, at 5:16 PM.

ANNA – Yep, the few days inside (likely even longer than that since there will probably be some settling and further addition of scraps) should help in that department.

I’m sure I could get away with letting them thaw in the heap (and might do that if it seemed to be overheating), but I figure we might as well conserve as much energy (in the heap) as possible

Betty
#9. December 11th, 2010, at 9:06 PM.

Thank you, Bentley!

I have been vermicomposting for about ten years now and still use the progeny of my original tiger striped E. foetidas and hortensis. I’ve recently refreshed my vermi-addiction and have been really enjoying your informative and reader friendly website. Your garbage can scrap holder perfectly resolves a problem for me. I’ve moved my outdoor general compost pile from my back yard to my veggie garden about 75 yards from my back door. Since it’s dark in the winter when I get home from work, I’ve started adding my scraps to a 5-gallon holding bucket by my back door to be emptied on weekends. But I’m about to head to my community hardware store to pick up an extra garbage can and will be incorporating your design–which is absolutely perfect for me.

Appreciatively,

Betty in Arkansas

Paula Allen
#10. December 11th, 2010, at 10:44 PM.

I have 4 of these. All 4 are full. By spring they should thaw out again and start composting. I used 2 last spring for hot composting. Then a few months ago I was introduced to Vermicomposting. Some guy called the Compost Guy on Utube. (LOL).
So now have 2 worm composting systems. Always thinking of ways to add another.

Paula Allen
#11. December 11th, 2010, at 10:47 PM.

I also get wast from my job as a prep cook. In place of the cardboard cup holders I get the cardboard egg holders that hold 30 eggs a flat. I have stacks of these in my basement.
If any of you posters have some one that works in a resturant or are friendly with a server at a resturant ask if they could save you some of the egg flats. Along with 5 gallon pickle buckets while your at it.

Ted
#12. December 12th, 2010, at 12:56 AM.

Hi Paula,
I’m a cook at a Nursing and Rehab facility. I too take the 30 egg flat holders. Don’t forget the egg shells that went with it. Dry them out in the oven at 300 for 10 min. We have a Robot Coupe that turns shells and coffee grounds to powder. Good luck with it all.

Paula Allen
#13. December 12th, 2010, at 1:31 AM.

Hi Ted I also get the coffee grounds from work and the egg shells I dry them in the oven at home. The egg shells not the coffee grounds. I also collect the fruit and vegetable wast to blend and freeze for the worms. If I have to much I just add it to my out doors non worm compost bins.

Paula Allen
#15. December 12th, 2010, at 1:27 PM.

When Spring comes Im going to use my husbands mower with the mulching blade and bag to run over the cardboard egg cartons. I will toss some leaves in with it. Fill some 5 gallon buckets to have on hand all the time. Wonder if it would work on food wast?

Betty
#16. December 12th, 2010, at 1:53 PM.

I’m off and running! I got my compost can all set up right beside my back door before dark last night. It’s really a great idea, and it will really simplify my life enormously. I have five pet chickens and will be adding litter from their house and extra egg shells. I bring home office shredder paper and coffee grounds. Plus, I have leftover 2009 garden veggies in my freezer. My worms will eat well next spring! Looks like there will be four compost cans on my patio before the winter is over, Paula!

Sure would be nice if these systems would heat up enough to help warm my enclosed breezeway where I keep my tropical plants. You don’t think…..?

Betty in Arkansas

gayle from maryland
#17. December 12th, 2010, at 4:24 PM.

Hi Bentley – question about leaves vs. shredded paper/cardboard. This fall I traveled around on recyling day and collected a lot of bags of leaves and was planning on using them in my bins in place of shredding up paper and cardboard – will that be ok? or Should I still be putting cardboard/paper in as well? Just trying to give myself a break from shredding …

Thanks so much for all the time you put into this website – very helpful info!!

gayle

Paula Allen
#18. December 12th, 2010, at 8:51 PM.

I think if I draged my compost cans in side my husband would have me commited. I even suggested he move his Harley out side so I can put the 4 cans in the garage. He has a cover for it. But he just stared at me.

Anna
#19. December 13th, 2010, at 1:29 PM.

“I think if I draged my compost cans in side my husband would have me commited. ”

^THIS! My husband has already been very patient with my hobby as it is. There are times when I would really like to harvest my VC indoors in the winter (it’s currently in the garage), but I don’t think DH would go for it.

Paula Allen
#21. December 13th, 2010, at 9:24 PM.

Our neighboors toss out vegetable scraps for the rabbits. I seen them hopping around munching on it. On my way home from work I thought hey rabbits and rabbits make rabbit poo. So I happily go out side with rubber gloves on of course and start collecting rappit poo.
It is frozen so its sitting in a egg carton to thaw. Will this be ok to put in my worm bin. Does it need to worm up or compost some more?
My Name Is Paula and IM a Vermaholic.

Betty
#22. December 14th, 2010, at 2:38 AM.

Paula, that’s too funny about collecting bunny poo from the yard. But, my daughter in Baton Rouge has a bunny, and I’ve asked her for bunny poo and used cardboard (like egg or coffee cartons) litter as a Christmas present! I think I’ll be getting it, too. What’s great about those little round bunny balls is that they don’t have to go through the pre-compost or heat phase before we can use them like we do with other manures. Our worms can have them straight from the fluffy little factory.

Gayle, my worms’ favorite bedding is leaf mulch, the old, partially decomposed leaves. I combine them with some paper or cardboard shreds, and my worms multiply like, well, like red wigglers and bunnies.

Betty in Arkansas

Paula Allen
#23. December 14th, 2010, at 2:53 AM.

Thank you Betty for the info. I have set out some lettuce wast from work to lure the bunnys. Come spring I will have to put a fence to keep them out.

Kathy Jacobson
#24. December 14th, 2010, at 8:04 PM.

How fun!
Thank you for your wonderful outreach efforts!
It’s a pleasure to run into folks as vermimad as I am…
It was -2 F in Southeast Ohio this morning but the big wedge outside is still running at 80 F!
Happy wormin’ holidays!
kathy

gene
#25. January 10th, 2011, at 9:40 PM.

I live in Maine. When out and about in the back 40 I see alot of Moose droppings! Would my worms like them for a midnite snack?
gene

Frank
#26. January 12th, 2011, at 8:10 PM.

Hi Gene,
I am originally from Maine (China, near Augusta), and I have seen a fair amount of Moose during my visits to Baxter State Park.

I am sure your herd would like the moose droppings. Depending on how fresh the droppings are, you may want to put them in a compost pile for a couple of weeks to partially thermally compost (you know, the regular way to compost)them. Then, after they have cooled down, feed the worms.