October 2014
1000+ Facebook Group Members!
Yesterday was a momentous occasion! The Red Worm Composting Facebook Group hit the 1000 member mark! Whoohoo!
I’ve been blown away, not only by how quickly the group has grown, but also by the level and quality of interactions! Lots of great vermicomposting information being shared.
A big thanks goes to my new friend, and moderator, Larry Shier – he’s played an important role in helping people who have questions, stimulating discussions in general, and even in recruiting new members (he is a moderator for another vermicomposting group – and just generally has plenty of worm-minded friends).
I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the group. One of my goals was to surpass the number of “fans” we have for the Fanpage. If we keep growing at the rate we have been, I can definitely see that happening a LOT sooner than I imagined!
😎
If you are not yet a member, be sure to join the RWC Facebook group today!
**For Even More Worm Fun, Sign Up for the RWC E-mail List!**Worm Inn Mega – 10-16-14
Things have continued to hum along with my Worm Inn Mega system.
It’s been up and running for just over 3 months now, so I decided to crunch some numbers and see where we stand overall.
Total food* added – 104.2 lb
Total # of feedings – 14
Smallest feeding – 3.36 lb
Largest feeding – 10.09 lb
Average feeding – 7.44 lb
*There is usually some “bedding” material that is mixed in with the food. BUT – I didn’t consider the weight/volume of any of the bulk bedding OR “living material” (aged manure) that has been added – this is quite a significant proportion of the total material added!
All in all, I am happy with the progress, but I’d really like to start (more…)
Keeping Worms Outside in Cold Weather
Question from Kate W:
I have a 2 gal. bucket of worms in my kitchen which is working great
but I would like to step up production. I live in Santa Fe, NM. I was
wondering if the worms would survive outside during the winter
especially. I don’t have a garage or anyplace to put a larger bin.
Thank you very much for your reply.
Hi Kate,
Looks as though you have a bit of a Catch-22 situation there! You require more space to “step up production”, and your only option is setting up outdoors. But setting up outdoors will expose your worms to dropping temperatures, which will definitely impede production!
It’s relatively easy to keep Red Worms (and European Nightcrawlers) alive outdoors during cold weather – it’s another matter altogether to maintain an optimized vermicomposting process (and a growing worm population).
Whatever your aim, my recommendation would definitely be to (more…)
Salamanders in a Worm Bin
Interesting question from Linda K:
Howdy.
A salamander has showed up in my 3-stack worm bin. I moved him out, he came
back. Is he going to eat my worms, or the other little critters living in
there? I can handle him eating a worm a week, but no one can tell me how big
a threat he is. We are in a drought here in California, so I hate to turn him
out if he’s not too voracious.
Thanks.
Hi Linda
This reminds me of my “Toad Fruit Fly Trap” post – and the fact that I commonly find toads in a manure heap (containing Red Worms) I frequently visit. I’ve actually brought some home by accident from time to time!
Clearly, some amphibians have no problem living in a “composting” habitat!
In all honesty, the salamander will (more…)