Comments on: Vermi-Fertilization System – 07-23-13

By: Bentley

Bentley — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 16:16:03 +0000

THUAN – that’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing your update.
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BENI – many of the specifics can be found in this post:
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/gardening/vermi-fertilization-watering-system/
It is a normal sized garbage can (actually might be considered “large”). Only drilled holes in the bottom. It is likely 2/3 in the ground.

By: Beni

Beni — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:59:48 +0000

Bentley, is the plastic bin a normal size garbage can?….i imagine you cut out the bottom. Also, how much of it is buried into the ground…. a third perhaps?

By: thuan

thuan — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 05:50:52 +0000

Pulled up my 5 gallon plastic plant pot dog waste “worm tower” because it was getting full. To my surprise, roots from the nearby pumelo tree invaded about a third of the pot. It was a thick root ball! Also surprising was that the dog waste was getting composted by worms faster than I thought it would (no visible waste remaining). So I dumped everything out, sorted the worms and put them back into the pot with some bedding. I had plans to do this every 6 months but it looks like I may have to do this every 3-4 months.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 18:39:20 +0000

Thanks Kim! The worms certainly help!
🙂

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BENI – The system consists of a plastic garbage can (with lid) mostly buried in the ground, so it would take a pretty smart (and strong) bird to gain access! lol

By: Beni

Beni — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 19:01:02 +0000

Bentley…do you cover the bin so birds don’t eat the worms?

By: Kim from Milwaukee

Kim from Milwaukee — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 15:35:54 +0000

Well done Bentley!! Beautiful garden you have!

By: Bentley

Bentley — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 19:43:23 +0000

Hi David,
Materials have been added gradually over time, so it’s unlikely that the entire contents of the system would have ever over-heated. It IS likely that temps in the upper zone have been high at times (especially before the bin was shaded by the plants), but the worms were likely able to find cooler zones further down.

By: David

David — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 19:22:45 +0000

Adding kitchen and yard wastes to this bin, what is to keep it from hot composting and killing your worms? I suppose that as long as the surrounding soil is still hospitable to them, they would just exit the bin while it is too hot and return when temperatures have dropped, assuming that there is still a good food source there after hot composting. If this approach is by design, there may not be a reason to refrain from adding items known to start a thermophilic compost reaction such as green lawn clippings or uncomposted manure.