Monday, February 28, 2011

Vermiculture

Today we made our new vermiculture composting bin.


As soon as it was finished, I went outside in the snow to dig up the first two residents... I just couldn't wait!


I have my worm traps out now, so I should be able to populate the bin very quickly.


Cardboard covered with repurposed Styrofoam and held down with a brick

We followed the directions found here:
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/easywormbin.htm


Also, we used a 6 gallon bin instead of the 8-10 gallon that was called for in the instructions.


Now, for those of you who are aware of our propensity to name *everything*, and would like to be in the know... they're all named Herman and the bin is The Herman Hotel.


Update:  This post is being shared at Simple Lives Thursday: http://gnowfglins.com/2011/03/03/simple-lives-thursday-33/
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15 comments:

  1. Jane @ Hard Work HomesteadFebruary 28, 2011 at 3:55 PM

    They just had a segment on our local news about this. Seeing a bin twice in one day might be a sign I should build one.

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  2. ~~Mike~~February 28, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    I still prefer the "Squirmin Herman Hotel" :)

    -Mike
    97 Roadtrek 170P "Taj Ma Trek"
    HTTP://WWW.VanTramps.Com

    ReplyDelete
  3. -HeidiFebruary 28, 2011 at 4:17 PM

    Correction: make that The Squirmin Herman Hotel! LOL!

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  4. -HeidiFebruary 28, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    Jane, I think it must be! It is so much fun... and worms make super pets! lol. They get rid of our waste (instead of the other way around), the castings help your plants grow, the extra worms can be sold... the castings are even sold! They are also very entertaining!

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  5. Tractor MomFebruary 28, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    I really love this! I'm going to have to try this one...

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  6. LeontienFebruary 28, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    Wow! looks like fun!
    BUT if you EVER need more worms.... your're more then welcome to come here to Indiana and pick some up! Haha

    Thanks for sharing
    Leontien

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  7. JudithFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:09 PM

    I've wanted a small worm bin for years! I just didn't like paying over $100 for the fancy ones plus more for the redworms. And those bins are too big for van living. This is a good design! You can also add more containers if you want to. That gives the worms more time to move out of the casting container.

    I guess the "worm tea" will drip through the bottom holes? You could even add a faucet at the bottom on one side; the fancy bins have that for the tea.

    Thanks for posting this!

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  8. -HeidiFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:36 PM

    Thanks to everyone for commenting... and those special Indiana worms are a tempting offer. ~grin~

    Antie J! Right now I'm using the second container to catch the tea... when I need the second container, I'll just use the lid.

    I really love the size too!

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. LeighMarch 2, 2011 at 5:30 AM

    This is so neat! I am really curious how it will do for you. I'd love to grow worms for both the garden and the chickens. Report on progress often!

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  10. AnonymousMarch 2, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    I started a red wiggler worm farm in an old refrigerator once and had millions of them. The really like watermelon and cantaloupe.

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  11. DanielleMarch 3, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    This is great! I've thought about doing this, but it hasn't happened yet. How long does the whole kitchen-waste-to-castings process take?

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  12. String TheoryMarch 4, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    Thanks for this really useful post. I read it yesterday and then today, whilst working in the yard clearing some left over leaves, I stumbled on a big cash of herman's relatives!! I have made them a temporary home and will set a trap for any of their mates I may have left behind. Tomorrow I will mostly be drilling holes in plastic. Fantastic timing, thanks :-)

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  13. -HeidiMarch 6, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Oh my I've been busy! I love your comments! I need to take some time each day to answer!

    Danielle, I am so new to this that I'm not certain.. I just joined a new site to learn all I can:
    http://vermicomposters.com/

    I'll be updating soon... right now I still need to capture them! I wish I could find a big bunch of them like QoS!

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  14. The Good Luck DuckMarch 11, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    I love worms! And, a trap - fabulous! Will it catch red wigglers or earthworms, or some combo? Or is it like a snipe hunt?

    I was given a fancy worm condo, and I admit I liked it, but I liked my Rubbermaid bin, too. I miss them. Maybe I'll think about a way to have a tiny bin in the Duck. Maybe Annie won't notice this comment. :o) But, seriously, they're a lot less trouble than cats, and they smell better. And cats won't eat our gar ... okay, that part is false. But the results aren't as good when cats eat our garbage.

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  15. AnonymousMarch 11, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    LOL

    Enjoyed the post; and I hope your Hermans propagates quickly :-)

    ~Val

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