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Posted

Anyone else doing any vermicomposting?

Got a setup about 2 months ago, and 10dz worms to get started.

This is a bin I keep inside in the basement, for steady temps, etc.

So far so good. Building the population up and feeding them a good bit every 3-4 days. Seems ok so far. Probably won’t have my first casting harvest for another 4 months, but knew it was a waiting game when first starting.

Lotta plant trimmings, apples, pears, banana peels, egg shells, etc. All diced up fairly fine, so they can break it down a little quicker.

It’s about 2ft square and 3ft tall, give or take.

Top zips closed, collect castings from the bottom port.

Using this as an input for the top dress I put on top of the soil at certain times (after harvest/before new plants, and middle of growth cycle) which is a mix of worm castings, compost, potting mix, rice hulls, and nutrient components identified by soil tests.

 

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Posted

That looks interesting, and easy.  My compost pile is doing basically the same thing, but the castings just blend in with the decomposing stuff I guess.  Is there a huge advantage to using a bin like that?

Posted

In terms of end product vs standard compost, not really in the big picture.

It’s a little richer, but not significantly so. A bit easier on the input side to get specific things into the mix.

There’s no foul smell, no heating up from breakdown, and microbes galore.

It’s also convenient having it in the house, and being able to keep it going year-round. 

Posted

I did vermicompost with the 5 gallon bucket system for a couple of years. I kept them in the garage.  The compost was black gold but I had a hard time keeping them alive for some reason. I definitely recommend it if you have a constant temp.  I think that was one of my issues.

I ended up taking the compost and what was left of the worms and adding them to my spring plantings and they have taken off.  I will definitely do it again in the future if our next place has more space and I can have a different set up. Wife didn't want them in the pantry or utility room.  

I think the real benefit would come from making a worm compost tea and maximizing their power.  

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Posted
25 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

I think the real benefit would come from making a worm compost tea and maximizing their power.  

 

This is definitely a good use, and creates a ton of microbes.

I'll do those from time to time. Most of my teas are alfalfa, kelp, or a mix of the two.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

First blackberries of the season, should be about 10 gallons coming in the next couple weeks. Also zucchini, nightshade huckleberries, Juliet and Black Krim tomatoes and mild habanero peppers.  

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Posted

I'm living vicariously through y'alls food crops this season. We had and will have a number of things going on that made growing anything other than flowers problematic. I sowed some herb seeds among the flowers to have basil, dill, etc but bypassed the usual favorites of tomatoes, cukes, etc.

Given that the temps are rising pretty high this week, good luck with your plots and throw some shade cloth on them if the plants are tiny.

Posted

Well at least I got one sungold tomato before the blast furnace.  I’m seriously considering hiring a Home Depot day laborer to sit out there and hand water my garden, trees and lawn full time on Wednesday. 

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Posted

I got a late start to the garden so it's only a month in, but my peppers are doing well. I was worried about the acidity of my compost because it received a lot more orange peels this year than before thanks to my kid, but apparently peppers like a good acidic soil. My cherry tomato has fucking blown up as well. 

This is the first jap I'm plucking. Pic doesn't do it justice. It's like one of those freaky huge HEB japs. The plant itself is barely a foot tall. 

 

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