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Wormeries and compost bins 2020

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  • Wormeries and compost bins 2020

    Hello all,

    I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we can share updates and pictures about our vermicompost and compost endeavours. I'm in temporary accommodations, so not doing full on composting (unlike my last house, there's not really anywhere in the back garden to leave behind compost and I'll not be able to take semi-made compost with me), but my wormery is doing very nicely with all my kitchen scraps.

    I set up my wormery in late February 2018, so it's nearly two years old. Apart from one bad fruit fly infestation, it's done really well. I have two full trays of worm castings and probably would have more if I were a bit more consistent about feeding them/keeping them somewhere warm enough. It's always been an indoor wormery, but I live by myself and don't have the heating on most of the time so I suspect they do get a little chilly in the winter.

    Here is my bin (it's from Wormcity, and I've been pretty happy with it):

    Click image for larger version

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    It gets a little scruffy on the outside, so not one for the houseproud amongst us to keep indoors, unless you're prepared to give the outside a thorough wipedown every week.

    Here's the inside of the tier I've recently finished feeding into:

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    I've dug into the bedding a bit - I have paper (confidential waste) over the top to help keep fruit flies out and minimise smells. It's also a good source of food for the worms if I ever go a while without feeding them food scraps, and it also helps absorb moisture in the bin. I have only had to drain the juice from the bin once in the last six months, though that's partly because of the cooler temperatures and the slower feeding rate I've imposed on the poor worms lately (had no fridge/freezer which made keeping scraps for them much more challenging).

    Here's the tier below, full of finished vermicompost:

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    There are far fewer worms in this layer (they mostly don't like living in their castings). The ones on top have dropped through from the layer above. This tier was topped with paper, just like the one above - you can see that the worms have demolished the lot!

    And here's the finished product:

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    The little pale flecks are eggshells. I save them up, bake them in the oven (when it's being used for something else) then grind them up in a coffee grinder. I sprinkle a handful or two into the wormery from time to time. It's supposed to get them a bit frisky, as well as helping them digest food! It also adds calcium to the finished vermicompost.

    I took a video too, but will probably have to upload that elsewhere at some time and then link to it from here.
    Last edited by self-contained; 02-02-2020, 10:09 PM. Reason: Adding pictures

  • #2
    Goodness me, that was a bit of a pain getting pictures to upload. I don't remember it being this tricky. Even now they've all been attached, the pictures are the wrong way up in the post (but the right way up if you click on them). Not a problem for these pictures, but would be annoying if I were posting pictures of anything else!

    However, if anyone else cares to brave the photo upload misery (keeping them below 2MB seems to be the trick), then I would love to see your wormeries/compost heaps etc.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by self-contained View Post
      Goodness me, that was a bit of a pain getting pictures to upload. I don't remember it being this tricky. Even now they've all been attached, the pictures are the wrong way up in the post (but the right way up if you click on them). Not a problem for these pictures, but would be annoying if I were posting pictures of anything else!

      However, if anyone else cares to brave the photo upload misery (keeping them below 2MB seems to be the trick), then I would love to see your wormeries/compost heaps etc.
      Hello SC

      All my recent photo posts have suffered from upside down right way when viewed syndrome so you are not alone
      Cheers

      Danny

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      • #4
        This was interesting. My youngest and me hope to create a diy wormery this year so will show her when shes home
        Anything is possible with the right attitude, a hammer
        and a roll of duct tape.

        Weeds have mastered the art of survival, if they are not in your way, let them feed bees

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        • #5
          Looking good there.

          I'm about 4 years into the habbit now. Had to abandon the original when the plastic stacker bins started to crack with the UV sunlight. A nice new big Tub was the replacement, although it lacks the drain facilities of the previous modal it seems to be doing fine. Mine sits inside the grrenhouse this time of year and goes out when I need the growing space.

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          • #6
            My wormery is outside in all weathers. Have had it for well over 10 years. Only needed one replacement tap. This winter have been draining off vast amounts of liquid, often filling a watering can at a time.
            I use a trowel full of compost in the mix for spuds and underneath squash.
            Re eggshells as per something I read on here ages ago I rinse them and remove the inner membrane. Then dry them on the windowsill and scrunch them up to add to any kind of compost. Didn't know worms were esp partial to them but might give them a treat later...

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            • #7
              We bought a Wiggly Wigglers Can-o-worms nearly 20 years ago. The tap broke and has been taken out, it just drips into a container below. One leg cracked and our neighbour created a replacement from a piece of thin downpipe. But other than that it's great. The stackable layers is a must, and on legs too tbh. It sits outside at the bottom of the garden in all weathers, all year around. Sometimes if really bad weather is forecast then we put a thick top layer on the top-most container, but that's all.

              Not ours, too pristine!

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              Last edited by smallblueplanet; 19-03-2020, 12:37 PM.
              To see a world in a grain of sand
              And a heaven in a wild flower

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              • #8
                I would love a wormery. I don't really have enough scraps as I have chickens but I love the idea of it. Thank you for sharing
                https://nodigadventures.blogspot.com/

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                • #9
                  I'm interested in this thread, as I'm thinking of improving my composting approach. I was looking at hotbins, but they are pretty pricey and now work has dried up I'm not too flush (I invigilate at university and a school, which is all stopped of course).

                  OH has not seemed too keen on an indoor wormery, so I'm interested to hear that people keep them outside or in a cold greenhouse over winter.
                  Last edited by Babru; 20-03-2020, 08:08 AM.
                  Mostly flowers, some fruit and veg, at the seaside in Edinburgh.

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                  • #10
                    I use a Bokashi bin. It takes all my non-compostable kitchen waste (cooked food, bones, fish skins, etc.) and turns it into stuff which I then put into my normal compost and it vanishes without attracting vermin. The disadvantage is that you have to buy "inoculated bran" but that costs me about £20 a year. It reduces the amount I send to landfill and stops the bin smelling. This website https://bokashiliving.com gives the best description I've been able to find of how & why. Its Canadian but bins and bran are available in other countries.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by broadway View Post
                      Hello SC

                      All my recent photo posts have suffered from upside down right way when viewed syndrome so you are not alone
                      I’ve just about given up with photos, too many issues.

                      Kind Regards..........Rob

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                      • #12
                        I’m really interested in a wormery. My black dalek has hundreds of thousands of worms.

                        Not sure what advantage one would be though.

                        Kind Regards..........Rob
                        Last edited by Dynamite; 20-03-2020, 11:34 PM.

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                        • #13
                          I've got a rotary compost bin (a bit like a 45 gallon drum on its side with an axle through it). Most of the composting action is due to the vast numbers of worms in it and it eats kitchen waste in a couple of months at most. When it gets too full, I transfer the contents into conventional compost bins for further ageing (no longer have my 1 cu m heap). Putting compost+worms onto bits of the garden seems to be a good way of getting the compost mixed into the soil .
                          Location:- Rugby, Warwckshire on Limy clay (within sight of the Cement factory)

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Dynamite View Post
                            I’m really interested in a wormery. My black dalek has hundreds of thousands of worms.

                            Not sure what advantage one would be though.

                            Kind Regards..........Rob
                            You put different things/food stuffs into a wormery. Also the end product(s) are different.
                            To see a world in a grain of sand
                            And a heaven in a wild flower

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I harvested a tray from my worm bin today

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                              They got my home hair-cut trimmings (and some fruit and veg waste) as a thank you!
                              Last edited by self-contained; 28-03-2020, 10:12 PM.

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