Blog posts in this category will only be visible to members of the WFA. This is where we will share news/updates and any other info we don’t want to make public (rest of the blog is visible to the public).
Blog posts in this category will only be visible to members of the WFA. This is where we will share news/updates and any other info we don’t want to make public (rest of the blog is visible to the public).
If any one needs help with building a harvester,or wormbin,or whatever.Be sure to not be afraid to ask.I don’t know everything.But some things i can video how to do.Say if for example you want to build a flowthru.Just tell me what kind.I can also post links with info. i can’t cover to help you out.Don’t ever be afraid to ask me for help of any kind!
Hi Larry, and the rest of the folks coming to this VIP exclusive worm zone LOL.
I can’t wait to learn more and bounce ideas around. Being a rookie in this field, will mean, I’ll do alot of listening, and much needed understanding. Lets have fun and make our common interest known to alot more people. Thanks to Bentley for your strong will to bring us together. And to Larry for the knowledge you bring.
Hi Ted,
Sounds like maybe we are about the same place on the vermicomposting road. Glad to meet you.
Hi Larry,
Good to see you here. I elaborated a bit on the Introductions page.
+Frank
Hi Frank,
Nice to know you also.
Have you checked out Larry’s web site yet? He’s got videos on some real down to earth stuff.
This will be a world to really fill our minds with know-how in this feild. I hope I’m just as experienced someday. Like I said before Larry, thanks for your knowledge.
Yes, I have been on Larry’s Site.
Lot’s of good stuff there, for sure.
I don’t know about my experience? I haven’t been doing this for long.It is more confidence.You guys will be fine.Just don’t be afraid to ask questions.There is no stupid questions here.We are all here to learn! I have a long ways to go.And a lot to learn.I do a lot of talking.But i also like to listen.Just post whatever you find works,or doesn’t work.We need the knowledge.I killed my first worms.So i like to tell others how i did it.Not be afraid to admit i messed up.I’m not the best at following directions.And sometimes it costs me.But i like the adventure.You guys just make sure to have fun along the way.That is what’s important!
Larry Duke, Can you point the direction on where I find how to build a flow through system for indoors. thanks, Tom.
I grow wheatgrass indoors using soil and vermiculite as growing medium. Once the grass is cut can the mats be composted by using worms, as long as food is added? Will I need to add any other bedding material as well. Tom.
Tom,sorry i missed this comment.What type are you wanting? Bentley has the Bait o matic that uses a sterilite or rubbermade tub.You can also build a small flowthru using a waste basket for indoors.Or even one of those big square garbage cans with the wheels and lid.Also you can make a stackable out of more than one rubbermade,by drilling holes in the bottom of more than one,and stacking them in each other.Just need to know what type you prefer.
Just noticed i posted three comments,and my name is different on each one.Interesting! All of them was me folks.Sorry for the confusion!
I’m looking at a HORIZONTAL worm system with dividers down the length so I can start a worms at one end and as they finish that volume, start adding materials in the next compartment and after maybe 2 weeks of it’s incubating, pull out the divider so the worms will crawl over and populate the new section. Stopping feeding and watering the first section so they all leave and I can harvest the vermicompost easily. I figure I need at least 3 to 4 sections to make this work easily and I was thinking about 2 square feet of surface area per ‘system’. Material to be wood (repurposed barn wood if I can find some for free!). Maybe have a front to back tilt on the system of 1 inch so excess liquid would go to the front side of the system. I was thinking of a foot to 20 inches high. Keeping these systems in my pit greenhouse during the non frost months, I would have to move overwintering systems to an outdoor pit or down into my boiler room basement (60 degrees) as systems in the passive greenhouse FROZE two winters ago and I lost that year’s batches. My food source is Alfalfa hay/straw, alpaca manure-aged, eggshells, teabags, and coffee ground, cardboard, shredd paper. We have lots of leaves/grass, but I would use those for outdoor pits, mostly maples & some walnuts.
Any ideas send to me. Cheers, Bonnie
Welcome Bonnie – your system idea sounds great!
Please do share this on the forum as well (if you need ANY help just let me know) – that is where most of the action is these days! 🙂
We are getting ready to deliver our first 1K lbs to a city nearby for their athletic fields. If they do not use the whole 1K lbs right out of the gate, how do we have in writing on the storage of this delivery. Its delivered in polystyrene bag (holds 2K lbs), no draw string at top and in bins (bag placed in bin for support). We want to make sure we have a leaflet for the customer as a guide. Any suggestions on this?
Hi Jenny!
Welcome – have you submitted this as a topic on the forum as well – definitely a lot more eyeballs over there!
Not 100% sure I understand what you are asking. Based on your wording, I take it we are talking about worm castings, right? Just not clear on what you meant by “how do we have in writing on the storage of this delivery.”
Thanks
B
Hello All:
There is so much awesome information on this forum, its really easy to read as well. I had a quick question if anyone would be so kind to help us out. My family of 4 are trying to extract the cacoons from our vermi once its done/harvested and we are not sure how or if its possible. I do know that they need moisture and 80 degrees to hatch, but does anyone know of a process to get as many as possible (like a pile of them)?
I live in southern California east of San Diego in the foothills, I sure feel for you guys in the frozen wastelands of the north. Today will be miserable with a high of 85 degrees. (LOL)
OK here is one of hundreds of questions I have. Bentley had talked of a worm drop shipper and I assume based on volume as a business I could get a discount of the cost of worms. Also what about other related gardening and worm products at wholesale prices? I had read somewhere on the net that Kelp is a product being added to the worms for food. I need help in finding my way to wholesalers who can provide me with products that can help to get the cost down. Anyone have some suggestions.
Also it can get really hot during the summer sometimes temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. what can I do to control temperature in this kind of weather.
Finally getting my flowthur Yahoo.
It is going to be 8 feet long 30 high and 30 deep. My question is does anyone (Larry) have some good ideas about a breaker bar. I was thinking about 3 separate scrapers.The welder guy wants to use rebar instead of weedy wacker line,is this a good idea?
Because of its size how should I go about loading it up? I have access to all the aged horse manure I could carry. Should I add it 6 inches a week until full? Or wait untill they have made there way though a foot and then add? Or fill it (hehe) like that wouldnt kill me.? I have a 50 gallon barrel full of veggies to add.
Cant wait to get this going. Any reciept ideas will be most welcome.
Thanks Brenda
Brenda,i commented on this the other day,but must not have hit the submit button.Anyways i’m making a flowthru with a breaker bar system i think i invented.Trying to complete the bin to post it.This one is gonna be pretty unique.Rebar should last a long time.Just clean it with de-natured alcohol if it appears to have oils on it.
Once the worms reach max capacity you can add an inch of horse manure a day in my opinion.Just monitor it.
Oh yeah,in my opinion i wouldn’t fill it to 30″.Mine works great at 16″ of fill.It makes it easier to cool it down.Something 30″ deep holds heat a long time,and is more difficult to get air to flow through.During winter you can use that depth to keep it warm and working all winter.
Thanks Larry
looking forward to your breaker bar
We have a flowthro 6foot long by 24 x 24 started on 11-12-11 we started with 3 inches shredded cardboard, 6 inches of peat moss. Feeding ground veggys and apple,star bucks coffie ,egg shells mixxed in.
We put in 3 pound of red wigglers . we also had aprox 100 red tiggers we added. 12-16-11we added 6 inches of aged horse manure. Havent dugg arround but adding veggys recently I wast seeing as many adolt red wigglers but lots of babys recently added 3inches of shredded cardboard In your apinion should I be doing somthing different
i have several 10 FT’s in the 3-4′ length with a depth of from 16″-32″. the challenge is keeping up with worm reproduction. tons of babies, i pull out the adults and they are replaced seems like in a week or two. and particularly the EF’s show stunting whereas the PE’s seem to grow to 3-4″ what’s kool about the babies is that they will penetrate a horse manure clod and break it down from the inside out, whereas the larger worms work on the outside of the clod. i am perplexed when i see a large commercial system crowded with adult EF’s and they appear to be a full 2-1/2″ to 3″ size. i don’t know how they maintain the size and quantity in such a small space. mine receive horse manure (not composted) as the main bedding and food. i add cardboard and produce scraps, i have even feed purina worm chow on a daily basis as a trial, the worms still get smaller when crowded. i undestand that if you have 1k that equals a pound and 2k that because of size still only weighs a pound they will consume the same quantity of food. so what good is that?
I’ve had my worm bin for over a year with good results…now that I have the hang of it. Last week I turned the vermicompost and saw lots of very small black worms, which moved pretty quickly. Did a little research and seems the ph needed to be lowered, which I did. I’ve avoided adding any more food until this morning I put a watermelon rind in, knowing it would attract the worms quickly. Had a look after about an hour and these little black worms were all over it. Checked tonight, and saw lots of my regular worms underneath. I also have lots of little black flying insects, don’t know what they are.
Question: what are these little black worms (or insects)? They are about 1/4″ long.
Thanks!
Hi guys – really sorry to those of you who have not received replies! My recommendation is definitely to post these questions on the forum (where you’ll likely get lots of great responses) or to email me directly. I’m not really doing much with the “private members blog” anymore since I just don’t think it’s the best way for us to communicate.
Thanks
Bentley