A Wormery
- Thread starter User
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Compost is much easier in quantity and wormeries are a bit like keeping hamsters. Fun at the start but soon becomes a chore and a bit fiddly for the results you get.
I know what you mean about outdoor heaps and rats, though, so I compromise by using my Council wheelie bin and a collection of plastic dustbins after drilling plenty of drainholes in them. Despite all the dire warnings about not composting food waste, absolutely everything goes in mine and the lids keep any vermin out.
Worms will last as long as there is food for them and it doesn't get too cold/hot/wet/dry. They won't go near citrus either, so no orange and lemon peel. IME you get much better activity if they have somewhere to retreat to i.e. they are on soil, in which case I would go for one of those green Daleks with a lid.
I know what you mean about outdoor heaps and rats, though, so I compromise by using my Council wheelie bin and a collection of plastic dustbins after drilling plenty of drainholes in them. Despite all the dire warnings about not composting food waste, absolutely everything goes in mine and the lids keep any vermin out.
Worms will last as long as there is food for them and it doesn't get too cold/hot/wet/dry. They won't go near citrus either, so no orange and lemon peel. IME you get much better activity if they have somewhere to retreat to i.e. they are on soil, in which case I would go for one of those green Daleks with a lid.
rodgy-dodge
An Exceptional Member
- Location
- North East, Teesside
I noticed B&Q where selling wheelie type bins, I'm now wondering if they where composters!? I bought my compost bin with lid years ago from the council for £5
red_tom
New Member
- Location
- East London
The juice you get from the bottom of the wormery is fantastic stuff for the garden. My tip for the top, don't put the remains of the Christmas turkey into it in a bit of a drunken haze. The worms all turned a bit scary after that.
An easier process is to grow Russian comfrey and to pile the cut leaves in water, then use as a foliar spray. http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/index.php
It does stink, though!
I have a wormery and the liquid feed that comes out is great stuff. It does need diluting down before using on the garden. There is not much to do really once the wormery is going, just make sure the compost/waste does not get too wet. Strips of newspaper sorts that out. Every now and then empty the soil out keeping some of the worms in a pot to start the process off again.
Campfire
Über Member
- Location
- near Risley Moss, Warrington
I just have a compost bin, although I've a smaller one behind the garage. I only put raw vegetables in and plenty of egg cartons, toilet roll middles etc. I was wondering about a wormery myself and there was an article in the Mail last Saturday if you can get hold of one.
upsidedown
Waiting for the great leap forward
- Location
- The middle bit
I think we've got an accidental one. I put a compost bin on some soil and started filling it. When you open the bottom there's hundreds of worms and no compost. It keeps emptying and there's no smell so I assume it's ok.
I have that sterile hybrid Bocking 14, which doesn't propagate by seed. Every chunk of root will re-grow, but it doesn't spread sideways, so if you are reasonably careful when you dig it up you can keep it well under control. I just clip off masses of it with the shears to go under the spuds at planting time and compost the rest of it throughout the year.
Contrast that with bindweed, which is an absolute bastard! My garden has it everywhere and to keep that under control, never mind eradicate it, takes more effort and time than I ever have.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Nettles too....
longers
Legendary Member
If choosing one again I would look for one with trays or suchlike in, like what you're considering. Mine is basically a wheely bin with a tap at the bottom.
I'll be emptying it soon to make more room so am wondering how best to store the compost until it's needed, I'm assuming there is any.
As well as avoiding citrus waste I was told they wouldn't like onion or garlic peelings. They seem to love coffee grounds, not sure if they get a bit
off them.
I'll be emptying it soon to make more room so am wondering how best to store the compost until it's needed, I'm assuming there is any.
As well as avoiding citrus waste I was told they wouldn't like onion or garlic peelings. They seem to love coffee grounds, not sure if they get a bit
off them.
longers
Legendary Member
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
there was an article in the magazine in this saturdays mail on saturday if we had room could be tempted but have compost heap that does similar job , if you want this article let me know and i can send it on .
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
If you want some worms, pop round. We're cultivating some in the compost pile.
We've tried a few times with some bits of spares and left-overs cobbled together and got some good juice out. However I generally used cooked vegetable bits which resulted in it all getting a bit wet and therefore suffering fruit fly infestation and worms dying out. Therefore remnants got chucked into the compost, and surviving worms are thriving in there.
I suppose a bigger one would have been more successful, but not really enough space in the garden to set one up.
We've tried a few times with some bits of spares and left-overs cobbled together and got some good juice out. However I generally used cooked vegetable bits which resulted in it all getting a bit wet and therefore suffering fruit fly infestation and worms dying out. Therefore remnants got chucked into the compost, and surviving worms are thriving in there.
I suppose a bigger one would have been more successful, but not really enough space in the garden to set one up.
