New Worms Experiments

I have had an itch for more worms since my original batch suddenly died due to a newbie mistake of adding fresh rabbit manure. But one problem is I am still not sure whether it was because the manure was 'fresh' meaning not composted or because it was saturated with urine turned ammonium. At any rate, it was a big mistake.

You see we got a new bunny for the purpose of breeding and composting. For now I am just trying to keep him alive through winter. Perhaps, we will find him a mate in spring.

After we got Jack home, it was time to clean his cage. Let the fun begin! It seemed the bedding was already full. We moved him to a wire cage with tray underneath to catch droppings. He is living up to his part in providing plenty of manure.

It seems to me, though, that rabbit manure is just too hot when it is fresh. But many blogs have stated they put worm bins right under their hutches. This leaves me a little confused. My experience has been overnight worm death when rabbit manure is used. Again the questions, Is the manure too hot or too full of urine.

Last night, I bought fresh worms and separated them into two containers. One with just newspaper bedding, the other with newspaper bedding and manure. This morning, I found the 18 worms in bedding only, which we will call the "control group", happy and wiggling. The other 18 worms were dead, except for one. What is that yellow stuff they excrete out of their skin?! Too hot, too much salt from the manure or ammonia or too much nitrogen. It was much sadder than watching slugs die under the torturist attack of the angry salt shaker. Further tests will follow...

Worms Out of Sight, Worms out of Mind

On 9-15-2011  Yesterday, I buried a leftover apple that I had frozen and thawed so it would be soft. I and I placed the bin on the top of a bookshelf in Sienna's room. Out of sight, out of mind.

I am trying my best to "neglect" them. It is hard since I am so interested in them. I will still have to check them to make sure the are moist.

I bought some plants to occupy my attention. I haven't even been able to get to them. In a month, maybe I'll be able to use some of the castings for my plants. That would be cool!

My red wiggler baby worms should be hatching regularly by then- I hope. Perhaps I'll get from 50 to 100 by my birthday. That would be awesome!

Red worms, Eat up!

On 9-6-2011  Today, I made a new lid for the worm bin with wire mesh screen, cardboard and duct tape. It fits snug at most places, but the corners. We will see if any of my wigglers attempt escape.

My oldest son, TJ, got a glimpse of some worms and mushrooms and he as impressed. He said I had my own little ecosystem :) He is correct!

I added fresh newspaper bedding to keep down the smell of the composting veggies. And some water as it looked so dry. I have a cardboard box bin inside a plastic tub worm bin right now. I ripped up the cardboard box inside the plastic worm bin, so they can get started eating it. They are already working their way through the bottom of the cardboard box into the plastic worm bin.

Just like the Worm Lady Said

Eureka! I have found it! Them actually. Today, as I was airing the worm bin, I noticed some new organisms. One was fruit flies :(  Another was a white larva that I hope was not a maggot.

The best things that I have found were lots of castings and 4 cocoons! I am so excited about these. I should be seeing baby worms in about 3 weeks. :)   In the words of my husband, my worms are "not only living, but they are thriving!"

They are indeed eating the food scraps and leaving castings. Nutrient rich castings! Black worm gold - LOL! Maybe this is how people who sell bat guano feel.

Today, after looking through the bedding, I placed some more food. I buried 2 and a half small rotting tomatoes and some old cooked broccoli. I mashed them up for easier consumption.

I, also, sprayed the bedding generously with water. It seemed a bit dry. I will not feed them the rest of this week and maybe not until the end of the next. And I am okay with that. Thank you, Yahweh, for the experience and trials of others.

Other news is "mushrooms"?! They are growing out from under the cardboard box, which is my bin and which is starting to mold, rot and grow mushrooms.

I don't know if this is a bad or good thing. I don't know how they got in there. I don't remember reading about mushroom and so I am not sure what to do with them. I guess my little worm bin is very fertile. :)

Don't Feed the Worms

On 9-2-11   I have managed to not feed my worms, except for adding more bedding to keep down the smell. It has worked. The bin has a more earthy smell. The worms seem to be lively and maybe even multiplying. I thought I saw one with a 'ring' around it's clitelum. I still need to build a bigger or at least different bin with a proper lid. I do believe I will buy some more worms next week. Perhaps that would be closer to keeping up with our garbage.

My Worm Garden Diary

On 8-27-11 I have owned my worms for 2 Sabbaths. I am convinced they are the correct worm- the red wiggler. $4 for 50 worms is not near enough for the garbage we produce, but I want to get the hang of caring for them before getting more.

So far, I have overfed them. I am so excited to have them. Overfeeding means a slightly stinky worm bin. So I won't feed them at all this week. I will water them and make sure they have fresh air.

I am impressed to have seen eaten food and castings already. My goals are to breed them to consume the amount of waste we produce and have enough to sell by summer for fishing and compost.

I, also, want to have some good compost for my garden next spring. I guess I can store the "humus" in garbage bags in the garage. We can do experiments to see if it really makes a difference in how the plants grow.

I will build a better bin for them either 1 x 2 x 1 or 1 x 3 x 1 or...

Worm Garden Goals

1) Build bigger bin with lid

2) Buy more worms in the next 2 weeks

3) Breed numbers to consume waste

4) Create rich humus for gardening

5) Breed numbers to sell for fishing and composting

Buy Red Worms Cheap

It started as a trip to the library to pick up books.

I am determined to be not just an urban gardener, but an urban farmer. It  seemed as though I had every book the local library branch had on homesteading, composting, husbandry and gardening and vermiculture.

I was not happy to just read, though. My simple, yet inspired psyche was ready to put into action the hundreds of pages and thousands of words I was devouring. I was ready to recycle the information, that I hoped I had absorbed, like my own form of intellectual compost, into an new hobby for myself and perhaps a self-guided learning experience for my unschooling children.

So on the return trip home, we ignored the construction detour signs and yielded to the Bait Store Still Open sign. I had no idea what I could expect, but it doesn't hurt to try, right? So I turn onto the road and find out exactly why they erect those huge barriers that say Road Closed to Through Traffic.

The pavement had been completely de-surfaced. Every few feet there were ruts going across both lanes, where they were perhaps adding new steel rebar? It was like two-tracking on ripped cement, in a van. But I made it. Into the bait store I bounced after my jouncy half mile ride. And, alas, my prize!

The salesman assured me that the worms he carried were Red Wigglers- the fishermen like them because they are wiggle so much when handled and when the fish nibble at them. And that they get their name from their red and buff striped coloring. Wow! I got an education at a bait shop. Woot!

To make a getting long story short $4.00 got me 50 worms and I couldn't be more pleased. As a side note, I don't suggest buying a large amount (say for composting) this way, as the price per worm at a bait store is about four times the price of online. But online you must buy in bulk. If you are confident in your worm rearing skills, I say go for it. I was not. This was the perfect size experiment for me and I am enjoying it.