navajo
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HOME MADE vs STOREBOUGHT

I know I am mostly preaching to the choir here, but just wanted to share the pictures from my son's Science Experiment for school with you.

He decided to do an experiment to see which would grow better tomato plants: Vermicompost or Storebought Bull manure/mushroom compost.

The seeds were planted the same time,from the same package, watered the same time, and under the same light strip.

The vermicompost was made in the basement with red wriggler worms we got from a friends horse manure pile and the bull manure/mushroom compost was bought at a "Big blue box store".

On to the pics:

[img]https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/navajo001/a.jpg[/img]


[img]https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/navajo001/c.jpg[/img]


[img]https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/navajo001/f.jpg[/img]


I knew there'd most likely be a difference, but was blown away!

Anyway, just thought I'd post this for anyone that comes in here asking if homemade is really worth the effort (not that it's really any extra effort at all! :D )

Enjoy!

Tom

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gixxerific
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Well I'd have to say that the shape of the pot has a lot to do with it.



Not really :lol: that is an amazing difference and definitely something to think about. I use a mix of some store bought some homemade. I really need to start vermicomposting, though there are millions of worms at work in my garden so do I really need to do it elsewhere?
Last edited by gixxerific on Sun Apr 04, 2010 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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soil
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gotta love homemade wormcastings. the best of the best!

csibona
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wow - that is a remarkable difference.

Perslane
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Wow, that's an amazing difference. Tell your son great job!

StorageSmart2
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I think it`s wonderful that he`s interested in composting and it`s great that you two share a love of planting. :)

Do you mind if I ask how old he was when you two started planting together?

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Ozark Lady
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Wow, that is an amazing experiment.

I don't do composting so maybe that shows why my plants grow so slowly, until I get them in my wormy, manured and mulched garden! My challenge is always to get them into the ground, because once that happens I am in good shape. Now I see exactly why!

Thanks. I still don't want a compost pile, but a worm bin... maybe I really need to read up on how to do that!

navajo
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Hey all,

Sorry it took so long to get back. Been a crazy couple of weeks!

Anyway, yes, it is a remarkable difference. I was expecting SOME difference, but, DANG!

Gixx - I really don't know the answer to that. Does it make a difference to have the worm castings more concentrated? Just don't know.

Soil - Couldn't agree more!

csibona - It really is, huh?

Perslane - I have told him that I am sharing his project with anyone that'll listen. He's very proud of himself. He REALLY enjoys the "Farm to table" class in school!

Storage - We've been planting stuff together since he ws about 9 or so (He's 13 now) and he loves it (we'll see how interested he stays once he starts noticing girls! :lol: )

Ozark - Vermicomposting couldn't be easier! They really are the perfect pet! Let me know if you can't find any free red wrigglers and I might be able to hook you up. (I grew up in Arkansas by the way)!

Also, just to give credit where it is due. My son's name is Nick and he's my future "green gardener"!

Thanks!

Tom

PattyN
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Tom - My daughter is 14 and still loves gardening 8) . Or should I say, loves it again... I grew veggies with my kids in the backyard when they were young, but we dropped it when we moved to the desert years ago. It was actually my daughter's idea to start the vegetable garden last year and she stuck with it even after a dismal start (we planted right before summer, lol). Fingers crossed...

Loved the experiment!

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Ozark Lady
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Worms are very easy to find, down at the barn, where there is manure, bedding and soil, the "dirt" there is full of big fat worms.

So, looks like nature has built me a worm bin! I just need to restore it as I harvest the dirt from there.

I need to get some plants to grow quick, and after seeing this experiment, guess what I will be seeding into and transplanting into?

Even with my early start on some things, I still managed to get behind when I ran out of growing room. :roll:

Perslane
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I've just started to read up on vermicomposting. This is my first year planting veggies so it's all new to me but you and your son have given me some things to think about. Thanks again!

Joyfirst
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I love my worms, but I have this problem, my worm-o-can spigot gets clogged all the time, and I have to keep washing the whole bottom part - any ideas how to avoid it. Some kind of mesh or something? Maybe landscape fabric(row cover fabric) would work?

crazynoodle
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What a great science project! Amazing how vast of a difference there is between the two.

GreenThumbGrowing
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I compost year round with all my kitchen waste such as bananna peels and eggshells etc. I just toss the kitchen waste into a bucket until I am ready to take it outside. Then I put it into the large piles of lawn clippings and other organic matter from around the yard. My garden soil keeps getting more fertile all the time and the way my plants grow is amazing. I have to keep reminding myself not to plant rows so close together becuase everything gets so huge. Another benefit of composting is that it keeps all that stuff out of landfills, which is good for the earth and your plants. :)



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