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applestar
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Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Re: question regarding Vermicomposting

I haven’t looked at the link yet, but there are a number of ways to vermicompost.

I’m not sure what you are asking by “effective”? Effective for your vegetable garden?

I do keep a vermicomposter going. I use a commercial stacked tray system outside during the summer, and downsize to home made stacked bucket system during the winter to overwinter the worms in the garage.

I use the vermicomposter for adding to potting mix and leacheate for feeding special potted plants. Actively aerated vermicast tea for general booster for the in-ground garden beds. My yield is small so the actual vermicast is mostly used for potted plants.

For amending the in-ground garden beds, I maintain basic commercial bin and open compost piles that provide larger yields.

How big will your “vegetable garden” be? How big will your vermicomposting operation be? I know someone who jumped in with both feet by making several split plastic barrel vermicomposters which meant she had enough vermicast harvest to amend several raised beds at a time.

Vermicast is definitely “effective” for improving health of the plants treated with them, as are the worms that make their way into the potting mix.

Difficulty in maintaining the vermicomposter going will depend on where you are located, climate, and pest pressure.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

When I lived in a colder climate, I did vermicomposting in winter. I had a worm bin set up in my (heated) basement. It just kept me from having to trek out through the snow to take kitchen scraps to the outdoor compost pile at the back of the yard.

I just used one of those plastic storage bins, with air holes cut in it. The worms I pulled from the regular compost pile in fall to get the worm bin going.

Since in the basement was also my seed starting set up, I used the leachate from the worm bin tray in the water for the seedlings, helped everything get off to a good start.

Once things were well warmed up in the spring, I would harvest the worm castings and dump the worms and leftover bedding etc, back in the compost pile.

Doing it this way, it cost essentially zero.

imafan26
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Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Vermicomposting is an easy way to compost since you don't have to manage a pile or turn it. It also works if you live in an apartment and want to put your kitchen waste to work.

You can buy a worm composter or make a vermi composter out of a flower pot, bucket or storage bin. You need to make a hole near the bottom of the bin and put in a drain. unless you are ok with lifting the top bucket to empty out the worm juice. You want your worm bin to fit tight or if you keep it outside, it likes to be in a shady spot not in the sun and you need to protect it from frost. Keep the bin cover tight to keep other vermin out.

You can use shredded paper as bedding (carbon) Moisten the shredded paper first. Add the worms and the food scraps. I usually only had to add scraps once a week. You can freeze the green waste, thaw and feed them later. If the scraps are not gone in a week, you are feeding too much. As the worm population grows you can give them more scraps. Add more carbon (newspaper) when you see the newspaper disappearing. You should be watering the bin everytime you add scraps and paper to keep everything moist and to flush toxins out of the waste that will eventually kill the worms. Make sure you empty the worm juice weekly and before and and about an hour after watering. This is when having a drain in the bottom bin is really helpful. If the water started to flood into the top box, the worms with suffocate. If the worms are left outside and it rains a lot, the worms will make a break for it. Harvest vermicast when 2-3 inches accumulates. Wash out the bin and start with new bedding. If the bin is dry it needs more water, if the bin smells like ammonia, you have fed them too much and take out some of the vegetable waste. Vermicast is very good, but does not go far in the garden and is best used as a tea. The worm juice can be collected and used on the plants as well. I add about a cup of vermicast to a five gallon bucket of potting mix. It is not the only fertilizer I use, but it does seem to keep plants healthier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHS1UKdUzVo
https://www.marinelifephotography.com/f ... nesian.htm
wormcompostinghq.com/how-to-use-worm-compost/how-to-make-compost-tea-with-worm-castings/



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