Topic: Wormery Question

[boydzfish]

A well meaning friend asked me if I wanted some compost from their wormery as there was too much for their garden. I said I would take it off their hands for the allotment to empty the container for them. I managed to drain some liquid from it then opened it up to look inside - it nearly blew my hat off!!! It was gross there was just a big pile of rotting waste food that smelled as if someone had just thrown up in the bucket - there were also no worms. I rang them up saying there were no worms in the thing and there was just this disgusting mess (A bit more diplomatically!!) and was surprised when they said it was always like that.

I will confess I don't know much about the subject but was always under the impression that the worms chomped their way through the waste food and left liquid you could drain as fertiliser and solid fertiliser in the top.  I have added the mess to my 'in progress bin' anyway but one of my fellow allotmenteers did remark on the smell as he walked past!!   :o

Can anyone enlighten me?

[Twoflower]

  it shouldn't smell, the top layer will have some worms but most are in the middle layer, with mostly just extra rich compost in the bottom layer. Sounds abit ichy to me.
        twoflower

[Hector]

We had one and it didn't pong. We had to make sure we didn't add vcertain things lke citrus or it affected the worms/balance.

[zigzig]

May be I am stupid but I have no idea why we need wormeries.

I only need to put a bit of plastic down and lift it a few days later and the underneath is full of worms. My copost bin, every time I take off the lid, it is full or worms.

I open a bag of  shop bought compost and the worms are crawling  about

Dig over a small patch and there are worms galore.

Tell me. What is it I do not understand?.

There are loads of worms

[InfraDig]

Wormeries are used for the output of the worms as they munch their way through the contents of the bin, not for the actual worms. When I empty the bins on the beds, I try to leave all the worms behind in the bin for the next lot of waste. The bins do not smell so are kept close to the kitchen door.

[Growing4twins]

Infradig, ive been toying with the idea of starting a wormery.  Ive seen the prices of them & nearly died, so ive decided to make my own.  do you have any advice??

[galina]

Maybe the acid/alcaline balance went out of whack.  They don't like it acid.  This is why citrus peels are a no no.  Also leek, onion and garlic waste they don't like.  They do like ground up egg shells to help make conditions more alcaline.  Too much food added at one time and too acid might have been the problem.   Also they like torn up newspaper in between food layers.  This all disappears into one mass of compost eventually.   There should be enough food to feed the worm colony and not enough to start rotting. They also like stale packet ends of cereal.

I must admit that when I dig over a compost bin and come to a really nice bit full of compost worms (different from earth worms), I add a shovel full to my worm bin.  Conditions in the bin are probably never quite right - we can but try!  In a shovel full of compost that is naturally full of worms, by definition everything must be right.

In the end my worm compost is nicer than any produced in the compost bin.  Rich, black, just right for the intensive growing in the greenhouse.  It is worth persevering. 

[brown thumb]

never had a wormery but thinking about having one for home here but it sounds wrong comparing what I've read up on the subject are they sure the worms never died with the hard winter as it sounds as if the worms have gone and the stuff is just decomposing  yck

[goodlife]

If the wormery is stored outside and it is really cold..the worms just draw deeper into bin where the bedding is less cold..but if there is not much activity you would have to slow down with your waste too. What worms cannot handle will start rotting and there will be some smell then.
Otherwise..well working wormery has very little smell..hardly at all.
I keep mine outside..and during winter I only add 'food' there if the previous layer is starting  to disappear.
But if you have out building or somewhere to keep the wormery away from the coldest weather..then you can keep 'feeding' them quite freely.
If the wormery is not looked after correctly and the worms do start dieing out more than is natural..yes..smell issues..
It will take bit of getting use to it how they live and what the worms like..but once you find balance with their environment you are rewarded with 'black gold'..good stuff.. ;)

[InfraDig]

G4T, sorry for the delay in replying! I use dustbins. I have mentioned before that they are not as easy to use as some of the wormeries made of trays, but certainly a lot cheaper. To empty one I tip the whole bin onto a plastic tarpaulin and separate it from there. I don't want to use the leachate that comes from the bin (see earlier comments by Baccy Man on the forum) so I drill holes in the bottom so that it all drains away. A variation on this is to drill holes in the side about two inches up from the bottom. I then tilt the bin now and again to pour off any liquid that is in the bin. With either method the bin cannot become waterlogged. If it is a straight sided bin, and has holes in the bottom, it can easily be stood on the terracotta feet that can be used for plant pots. That way it drains freely.
Does anyone know how to use the worm castings in water, and then bubble air through it to make worm tea? At least that is what I think you can do!!?

[antipodes]

Most people imagine that compost smells, but in truth it doesn't. I have a big wooden compost bin on my plot and everything goes in it! What smells is when I tip out the scraps bin from home, where my veg waste has been rotting at room temperature for a week. That stinks! But after a day or two, the smelly liquid has drained through and the actual veg matter doesn't really smell. It's the liquid that smells, which is why composting toilets don't smell - the matter is dry.

[Growing4twins]

Does anyone know how to use the worm castings in water, and then bubble air through it to make worm tea? At least that is what I think you can do!!?

You tip away the liquid????? Apparently that stuff is worth its weight in gold lol.  From the research ive been doing you just dilute it 10/1 in water.  I found this website on how to build a wormery from stacking boxes.  I just havent got around to it yet.

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6EB1C3FA-723E-4F03-8806-74A73B7BDC83/0/stacking_wormery.pdf

[brown thumb]

just the the instructions on building the wormery how big does the holes need to on the net/rack etc mmm just let me think  :-\ :his may be the way if as its said to be illegal to take house hold green waste to the allotment compost bins :-X

[InfraDig]

G4T: Yes I do let it run off. Have a look at The Basics: Have I killed my wormery. There is a quote from Baccy Man, Feb 24, 2008. Or search using Leachate. It mentions the dreaded word e-coli ! It is a tricky subject, lots of conflicting opinion. I am going with the one that says worm tea is made from the worm casts.

[InfraDig]

Sorry G4T, I meant to comment on the boxes idea. I did start off looking at that, but couldn't find cheap, dark sided(no light) boxes. I certainly like the idea, it would be a lot easier to empty. I have been keeping an eye open for cheap black boxes for a couple of years! Not even Wilko.....

[boydzfish]

If you're really set on using plastic boxes you could get the darkest you can (Blue) and cover them with a bin bag, the base of the wormery has a cardboard or similar bottom so would exclude light that way. My problem is I don't have a big enough garden (hence the allotment) and nowhere at the allotment to put one as I only have a half plot to work.

[Growing4twins]

there is a shop that was selling black boxes for a £ a pop by the twins nursery, they weren't huge but i thought for a starter wormery they would be great.  Finally got around to go & get them yesterday & sods law they have sold out!! :/ i was not impressed!  Hey ho, thats what you get i guess for waiting around :)