Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: rdak on November 24, 2003, 10:45:05
-
found this link on the uk.rec.gardening newsgroup.
Build a worm composting bin for £13:
http://www.troubleatmill.com/wormbin.htm
-
Cor :o , that has gotta beat the 70 or 80 quid I have seen them for sale at! :D
'OI - husband - I've got a little job for you! Stop with that turbine thing and get me some worms!!' ;D
-
Splendid idea, well done for finding it rdak! It might have to be one of my winter projects! :)
-
That sounds really good, I have to look into that. Just wondering if it's operational in winter or whether you have to start over every spring.
-
Nice one - I'd like to try that!
What put me off for such a long time? When I was finding out about making comfrey and nettle "tea", I was intrigued that so many people were happy to have finally found a use for their £70 wormery!!!!!!
Thank you - and all best, Gavin
-
Ina, think they are operational over the winter. On Gardeners World, they showed the bin being wrapped in bubble wrap to protect the worms.
-
I saw that too but.......... if the temps are -10C for a while I wonder what good the bubble wrap will do. What I really need is a guideline for temps. Worms are cold blooded right and if the temp in the wormery drops below freezing wouldn't the worms die? I think in the ground they just dive down to where the frost can't get to them. The bubble wrap will insulate some I'm sure but eventually the cold will get through, just like the greenhouse was wrapped but they still needed a heater in there. See what I mean?
-
after a few googles, it seems that ideally they should be kept in a shed or garage over winter, but failing that then insulate with carpet or bubble wrap. Unless it gets really cold, I'm guessing a few will survive to carry on the legacy! If they do all die, then find some rotted horse manure and you're bound to find more worms.
think I will give the worm composting a go in the spring.
-
Have you tried http://www.wormwoman.com also http://www.wigglywigglers.com they both have lots of info on keeping the worms. The worm woman especially as she talks about insulating and very cold temperatures. :)
Hope this helps. The trouble at mill site is great. I've got a can-o'-worms from wiggly wigglers in my garden but now I'm thinking about building one for the allotment.
Cheers Sarah
-
thanks Sarah. Couldn't get the .com address to work, but http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk does.
-
I was thrilled to check out that site. Thanks ever such a lot. I've put the site in faves, but think I'll take the precaution of printing it out for my folder as well. I'll DEFF be doing it in the spring.
Wigglywigglers keep sending me their brochure, but I think that the home-made wormery is for me.
Ien, friends in Bishop's Cleeve in Gloucestershire, were able to buy a wormery really cheaply from their local council some years ago. They kept it in their garage. The worms died in the winter. They didn't think to drain off the worm-wee, which froze with worms in it, or something. I'm fond of worms and wouldn't like that :( So I shan't be making mine until the Spring.- Lish
-
Saw the bins outside poundstrecher yesterday on special offer so off you all go and get them before they realise and put the price up.
Great idea and so simple bigger than the homemade one I did but I was playing with a large bucket with lid made holes two inches up from the base. Got the worms ( braylings) from the compost heap with some muck and topped up with house hold pealings etc and did they munch through. The tea was collected in a washing up bowl and ladled out to be bottled untill ready for use. I was surprised my idea worked they dont all work? but the braylings ( tiger worms) were bought from the local fishing shop. This tip about the worms I found on the other side beeb think it was a posting from our Hugh.
Teresa
-
We don't have a poundstretcher near us.......waaaaaaahhhhhhhh have to nip up the local shop and see how much they want to charge me! DP
-
Are braylings the same worms that I've got in my horse muck? Reddy things? And, should I need to buy them from a fishing shop, how many did you buy, Theresa?
Don't want overcrowding and fights breaking out :o Lishka
-
Lish I was sitting here wondering if the worms that gather around the top of my daelek compost bin are the same too?! Someone out there must know the answer!! ;D Dottie P
-
Hi Liska and Dottie
the braylings (tiger worms) were 3.00 for two tubs from the fishing shop. They have stripes going across them and breed quickly. They are good munchers have to give them that. Dont know where they come from but the red worms could be babies? had some in the compost heap small ones. But do think any worms will breed when conditions are right so loads of muck or kitchen waste they loved fruite and peelings and with grass it generates heat. I poured over urine and water so it did not dry out and with the lid on it was warm. Perhaps having it south facing warm and sheltered would see it through the winter better might be an idea.
I am having problems again not being notified of replies so if I dont reply I am not being funny just emal me have to send dan another email this what happens when your a senior hee hee.
Teresa
-
Thanks for the info about the worms, Teresa...
You sure it's not the 'seniority' of old age & you're forgetting to tick the 'replies' box????
;D ;D ;D - Lish
-
Oh Lish you could have something :-[I got this one :-X hee hee
Teresa
-
Actually, Teresa (and Lishka) they`re not braylings, but brandlings. They usually sell for about 25 - 30 in a tub for around £1 in angling shops, and, yes, they`re exactly the same as the ones you find in old horse muck, and the ones you find clustered around the top of your compost bin.
I`ve never tried a pure wormery because I`ve always considered that the best fodder for it is also best mixed with the lawn mowings and weeds. Consequently I mainly use the worms in the cold compost bins (which are filled with the partly composted stuff out of the hot bins when they cool down), but 50 brandlings in the bottom of a bin of partly composted stuff in spring will become several thousand by autumn. When I empty my cold bins I reckon to get about 80 worms to the forkful in the top layer - these go back into the bins again afterwards.
-
Thank you Hugh for the correct name for the worms, they are great little workers
Teresa
-
think we have caused a nationwide shortage! I've phoned three Poundstretchers and the boxes are all out of stock! :(
-
thanks Sarah. Couldn't get the .com address to work, but http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk does.
Sorry rdak yes .co.uk it is :-/ when it comes to the worm wee. I found we were getting alot much more than we could use in our little garden. (pre lottie) and as it got colder the worms tended to bury down and fall into the bottom layer and drown in it. After that I kept the tap open with a container under it to catch the wee. Also I filled a pair of tights with moss (the stuff for hanging baskets) and put it in the bottom sump. It soaks up excess wee and saves the worms from drowning. Every now and then I refresh it with new stuff and put the old in the compost.
I'm going to insulate my worms this year as last year we brought them in. Which was ok but our house isn't very big and we don't really have room. Hope this helps save a few worms.
Sarah
-
Ahhhhh, Sarah - what a splendid Christmas story ;) - I think you're describing the fate of my friends' worms exactly....nice to know that you had room at the Inn ;D ;D
I'm really looking forward to getting a Poundstetcher wormery going in the spring (even if, due to popular demand the price goes up to a fiver...) cheers, Lishka
-
Me too. I wonder what else the worms will get in their christmas stocking? ;D
-
well, made my worm box yesterday, after visiting a Wilkinsons store in Wiltshire whilst visiting the in-laws. £1.99 each so not bad..
http://www.wilkouk.com/products/product.asp?sku=95452
now I just need to visit the angling shop and decide whether to put it outside or in our utility room (more convenient to put waste in but don't think it would be too good if the worms decided to make a break for freedom!) Apparently, worms get rid of any smell of rotting food, but we will see!
-
Would a wormery be large enough for an allotment? as i've said before i use 4 ton of manure every year, the poor worms would have to go some to produce that amount, or do you use it just for potting compost.
-
No, I don't think for a moment that I have enough kitchen waste to supply all the nutrients for my allotment, but I plan on using it on areas where manure isn't always used for health grounds (e.g. on salad crops and herbs). Anyway, I'm sure it will pay for itself in a few years and it's something a bit different to try out, so why not?
Do you manure every year? This is my 1st year and I've managed to make a few trips to a farm to get some manure, but I have to say that I don't fancy the idea of having to do that every year...especially when most of my fellow allotment holders looked a bit stunned when I brought the manure in, as they said they've never bothered- and their crops seem OK.
I was hoping that manuring most of the plot would be necessary only every couple of years, as long as I add a bit of leaf mould for structure and make up some nettle/comfrey feed.
How often do others manure? (if that's not a too personal question ! ;D )
-
Hi rdak, with me having heavy clay i must use manure to break it down, i also use grit to open it up. Hopefully by next year it will br friable so i will only use manure every other year.
-
I'm exerimenting with making a small wormery from a stack of plastic garden riddles (seives) before I move on to a larger one for the plot. I'm attempting to breed my own worms as the angling shops here (Belgium) don't seem to know what Tiger/Brandling worms are! I also offered to Wigglywigglers info on outlets here. There is certainly a gap in the market for worm bins in this conservationally interested country. No answer from them! Food waste is charged for removal, and recycling here is becoming very expensive and is leading to fly tipping. Worm composters would go down very well. (I wish I had a few quid and an empty shed, I'd set-up in biz my self.)
-
Hooray, glad this thread came back up as I forgot to save the site name and you just know what Ava is going to be doing with his weekends :P ::) ;D
-
Have you tried www.wormwoman.com (http://www.wormwoman.com) also www.wigglywigglers.com (http://www.wigglywigglers.com) they both have lots of info on keeping the worms. The worm woman especially as she talks about insulating and very cold temperatures. :)
Hope this helps. The trouble at mill site is great. I've got a can-o'-worms from wiggly wigglers in my garden but now I'm thinking about building one for the allotment.
Cheers Sarah
I got a can o worms from an online store too, it currently resides in a mini shelter in my back garden. On initially getting it I poured in the worms and let them vanish into the bedding, sadly the next morning they had staged their own version of the great escape. In the cold months since I have insulated the unit with a couple of layers of bubble wrap and the remaining worms seem happy, lardie and content. Sadly that is only a handful. At least the garden soil is improving. If I were to do it again tho I would not buy the C-o-W, I would make my own unit. In fact I passed the spec onto me dad to tryout himself. Hopefully his will allow breeding and I can half-inch some of his worms.
-
my home made bin is going OK, but slow. Will post some pics if I can find my phone's detachable camera!
-
I have the basics in my head and I'll be making my own, but a question. What gap should there be between tubs? Too small and it's crushing the worms? Too big and they'll need a ladder to climb up. And what about the gap around the sides between layers, shouldn't this be closed off?
-
kenkew, assuming you follow the instructions on the link that started this thread, then there is no gap between layers- the boxes rest on top of each other and as the waste is composted and reduced in size, the boxes above will sink with it.
As for the gaps at the side, mine is in a shed at the moment so I have no problem with rain water getting in. If I put it outside in the summer, I will find a way to put a seal around the base of each box- some sort of 'skirt' that will keep water out but still allow boxes to be removed.
By the way - to help stop worms leaving when you set the bin up, leave in a shed and keep the lights on for a few days- worms won't move towards light.
-
Cheers, Ross. It was the gap I was struggking with. I presume as the food reduces the worms will automatically move a layer. No problems then. I'll have a go at it.
-
yep, the idea is that when they finish the first box, they move up into the next box of fresher food.
-
I'll keep you potsed on what happens with the first small one and hoefully the 'commercial' one. Thanks.
-
Funny thing, got my boxes out of the shed to make my wormery, go on to A4All today and this thread has appeared again! Brilliant ;D ;D ;D Am wondering though, my boxes are blue, wonder if they would prefer black ???