buffie Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Our worm composter, well Mikeys for his birthday, has arrived and we will be putting it together this afternoon when he gets home. It looks brilliant. Anyone else got one and got any tips BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I really fancy getting one Buffie, so shall be watching with interest to see what everyone says!! Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Lesley has one Buffster, and Graham used to have one but the worms froze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Lesley you will have to show me your can o' worms on Sunday! I think these are very impressive, and may get one! ---Martin--- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I'm fairly sure that both Jane (Motherhen) and Murdo have posted about their wormeries too. I remember reading their postings last year with a lot of interest because I want one. I'm saving up at the moment so that with any luck I'll be able to buy one this summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Mine isn't Can O Worms - just a worm composter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 That'll be fine! I just want to see whathappens and how really! Thanks Lesley, you're a legend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I really fancy one of those but what do you do in winter to keep the little wormies warm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiglet Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I've got a can-o-worms and have made a "hat" for it out of an enormous bamboo cloche, covered in bubble wrap. Works a treat for the winter. Also stops them being flooded out if it rains very heavily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omlet Staff james Posted April 2, 2006 Omlet Staff Share Posted April 2, 2006 It is great that everyone is getting into the worms. I've been keeping a can-o-worms for over a month now. And I am finding it very satisfying putting all the leftovers into it and watching the worms slowly eat everything. It takes little while to get going and the cold really seems to slow them down but it worth the wait James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Our worm composter, well Mikeys for his birthday, has arrived and we will be putting it together this afternoon when he gets home. It looks brilliant. Anyone else got one and got any tips BBx There's a wormery forum somewhere, which has a lot of useful bits. Most important is Don't overfeed. It's easy to get carried away with the excitement ( did I really write that) and put in too much food. This results in anaerobic conditions which can kil the worms. Seems quite a lot of wormeries go this way, Start really slowly - I don't think I put anything other than the coir block in our CoW for the first three weeks or so, and then built up very slowly, The other tip is to keep a balance of material going in there - add lots of 'bedding' material as well as the food. I've seen torn up newspaper and shredded cardboard recommended. I've used shredded documents from work. I thought these would work well, but office paper breaks down quite slowly, although it did help dry things out. I finshed up with solid lumps of shreddings to break up. Corrugated cardboard, torn up into squares seems best.It's open texture aerates, and apparently the worms like the glue. You can leave it out in the rain to soften it to make it easy to shred, without making it too wet for the wormery. I did have a tray go bad before Christmas when the worms slowed down and couldn't keep up with the inputs. The worms quit the top layer completely, and many went into the sump - dozens drowned. Managed to stop it going throughout the whole thing by clearing the bottom tray (which was ready) and then mixing the top tray with as much cardboard as it took to turn it into two trays. It's been in the garage over winter, and is just beginning to really pick up now the weather is warming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Having noticed that WigglyWigglers are doing spare trays for CoW I phoned them today. Not only can you use them for replacements but you can also add additional trays. They reckcon you can go up to 5 high. More than that and the legs break. With the amount of stuff going in mine I might stop at 4, but it's good news during the cold months. Loyal afterthought : Obviously you should get the CoW here though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiglet Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Murdo's comment is a good warning. I lost a batch of worms when my tray got too "mushy" - need to add lots of browns (paper etc). and give it a stir occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetParker Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Hi I've had a can-o-worms for a few years' now - it does take a while to learn how to manage it but it's worth it! I lost my first batch of worms as well due to water-logging - Wiggly Wigglers do a rain-cover now but also you should leave the tap open all the time with a container to catch the liquid feed that comes out to sort this out. It's great for plants in containers! The rain cover is also quite good for keeping the larger flies out - I had problems the first year with lots of flies laying eggs in the top layer It's not completely water-proof, some moisture does still get through and the air can still circulate, but it stops the complete flooding which kills the worms off very quickly. I cover mine with tarpaulin in winter (loosely so air can still circulate), and I've now upgraded to two wormeries to solve the over-feeding problem. Mind you, even two can't cope with the huge amount of chicken poo! I am going to put in a large normal compost heap at the bottom of the garden for the overflow when I have time........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieW Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 We have had a wormery for quite a few years now - it calls itself 'The original wormery'. It's more like a dustbin with a section at the bottom with a tap to drain off the liquid. It's good at making compost and compost juices, but you have to empty the whole lot to get to the good stuff at the bottom which isn't ideal. It's great fun though trying to catch all the worms to put back in the bin! However, yesterday I noticed quite a few ants crawling around in it and I can't imagine that's very good for it - does anyone know how to discourage ants while encouraging all the other good bugs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiglet Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Annie, ants are very bad for worms, they will eventually kill them all off and it's really difficult to get them out of the compost. I lost a whole batch to ants last year. The only tips I got given were to stand your composter in water but this will only work if yours has legs, I don't know what type an original wormery is. The other suggestion to stop them getting in is Vaseline around the bottom, again this might only work with one that is on a stand or solid bottom??? Sorry, but don't have any ideas to get rid if they're already in. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted April 28, 2006 Author Share Posted April 28, 2006 Ours are having a great time seem to be doing a good job just got to get them some more s"Ooops, word censored!"s. Anyone else got one yet/ BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 It's my birthday in a month and I am seriously thinking about asking for one My boy is my OH is going to love this I am making all these changes and he isn't complaining so save him having to dal with me having a hissy fit Yesterday I even witnessed him making comments about all the unnecessary waste one company was producing so I think I'm getting through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I think it may be on my birthday list too COAM...............I keep looking at the Wiggly Wigglers site, but they are very expensive............I did download instructions on how to make one which would only cost about £15, so I might have a go at making my own first it looks very simple........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted April 28, 2006 Author Share Posted April 28, 2006 Go for it! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Isn't it cheaper through Omlet though It looks like they sell the value pack which is what I'd be interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 ..mind you, I'd want the rain cover too going on the posts I have read on drowning and slime problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I thought the same thing about it being cheaper through the Omlet shop but i am not sure about postage I think it is included on the Wiggly Wigglers site and probably isn't with Omlet................Will have to check. Here is a link to site that tells you how to make your own wormery on a budget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I like the look of that one Nicola, (and the price!!) Might just happen to be looking at it later when OH gets home!!! Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I think the wiggly site is £2.50p on p&p and to honest if it was just down to a couple of quid then I would have stuck with omlet but as I would want the rain cover too I think I might go with the other site Now I just need to drop some pretty heavy duty hints to hubby ready for next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
