4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Blackrocksrock]

My daughter just dropped the bombshell that she has sent for a wormery for our birthdays! (belated) and I am pleased and worried as not sure how to deal with it. My Oh will have to do most I fear as I feel squeamish at the thought at the moment. Don't get me wrong I can pick up ordinary worms no problems and feed them to the chickens but these seem different somehow.

I will prob get on fine with it but give me chicken poo anyday

How do you all get on with yours.

 

 

OOPs smacked wrists I put this in the wrong place - sorry

[Guest]

I chuck food in it sometimes, check about once a week that everything looks tickety=boo. Empty out the excess liquid and then harvest some lovely worm poo when I need to.

 

Rather simple - take it in the summerhouse in the worst weather too to avoid it freezing.

[Blackrocksrock]

Do you use the liquid as a tomato food/fertiliser for the garden?

[Janepie33]

Chicken poo

Straw

Veg peelings

Dead flowers

Shredded paper

Tea bags

Old pot plants

Grass cuttings

Coffee grounds

 

They all go in my worm bin and it doesn't take long to turn it into compost. We've had ours for years and it's still going strong. As I remember, when we first started it, we had to put a layer of newspaper in the bottom, followed by some soil, followed by some worms.

Ours is situated next to a wall, under a tree, so we don't need to move it in freezing weather. I think the worms just snuggle down and keep warm!

 

If you can handle chicken poo, you can cope with a worm bin!

[KateG]

ooh which one are you getting?

 

I've got an original from original organics. Had it for a year. It makes wonderful compost and black gold. My garden loves it!

 

My worms don't work very fast though. I'm wondering if I keep them a little bit unhappy. Still, they're still all inside the wormery and I rarely see them - I just pop some grub in for them (a bit every day) and they do the rest. EAsy peasy.

[Blackrocksrock]

Not sure which one she has sent us but it should be here this weekend - not sure if the worms come with it this time or have to be sent for separately.

I will compare notes when it arrives!

[Blackrocksrock]

Its a worm works wormery with 4 trays I believe - will have to wait till it comes.

[KateG]

oooh the one I really wanted but couldn't justify the cost of! I'm very excited for you

[Blackrocksrock]

oooh the one I really wanted but couldn't justify the cost of! I'm very excited for you

 

 

It may be on ebay yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not so sure of it.

[Blackrocksrock]

The wormery has arrived and is set up - was a bit of a faff to set up but now its going and its outside - not supposed to look at it for 3 days now so ..... have to be patient and mine does not say you can compost peelings or chicken poo!!

[carrie]

I work in a day nursery and were given one free by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. It's great and the children love them.

The worm wee is great for feeding to plants and veg and the compost is produced realy quick unlike a compost bin.

We were advised not to give them onions or citrus.

Good luck

[Lindy Loo]

I was really interested to read these. I run a "green fingers"club at school and at the end of last term we had a plant sale which raised £80. When we took a vote as to how the children wanted the money to be used someone suggested a wormery and, of course, this was very popular. I have been thinking about getting the wiggly wrigglers kit but after reading these posts I have now looked at the original wormery company and I am in a dilemma as to which one to get. Any more feedback or ideas would be great!

[Blackrocksrock]

The worm works one once it is set up and you read the instructions is easy to deal with and watch and in the short time we have had it we are excited (sad I know) but we have now got worm eggs and I did not know how they reproduced and its fascinating. There is no smell to the food we have put in and I like the one we have - I presume most of them are much the same really but interesting for children to watch and feed.

[carrie]

We have a wormery at the nursery where I work, we got it free from the Shropshire Wildlife trust. The children love it and even the most squeemish (including the staff ) will get their hands in. We have the Can of Worms type that is on the Wiggly Wrigglers site. It's educational value is great, unlike a compost bin which takes at least 6 months to produce compost this produces lovely fine crumbly compost very quickly so the children can see it working, you also drain off 'worm wee' which you water down and feed to plants, or even sell!

I would definately reccommend one, let us know how you get on, but don't forget about looking after it in the hols as they are very unusual school pets

[majorbloodnock]

We got a wormery about 15 years ago and it's still going strong. However, I have found there's a bit of an air of mystique about them which needn't be, so here's a bit of clarification.

 

Wormery manufacturers try to differentiate wormeries from compost heaps on the strength of the fact that wormeries are homes to a particular species of worm - the tiger worm. In fact, "tiger worm" is just another name for "brandling", which is the red worm you'll generally find in the cooler parts of a compost heap anyway, so if your worms die, you don't need to go buying more from the suppliers - just chat with a friendly neighbour who has a compost heap.

 

Because wormeries are fairly small compared with other composting containers, they don't generally build up heat, so weed seeds and cuttings won't be denatured. However, since they rely far more on the worms, and are completely enclosed, anything'll rot or be consumed in them including meat. Admittedly the worms don't greatly like overly acidic conditions (hence advice to be sparing with citrus peel and juice), but a few crushed egg shells, being calcium, will help neutralise the pH anyway.

 

My feeling is that wormeries are slower than compost heaps, so can't replace them. However, since they accept a wider range of ingredients, I reckon they're an excellent partner; compost heaps for garden/allotment waste and wormeries for kitchen waste.

[Blackrocksrock]

We got a wormery about 15 years ago and it's still going strong. However, I have found there's a bit of an air of mystique about them which needn't be, so here's a bit of clarification.

 

Wormery manufacturers try to differentiate wormeries from compost heaps on the strength of the fact that wormeries are homes to a particular species of worm - the tiger worm. In fact, "tiger worm" is just another name for "brandling", which is the red worm you'll generally find in the cooler parts of a compost heap anyway, so if your worms die, you don't need to go buying more from the suppliers - just chat with a friendly neighbour who has a compost heap.

 

Because wormeries are fairly small compared with other composting containers, they don't generally build up heat, so weed seeds and cuttings won't be denatured. However, since they rely far more on the worms, and are completely enclosed, anything'll rot or be consumed in them including meat. Admittedly the worms don't greatly like overly acidic conditions (hence advice to be sparing with citrus peel and juice), but a few crushed egg shells, being calcium, will help neutralise the pH anyway.

 

My feeling is that wormeries are slower than compost heaps, so can't replace them. However, since they accept a wider range of ingredients, I reckon they're an excellent partner; compost heaps for garden/allotment waste and wormeries for kitchen waste.

 

 

Have to disagree with you regarding the quickness of the composting as we have only had ours for a short time and already there is compost and its quicker than the compost bin = you must not put meat products in it and you really require the correct worms as people who have used normal worms find they do not stay in the bin and the proper ones are bred to do the correct job and do not put in any citrus peel as they dont like it.

[majorbloodnock]

OK, on rereading what I posted, I didn't explain what I wanted to.

 

Regarding speed, a wormery largely relies on the combination of a worm's appetite times the number of worms. Worms are, of course, consistently hungry, so they'll start eating immediately and so start creating compost quickly. However, I've tended to find that a properly tended compost bin (allowed to get a good temperature inside) seems to complete the process quicker overall. I may be mistaken, but my experience is that, both being fed an abundance of greenery, a compost heap produces more compost in a given time than the equivalant number of wormeries.

 

Regarding the worms, you're right that "normal" worms (i.e. earthworms) won't do. However, they won't stay in a compost heap either. The brandlings you find in a compost heap (Eisenia foetida to be precise, AKA tiger worms) are a particular species adapted to live in rotting and decaying matter. Earthworms they may not be, but they're certainly not difficult to find, so having a root around in a rotting compost heap is just as valid a means of finding more worms as getting another delivery from the suppliers, and is obviously far cheaper.

 

Regarding meat, the big issue with putting this in any compost is the danger of rats and other vermin, and the associated health risks. Since a wormery is sealed, the rats can't get in and, since the smell is self contained, don't generally even know meat is there. Admittedly meat takes a little longer to decompose to a point where the worms will finish the job off, but meat doesn't cause them any harm at all and doesn't affect the quality of the compost at the end.

 

Finally, regarding citrus peel, onion skins and other acidic items, you're right that the worms don't like the low pH. However, as long as you neutralise the acid by adding something alkaline too, then once again they'll be fine. The traditional additive is calcified seaweed, but ground shellfish shells, chalk or crushed egg shells also work fine. It's a matter of balance rather than avoding any particular ingredient.

[redhotchick]

There were instructions as to how to make a wormery in the October edition of Home Farmer on their letters page. The instructions were originally posted on the website forum by "Meekle"

[Blackrocksrock]

Ours is going like no-ones business - we have loads and I mean loads of worm eggs and they are still mating like mad - never thought I would see the day..... But it is all good as they are making great compost with worm casts and eating through loads of food but will prob slow down now for the winter and we will need to bring them inside somewhere - shed, or greenhouse or even a compost bin!!