by Neal Nesbitt
Completed Worm Farm
8:37 pm in Getting Started, How-Tos, made from scratch (without a kit), Nutrients, Nutrition, Other Cool Urban Ag. Stuff, posts with pitcures!, R&D-I-Y by Neal Nesbitt
So this post was supposed to come about a week ago, but I’ve been lazy… Remember this is still a patched together prototype. I’m going to let it go a while and see where the kinks are for when I build my next one.
Here’s a link to the first post, and how this all got started: Worm Farm
Last post I had 2 frames completed, and here’s what’s happened since:
First of all I was tired of using a chairs as sawhorses, so I got a 2×8 and made my own. Took maybe half an hour. They’re simple, they work, and they’re much easier on my back and legs since they’re lower to the ground.
Got those 2 frames nailed up and put a couple layers of netting on.
I’m sure there’s a better way to do this, but I thought about it for quite a while and this is the best I could come up with. I wanted to use plastic because I was afraid metal screen would rust or somehow get into the dirt and mess with the worms. I was also worried about sharp edges, and in general plastic seemed like the way to go. I stretched 2 layers of netting at different angles and tightened them each like a drum head over the frames. They hold moist dirt pretty well, and I like how I can take them off and replace them if the need arises. This begs the question though as to why I used dovetails for the frames if I was just going to use nails for the netting…maybe I just like dovetails, ok? =P
Be warned, dry peat falls right through this stuff. Line it with paper before adding, or make sure your peat is moist enough to clump up. You don’t want soggy peat though either, it’ll suffocate the worms: find your balance.
Anyhoo, with the frames done and netted it was time for a lid to keep out the light and a tray to catch drips and whatnot underneath. Simple plastic lid for the tray, scrap wood from making the sawhorses to hold the frames off of it, and more nails on the lid since I didn’t feel like chopping mortises. In general if I tried the whole peg and wedge thing I’m pretty sure I would have split the boards and blah blah blah, excuses.
So here we have it: a completed home for my new redworms! =)
They showed up in the mail today, and I was too worried about making sure they were safe to take pictures. I’m a little worried the peat is too dry, but they seem happy. I had set aside a couple buckets for pre-composting their food, and I used that on top of a layer of paper towels as bedding.
Food for worms is basically vegan with no acids (no onions, garlic, or citrus), and in general you want to stay away from fats and oils (they make things smell). Anything paper is good for a neutralizer as well. Worms apparently have gizzards, which means they need grit to digest stuff, and in general paper and peat are great for that and keep it smelling just like dirt. It’s kinda cool that they eat the same things I do. ^_^ …well, except the paper and dirt part
My first piece of compost was a tortilla I left out too long and it dried up. =( And then the inside of the farm.
Left the top two layers empty. Redworms live in the surface of the pile, so I was thinking if I filled it all the way initially, the bottom stuff would just rot and smell the place up while the worms went to the top. I’ll fill it as stuff gets broken down.
So there’s my final setup. Compost in the buckets, rainwater in the sprayer, paper scraps in the bag. And then there’s a little guy/girl (they’re hermaphrodites) checking out the outside world. =)
We’ll see how it works out. As stuff get’s broken up I’ll cycle the layers so the worms will always be moving up into new compost. The bottom layers are then the leftovers from the worms, which I’ll use to make worm tea for my windowfarm. I’ve also got a couple pots out on the porch I’ll put the leftover dry material in after the tea is done.
If you want to know about compost tea and nutrients, I’ve collected a few youtube videos in a playlist that’ll hopefully help. Check it out: Nutrients Playlist
Hi!
Great that you got it finished so nicely *thumbs up*
I’m still wondering how the Layers are changed (is that very messy? are all worms up and over the netting so you just take the lowest wood drawer out) how do you make that worm tea, and what do you do with the rest? (for example in an appartement without garden…)
And thanks for the Playlist! I will look at that directly *fun*
Hm.. I can not edit my post so I have to post a new one^^
I have watched some of the videos and it seams quite some work!
Though the worm tea is made like this:
Get a big bin for some galleons of Water. Let it bubble with an air lift pump over night if you have chlorine in your water so it gets dissipated.
Put a Bag (like a Tea bag just sturdier out of linen maybe because it is bigger) with the Wormcompost (Worm leftovers at the bottom) in the Water.
What is in this Wormcompost? I think your nutritions, bacteria, micro organisms, fungus?.
You ad some kind of molase in it as Katalysator.
Can one make this herself? Or is it out of Seeweed or something? This will not add to the nutritions? But it will feed the bacteria. -> To do what?
Spread the nutritions throughout the water or do they need to be consumed by bacterias so that the Plants can use them?
Put the bubbles back in and let it steam for 2-3 Days (more molasse in between).
What happens then. Do we kill the bakeries before using them in our hydroponic system? They do die on their own when no more molasse is added. But why is there such a hurry to use it?
many questions from me^^
Ziska
I looked molasse up^^
And it is just a kind of sugar sirup. a pre step or the waste from producing sugar out of sugar cane or root.
So is this about the sugar to feed the microorganisms or is the organic part (acids, salts, vitamins) important too? And (as asked above) what is the propose of the microorganisms? why do i feed them, what do they do?
And do I get the right kind out of my worm farm?
And I’m still thinking about a ‘clean’ window farm… adding so many microorganisms doesn’t make me happy… If the plants are in the dirt.. no problem Their are countless viruses they can get attacked by and they also have ‘good’ microorganisms….
I think the microorganisms tend to be a good thing, if you try to sterilize then you’ll just end up with the really strong stuff that survives (which I think might be a bad thing), or I’m worried you’ll be killing off what helps the plant grow. I’m not too sure you can control the “kind” of bacteria, but I think a good diversity will help keep some checks and balances going in the system.
I’ve been reading stuff on composting and nutrition lately. There are 4 main nutrients a plant needs:
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Each of these helps a certain part of plant metabolism or growth. Chemical fertilizers can be “extended release” but for the most part they’re just the straight chemicals. I think these are a bit more difficult to control and not burn the plants, plus getting the balance and timing right with straight chemicals will be more hassle than it’s worth. Not to mention the micro-nutrients that aren’t as available in those fertilizers.
The worm tea solution is good in my mind because it’s buffered; it’s like liquid dirt. Nutrient release is slow and consistent, so no chemical burns, and the organisms in the solution keep other pests away and provide a quick step in the food chain. There are lots of nutrients, and since they form a stable setup in the worm farm where all those critters can survive I think the nutrient balance almost works itself out. I will be checking ph and chemical levels though to make sure things don’t go awry.
And yes, the worm tea is actually a good insect repellent: keeps ants and such away and in general helps keep pests under control. Some people put it in a spray bottle to keep things off their plants like you might do with soap water.
I’ll see if I can find some articles or something to post. Most of this you can find online or in any composting book. Try looking up the soil’s “food chain.” That should give you a good idea of what’s living in the soil and what soil is.
That is a very elegant worm farm!