Worm World

Yes or no? I don’t want them to hyper. Lol.

Vermiculture, day 1:

Found the worm ball in the container I bought!

This is what their new home looks like ; hope they like it.

Good evening all,

My worm bins consist of 40L rubbermaid totes, with ample holes drilled in the bottom, and they sit in a second set of bins to catch any leachate

Long story short i left the feeding of my 2 worm bins to my kids for a couple weeks, and when i came back to them the bins were very moist. I immediately added a ton of shredded newsprint to sop it up and checked in every couple days to see whats what

Today marks three weeks since i took over again, and the bins are still more moist than I'm happy with, and it seems there are VERY FEW worms. One bin seems to have none, and the other may have 10.

Any ideas what happened?

Thanks in advance!

Sloppy wet or just damp, moist?

Is it fine if some worms from the bin are introduce to my potted plants? Like African Nightcrawlers or Red Wigglers? Won’t they become a nuisance for the local ecosystem? I’ve found a few endemic isopods, earthworms, and other soil critters on and in my main garden—am worried the worms from the bin might compete with them for food.

If i add white sand would that replace eggshells?

Had my bin set up about a month in the bathroom. Feed the RW a mixture of corn meal, grits and crushed eggshells. As long as I water them and feed on top, everything is fine. If I disturb them by looking for eggs. It seems like i have a few trying to escape. I find 2-3 on top of the cardboard on top i use to keep the moisture in and keep them in the dark. Bathroom light always stays on!! Any ideas?

Hello everyone,

I used to work at vermiculture urban farm and were growing approximately 5,000 heads of nutritionally dense heads of lettuce. I'd like to create a viable alternative to terrestrial traditional farming especially in poorer areas of the world that will be hit hardest with the negative effects of climate change. The Dutch are master growers, but want to connect with a group in the US. Thank you. https://youtu.be/KfB2sx9uCkI?si=QvF65HOmfyLOPoYJ

I'm currently using a bucket system and I want to upgrade to a larger tote tower system. I'm curious as to what brand of tote bin would work best. Which has a good sealing lid? What brand/type do you use if you're using totes already? I plan on drilling holes in the bottoms and also create a tap system to help drain the liquid from the bottom tote.

I hear a lot about the benefits of coral calcium in a worm bin.

Where do you find it? Amazon search really only shows dietary supplements.

What to do?

Is it possible to breed them? I'm a fisherman and use them for fishing, but they're quite expensive in Switzerland. I already have a wormbin with RWs and wondered if it's possible with Canadian Nightcrawlers. I know their reproduction rate is way smaller but I wondered if it's possible. My cellar is about 17 Degrees Celsius

I can get it fine, but not powder fine.

They have been in the fridge a few weeks. Wife peeled them to go in a salad and decided not to use them. Worm food?

Well, I fear my brief foray into vermiculture may be coming to an end. I have 2 bins--ENCs and RWs. The ENCs have been well-behaved; however, I went to feed them this morning and I don't see or feel any when I reach into the bin.

The RWs are horribly behaved, try to get out whenever and wherever they can. Wife is about done with dried up RWs on basement floor or, the alternative, keeping a light on 24/7 to keep them under ground.

I have enjoyed this little experiment (as a master gardener), but am fearful for the next steps.