SALADO
FARMS
A division of Havano
Ranch
|
SALADO
FARMS |
|
Having anywhere from one to eight horses on the property at any given time (our own plus boarders) can result in a lot of manure that needs to be dealt with on a daily basis. True, with 30 acres we could just fling it over a fence and out into the desert. But think of all that good fertilizer going to waste!
We started a compost pile consisting of the usual materials—weeds, a little horse manure, food scraps and shredded paper. This worked well, but then we stumbled upon Vermicomposting. Come to find out, horse manure is the choice "food" for the type of worms that we use!
And if you don't have a horse handy, that's okay...we've set up bins with shredded paper and table scraps. They love pasta and coffee! You just need to stay away from using meats, cheeses or oily scraps.
If you really want to use horse manure and still don't have a horse handy, perhaps you know someone who does and wouldn't mind bringing you a bucket load or two. You also might want to check out some of your local riding clubs or boarding stables. They are usually more than happy to have you haul some off!
(Actually, the worms don't eat the manure, they eat the microbes that break down the manure. We won't bore you with the scientific details, but the process works!)
The castings (aka worm poop) from worms are very high in nutrients—especially the nitrogen that plants need to grow. Studies have shown an increase of plant growth using castings over just plain soil. We can tell you first hand that using vermicompost truly IS the best for plants!
Composting
Worms
Red Worms | Eisenia fetida
One of the common misconceptions amongst vermicomposting beginners is that any earthworm can be used for worm composting, or kept in an indoor bin in general.
Most worms that you find out in your yard are of the “anecic” type—that is to say they are soil dwelling worms that create burrows and tend to lead a somewhat solitary existence (they need their space). The worms ideally suited for composting on the other hand are referred to as “epigeic”. This group tends to live in rich organic material (not soil), and are adapted to crowding and warmer temperatures. So it's not difficult to see why epigeic worms would do much better in an indoor composting bin than their soil dwelling cousins.
|
By far, the most common variety of composting worm is Eisenia fetida—also known as the red worm or red wiggler. If you are looking to start up your own worm composting bin, this is definitely the worm for you. When it comes to adding worms to a new system, a widely accepted recommendation is to add 1 pound of worms for each square foot of bin surface area you have. So if your bin is 1.5 X 2 ft (width x length) it should be able to handle 3 pounds of worms. I would personally rather add 1 pound of worms to a bin this size and let the worms reach a population equilibrium of their own. Red worms reproduce very rapidly under favorable conditions so it shouldn’t take too long for one pound to become three pounds. |
 This is what a pound of worms looks like before they head for the compost bin. There are about 1,000 worms here. |
There are a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing the type of worm bin you want to set up. If you are the handy type, you may want to build your own creation. Or perhaps you will opt for purchasing a complete worm bin system.
For anyone interested in simply trying out vermicomposting, I would recommend a standard 18 gallon Rubbermaid tub (with lid) or something similar to get started with.
Something to keep in mind when you choose your vessel is light penetration. An opaque container that will not let light in is best. Surface area vs depth means the more surface area, the more breathable it will be. Red worms (and earth worms in general) are very sensitive to direct light—light can lead to considerable stress and even death if they unable to escape from it.
As far as
depth goes, you don’t need to worry too much about exact dimensions but
you definitely want to put more emphasis on the surface area. This also allows
the worms to spread out more.
In other words, a Rubbermaid tub will be much better than a bucket.
Something I would recommend is either setting up multiple small bins OR one decent sized (18 gallon) bin. The larger the system the more buffering capacity it will have. The sheer size of this system makes it very worry free. Even if there are unfavorable conditions in one section of the bin, the worms can easily move into many other favorable zones—and you can move the worms, bin and all. Our worms live in black foot lockers, in 18 gallon bins and in a windrow outside, next to the barn. They are happy in all environments.
All that being said, there is nothing wrong with a single worm bin in the size range of a typical ‘blue box’ recycling container. This size of bin should be large enough to provide both buffering capacity and waste-processing potential for a typical household.
Another important thing to mention is air circulation. If you are using a typical Rubbermaid type of bin, it's a good idea to drill some holes in the lid and along the sides before you add your bedding, food and worms. This allows for more air flow in and out of the bin. If you have your bin sitting on some sort of tray, you may even desire to drill a few holes in the bottom of the bin—a great way to ensure bin contents don’t get too waterlogged. The holes should not be larger than an eight of an inch. Any larger, and your worms could escape!
The location of your bin is also important. Most bins survive the winter well out in a garage, as they tend to generate their own heat. You don't want to keep your bin in a sunny location...that would create too much heat and your worms will cook. Not a pretty sight. Two of our inside bins are actually right here in the office and they are doing quite well. When we had a cold snap during the winter, we brought the Euros in, but they went back out to the front patio about a week later. From about May through the end of October, all bins are out on the front patio, in the shade.
Composting worms not only need food, but also some sort of habitat to live in. Bedding materials provide both. Ideal worm living conditions can be created initially by adding lots of bedding material with a decent amount of waste material (and some water to ensure adequate moisture conditions).
People often refer to the ideal composting moisture content as being similar to that of a wrung-out sponge. Higher moisture levels do tend to work better for worm composting, but this is definitely a good guideline to start with (especially when using a water-tight bin). Once you get going with your bin, you will be able to tell if you have too much water or not enough.
Some great materials for bedding include shredded cardboard shredded newspaper, aged straw, coconut coir or fall leaves. Worms seem to absolutely love rotting leaves. The downside of using leaves (aside from seasonality) is the fact that they don’t really absorb much water. This is why my ideal bedding will consist of a mix of leaves and brown cardboard. We live in a desert area where there are not a whole lot of trees, so we shred newspaper, cereal boxes, food boxes, egg cartons and the like. Bedding materials will typically need to be moistened before worms are added. In fact, a practice I highly recommend when starting a new bin is mixing bedding with a decent amount of moist food waste, then simply letting the mixture sit in a closed bin for a week or so before adding worms. This way you are creating a very friendly environment for your worms to live in. Aside from activating the important microbial community, this also allows for moisture to makes its way throughout the bin materials.
Waste
Materials (ie Worm Food)
Usually people set up their own worm bin at home so they can compost their food scraps and leftovers. Unfortunately, not all waste materials are created equal from a worm’s standpoint. So—we should talk a little about what should and should not be added to an indoor worm bin.
These are fairly basic guidelines and of course there are exceptions under certain circumstances.
|
YES |
NO
|
|
|
|
 We threw a pumpkin—seeds and all—into our bin of Night Crawlers. You really don't want to do that unless you're planning to have a large garden! |
Letting your waste material sit for a period of time is better than adding it right away. Often people assume that the worms feed directly on the waste materials themselves. In a sense they do, but more specifically they are eating the microbial soup that forms on rotting materials. If you throw in a bunch of fresh carrot peelings, the worms won’t be able to start processing the material until sufficient microbial colonization has occured. Also, the smaller the pieces of table scraps and paper, the faster it will break down. You don't have to puree it, just keep in mind that smaller is faster. With vegetables, melons, squashes, etc., freezing them first will accelerate the process. |
|
As I mentioned above, a great way to ensure that your new bin takes off successfully is to mix a decent quantity of waste material in with your fresh bedding, then let the bin sit for a week or so before adding the worms. We put the table scraps more in the bottom of the bin and then the paper on top. That way, if you overfeed (believe me—you'll know if you do), the papers act as an odor buffer until things get stabilized again. Should you choose not to wait (obviously if you get your worms at the same time you get your bin, it doesn’t make sense to wait), I would highly recommend that you at least try to add some partially rotting materials so that the worms have something to feed on. |
 Out of morbid curiosity, I pulled six of the sprouts out of the bin and put them into pots filled with vermicompost. Although one didn't make it, this is what the other five looked like just a couple of days later! |
Home | History | About Us | Worms | Store | Contact Us
Copyright
© 2009 Salado Farms all rights reserved
Website design by Joanne Rummel
