Just got a worm bin

[anndelise]

I'm pretty darned squeamish when it comes to insects, bugs, spiders, slugs, worms, etc.
Deciding to start a garden using EBs was my first step towards telling myself to 'deal with it'.  I'm still not sure how I'm going to cope.  My neighbor rolls her eyes and laughs at my reactions, which, considering how many little critters are around her home, is quite often!!  But...I'm just gonna have to suck it up.

So, knowing that, what do I go and do next??
I spend about a week studying up on worm composting and imagining myself not just handling the worms enough to put the food in, but also the process of harvesting castings, and even just knowing that they are in my kitchen.  Today I finally took the first plunge and we got the worm bin.  (Worm Factory...I wanted the tray system and didn't want to do a DYI thing this time.)  I have an appointment on Wednesday to drive up to pick up a pound of worms from a farm.  I figure this would give me enough time to get the bin cleaned up, do some more reading, and get it ready for the worms' arrival home.

Tomorrow we're getting a 14"x14" board and 4 casters to use that in place of the stand that comes with the Worm Factory.  Out of the whole house here, there's only one spot that the worms would do best in, and it's actually a spot that seems made specifically for the 16"x16" bin.  But to feed it, I'd have to roll it out from under a counter type thing.  (I'd have thought that the company already came up with a caster attachment, but surprisingly they haven't.)  There's plenty of airflow for it, and the cats would only have "access" to the front side of it (no risk of them laying around on the the top of it).

If I could figure out an easy way of keeping it warm in the winters, I'd stick it outside on the deck with the EB garden.  But first I want to see if I can handle having it in the house...in the kitchen.

I'm a bit nervous, but excited too.

What were YOU like just before you got your first worms?

[alwayslearning]

I wondered:
--if the torn newspaper was too wet or too dry (use a spray bottle to moisten)
--if I could use white paper from my shredder (yes, for some of the bedding - my worms laid eggs in the shredded clumps
--if I would feed them enough or too much (doesn't take long for their reproduction rate to match what you give them)
--if it would smell (it does smell slightly earthy, but only a little)
--if they would reproduce or all die off (hooray, they survived and reproduced)
--what those big ugly larvae were!  (soldier fly, harmless but very ugly.)
--how hard it would be to separate the worms from the castings (Mine were in a plastic bin rather than a Worm Factory so you may not have this issue.  I didn't like dumping it all out onto a plastic surface and manually separating it while the worms tried to get out of the bright light. Subsequently I read to put food in a makeshift burlap bag - the worms crawl in to eat and you're left with castings with a few eggs mixed in.)

In my area the cities and counties sell worm and composting bins at reduced rates if you are a resident and go to their workshops...worth checking where you live.
Dorian

[cushman350]

I had worms when I was a small child but just once.

[mjb8743]

This is an excellent book for the beginner: "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Appelhof

http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-Garbage-Composting/dp/0977804518/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238212970&sr=8-2

It's been around for years, and once was considered THE book on the subject. I recently bought it, although I haven't jumped into trying it yet. Winter is my problem. There's very little space in the house, so I'm still mulling over where the bin could go. Keep us posted as you go through the experience.

Cushman- You're soooo bad!

Mickie

[ioiosotwig]

Remember singing this song way back when? 

Don't you ever laugh as a hearse goes by,
for you may be the next to die.
They wrap you up in a big white sheet,
And cover you up from your head down to your feet.
They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for about a week,
And then your coffin begins to leak.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle* on your snout.

I didn't continue with the gross stuff...
But, if you're still interested.....
http://inky.50megs.com/idlechild/songs/theworms.htm

[karental]

Here's a step by step guide to doing this inside if you can't have a bin outside. Interesting enough, the poster says it doesn't smell bad   Caution: lots of worm pictures! 

http://bb.bbboy.net/thejourneyforum-viewthread?forum=7&thread=41

[Deb]

I read recently that if you don't feed them fruit, you won't get fruit flies.  But they do so love banana peel and the goat and chickens ignore them - what's a few flies.  ;>  But don't feed them any meat, fat, or bread.  (The chickens will eat all that.)

Great idea feeding in the burlap bag!  I'm going to have to try that.  I've been toying with an idea of making a screen out of hardware cloth (maybe 2 sizes) and screening the castings into a tub or bucket.

I have killed 2 bins of worms by keeping them outside.  Once in the summer and once in the winter.  Now I have a great place in the house and I don't notice any oder except a slight 'earthiness' when I have the lid off for feeding.  They do well at normal room temperature.

If you don't feed them enough, they'll slow down their reproduction.  It pretty much self regulates.

You do need to use the 'right' worms for a healthy bin.

Crush eggshells before adding to the bin.  It's easier to do if you dry them first.  They need the grit.

Here's one for ioio - Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, think I'll go eat worms.  Big ones, fat ones, ishy ones, squishy ones, I like the ones that squirm.  Bite their heads off, squeeze their guts out, throw the skins away.  Nobody knows how I survive on worms 3 times a day...  ;>

Watching the reaction you get from people when they realize you are actually raising worms is almost as much fun as seeing what the castings will do to your plants.

Deb

[gardendoc]

I am so glad to see follow worm wranglers on the forum.  I have been vermicomposting for about 15 years.  I add to all my plants.  The worm Factory is my choice, but have made from many different containers.  You get fruit flies if you over feed.  You get mites and othr critters if you do not freeze fresh fruit and vegetable scraps before feeding as many type of insects lay eggs in the skins of said fruits and veggies.  Now isn't that an appetizing thought 

[anndelise]

Dorian, I'll probably be asking myself all those questions too, constantly being worried if I'm doing it right or not.  And then gradually settling into the routine as it becomes familiar.

cushman, 

Mickie, Worms Eat My Garbage was an excellent introduction to the idea for me.  I went to the used bookstores to hopefully find a copy, but no luck.  What I did find was one called "The Worm Book" by Loren Nancarrow and Janet Hogan Taylor ( http://www.amazon.com/Worm-Book-Complete-Guide-Garden/dp/0898159946/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238251556&sr=8-1 ).  If I had to compare the two, I'd say that WEMG is a better introduction to the idea of vermicomposting, but TWB seems to have a little more meat in it.  However, I would probably have felt less confident if I had first read (or only read) TWB.

ioio, the worm song I learned as a child went something like this:
(Note:  the last line is spoken instead of sung)

Nobody likes me, Everybody hates me
Cuz I eat my worms
Short fat juicy ones
Long thin slimy ones
Hope they don't have germs

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
Cuz I eat my worms
First you bite the heads off
Then you suck the guts out
Ooooh how they wiggle and squirm

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
. . .
*sigh*
Guess I'll go eat some worms.

Even as a young child of 5 I found the irony of it amusing.


karental, I didn't click the link yet, because of the warning.  While I've been watching youtube videos and such to get used to the idea of seeing the worms and seeing them handled and such, I found that still pictures were actually a little harder to deal with.  I'll probably check it out this afternoon though....a few hours after breakfast, lol.

Deb, Donald1800 has a post that went into how he screens his castings.
http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?topic=1214.msg8825#msg8825

gardendoc, I've already started collecting food scraps and freezing them in a container.  I read that if I line the container with newspaper or paper towels, then when it comes time to pull the food out, it just slides right out with the lining.  I didn't know that it helped prevent getting mites and other critters.  All I thought it did was a) help soften the food for the worms and b) prevent smell before placing it into the worm bin.


This past winter we survived (barely) on prepackaged foods and frozen meals.  With spring coming in, and since I decided to vermicompost, I've been buying more fresh foods to make sure that there's some food for the worms when they first arrive.  At this point in time, we don't have enough for a pound of worms for a week yet.  But by the time they get here and get settled in, we will.

Having to feed the worms is actually turning into a good incentive for purchasing the fresher foods.  Which, in turn, of course, will alter our eating habits for the better.  I wonder if there's a book written yet... "Get Worms, Lose Weight" or "The Worm Weight Loss Method".  Somehow I don't think it would sell well.


Today we're getting a plant caddy (after a lot of online searching I finally found a square castered caddy at a local store).  It's cheaper than making one ourselves (and easier).
Once we get it set up and in it's home in the kitchen, I'll take a picture to show just how perfect the location seems to be (hopefully I'll remember to post the picture, lol).

[Flapam]

I asked my husband for a vermicompost device called Can O Worms for mother's day last year.  When he recovered from some serious hysterical laughter over my request, and it arrived along with my mail order worms, I was so excited but a little nervous.  I really didn't want to kill the critters right off the bat.  I read and reread the instruction and found the perfect place - the laundry room. I live in central Florida and summers outside would take them way out of their temperature range.  It has worked out great and I have learned that worms a pretty tolerant.  Contrary to popular literature, once they are established you don't have to do much.  I don't freeze scraps, or even chop up the scraps for that matter.  I just toss in an apple core or banana peal or whatever is left from salad chopping, etc.  As long as I keep a few layers of damp  news paper on top of the food layer and change the paper out as it decomposes after a couple of weeks, all is good.  I love harvesting veggies from my boxes for dinner, tossing the scraps in the Can O Worms and then harvesting the worm casing for my box plantings.  Talk about the circle of life in action!  I just add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of casings to the hole when I plant.  It is full of micro nutrients and the plants love it.  I also use the handy spigot at the bottom to drainout the worm juice and make worm tea for my plants.  Great stuff.  JUST RELAX AND HAVE FUN WITH IT.

[cushman350]

Sounds delicious and with a cup of tea. Care for a dash of milk, oh sorry, forgot, no dairy for the little wigglers. Maybe some lemon then.

[anndelise]

cushman, you might appreciate The Worm Book.  In the back it has a chapter (9 pages) devoted to "Cooking With Earthworms".  The Chapter's intro says:

"Earthworms, by all accounts, are a nutritious addition to human diets.  They contain 60-70% protein and very little fat.  Earthworms are entirely edible and, aside from the initial preparations, are very easy to use in recipes.  Worms can be boiled and chopped and used in casseroles, or they can provide the main protein source instead of chicken or beef.  They can also be baked and used as a flour for baked goods."

Then it goes on about how to purge them (transfer them to moistened corn meal for 48 hours), wash and freeze them, boil em, and/or bake em.

The recipes are:
*  Worm'n' Apple Cake
*  Vermicelli with Earthworm Meatballs
*  Apricot-Earthworm Balls
*  Oatmeal Earthworm-Raisin Muffins
*  Chinese Worm Skillet Dish
*  Earthworm Scramble
*  Earthworm Meatloaf
*  Caramel Earthworm Brownies

Now all we need is a Earthworm Crumpet recipe to add with our tea.   

 

[cushman350]

anndelise,

Has Andrew Zimmerman been a dinner guest at your abode? 

With economic times as they are, who knows? Since they are not living in soil, would they not be gritty? Hunger is a great humbling force. But if it tastes good, eat it. That's my motto.

This is a fun place isn't it? 


Crumpets Recipe

1/2 cup warm water (105° - 115°)
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup minced earthworms 

In a large bowl, stir the sugar or honey into the warm water. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the top and let it sit until it bubbles, about 5 minutes.


Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and let it sit for about half an hour in a warm place.


Grease a griddle or frying pan and the crumpet rings or cookie cutters. Place the rings on the cooking surface and preheat all.


Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into each 3" ring and cook over medium low heat until set, about 10 minutes. (Avoid cooking them too quickly.) The top should be full of holes when they are ready to turn.


Remove the crumpets from the rings, turn, and brown the other side, if desired, for a minute or so.


Repeat until all the batter is used.

[ioiosotwig]

I had worms when I was a small child but just once.

[kathy]

EWEEEEH  YUK is all I have to say.