I think these are the European Crawlers (Eisenia hortensis), but what is strange is that theye were taken from my outdoor worm pit and are therefore, indigenous worms to my area. However, they look exactly like hortensis which I received from the worm farm (which I have in another bin). Anyhow, I have them mixed in with the excavatus and red wigglers and they seem to be reproducing and growing like crazy. (more…)
I have previously discussed the many benefits of compost tea and have also provided information sources in my links section. You can use regular compost or vermicompost, but the latter will generally be richer in micro-organisms. Pictured on the left, I am using a very simple system which cost me a total of about $20. (more…)
Previously, I discussed the development of my worm pit and how much wonderful vermicompost that I have obtained from it in just a short time. Therefore, I decided to photo-document my compost harvesting practice. On the left, I am shoveling into an area which I feel has suffiently matured, and I will filter this through a screen filter. (more…)
If you have been keeping up with my blogs, you will notice that I have three different worm “projects” going. I have the original two pounds of worms that I ordered which included the Eisenia Fetida (a.k.a redworms, red wiggler, etc.), and the European Crawler (Eisenia Hortensis). These are the worms which I started in the blue plastic bin and have now moved to the DIY stackable wooden bin. (more…)
With the bottom section about 90% full, I stopped adding food for about one week (as previously discussed). Pictured here, I have now attached the top section and have begun adding food to it so that the worms will now start migrating upward to this section. By digging into the bottom section a bit, I assured the the worm population was pretty maxed out and that most of the food was eaten. (more…)
Having previously built the base of the wooden worm bin, as can now be seen in the pictures (click to enlarge), I have constructed the top section. I purchased a roll of 2′ wide 1/4″ hardware cloth for less than $6, cut to length with tin snips, and stapled firmly to the bottom of the new top. Referring to the pics, I also attached little legs to further reinforce the square and provide stabilization for the top section, and also added a block into each internal corner. (more…)
Hey, this is pretty cool! After having read a few articles on the seed germination benefits of worm castings, I decided to do a side by side comparison between vermicompost (dug from my ‘worm pit’) and regular seed starter mix. Referring to the pic (click to enlarge) the bottom row are seeds that I planted using my vermicompost and the top row are in the seed starter mix. (more…)
I mentioned earlier, when I built the DIY stackable hot composter that I had an idea (using the same fence cut-offs) to make an efficient worm composter. Well, the first step in this plan will be to build the bottom section. As you can see, I have just basically taken the same idea of butt joining the fence cut-offs together to make the box (refer to the above link for details). (more…)
After having recently added all the ingredients to my worm pit as I mentioned in my first post, I went out today and dug down and saw little worms everywhere! I think they were baby P. Excavatus, and one goal of mine with this worm pit is to produce a sufficient number so that I can start a worm bin “compost castings factory” that will supply my gardening and farming needs. (more…)
If you have a shaded spot on your property, a worm pit can serve a number of helpful purposes (not to mention entertainment!). First off, the biodiversity they offer in the form of both micro organisms and fungi, will surpass that of castings from a normal worm bin. This is so because of beneficial constituents like leaf mold, bacteria, Mycorrhizal Fungi, and even certain mushroom mycelium. (more…)
