New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Seattle WA. Zone 7   Sherri Mar 16, 2012 10:19 PM CST |
| I'm curious to hear about anyone's experience with worm bins. I live in Seattle, so it's about zone 8ish. There is a man that advertises the bins but he talks about overwintering the bins inside. That is concerning me a little. I could find them a spot in the garage, but what have people's experiences been? Thanks for your time. |
Name: Karen Cincinnati, Oh (Zone 6a)             kqcrna Mar 17, 2012 4:49 AM CST |
That's the reason I've never done it either- they'd have to winter inside in my climate for sure. I don't want anybody else to take care of. And while my husband puts up with all the goofy gardening stuff I do, I think a box of worms in the house would put him over the edge  I have been doing spring cleanup in my yard. As usual in spring, my beds are crawling with big fat worms and full of their extensive tunnels.I'm sure they're making direct deposits for me.  Karen |
Name: Carole Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)            SongofJoy Mar 17, 2012 5:36 AM CST |
| Sherri -- Dave wrote a good article on vermicomposting that is the Articles tab here on ATP. http://garden.org/articles/vie... I garden for the pollinators. |
Name: Horseshoe Griffin Efland, NC (Zone 7a) And in the end...a happy beginning!         Horseshoe Mar 17, 2012 8:41 AM CST |
| Glad your brought that article back up, Tee. This is the perfect time for folks to start a worm bin...warm weather is on the way, new life is springing forth, garden time is right around the corner for many of us. Sherri, I kept my main bin outdoors for a number of years and I think we get colder here than your zone 8. There were some cold nights sometimes but I put in a small (very small) wattage light bulb to keep the bins warm and active. My bin was an old chest freezer and it worked perfectly; the insulation in a freezer buffered the temperature extremes, keeping it cool in the hot summers, mostly keeping it from freezing in the winter. The light bulb kept the soil warm and kept the worms from going "dormant", making the bin activity year round. I also used a heat tape for a while, too. You know the kind you lay out on a bench/table and put plant flats on for good germination. That works, too, and those come complete with a thermostat on them. If you can keep a bin in your garage, work shop, or the like though I bet you won't need either the light or heat tape. Shoe |
Seattle WA. Zone 7 Sherri Mar 17, 2012 9:13 PM CST |
| Thanks guys! I will look into that article too. |
 dogpack Mar 18, 2012 11:47 AM CST |
| Ah, worms! Has anyone kept some in the pots for their house plants? I would like to do this, however, I don't want the worms to crawl through the holes in the pots and escape then die. I want live healthy worms who will stay inside the pots. Any ideas, experiences, suggestions, or worms known to like indoor living with house plants? Gardening outside is quite a challenge so I garden inside the house with my plants. :-) Has anyone successfully grown a pineapple from the top section? I've been in the forum asking in different places just in case someone has any ideas. My pineapple is going dull to brown. Maybe a few worms may help, who knows. What worms are mostly house plant friendly? I understand that if it gets cold enough the worms will bunch together in the middle of their container to survive, but I don't know how true this is at the moment. Perhaps I'll find some time to do some worm research. I'll let you know if I find anything. |
Name: Carole Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b) SongofJoy Mar 18, 2012 12:03 PM CST |
| Yes, on the pineapple top. It's not too difficult. Worms often find their way into the house in pots. And they generally stay where they are because dirt is the environment that suits them. I garden for the pollinators. |
dogpack Mar 19, 2012 9:48 AM CST |
| Sounds good to me. Thank you for the information. What is the best wya to introduce worms to potted plants? How do you keep them alive? Any other information I should know? |
Name: Carole Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b) SongofJoy Mar 19, 2012 10:06 AM CST |
| Earthworms and soil just go together. They find their way on their own. They remain alive the same way they do in the soil outside. Don't put them in any plants that are xeriphytic (cacti and succulents) or that won't get regular watering, but don't drowned them either. You can usually tell that you have earthworms in a pot when you see worm castings (worm poo) coming out the drainage holes. A lot of people don't seem to like earthworms in their houseplants, but I personally think they are great soil aerators for potted plants ... probably not for small pots but I've had no problems with them in larger pots. If they die, they just turn into more fertilizer for the soil. I'm ONLY talking about earthworms here and not the little worms you often find in potted plants and definitely should eliminate asap! This is a personal opinion only.  I garden for the pollinators. |
dogpack Mar 20, 2012 10:52 AM CST |
| Earth worms are a friendly creature which halps plants and nature, so I'm ok with them and certainly don't want to do them any harm. |
Name: Linda Bellevue, WA (Zone 8a)  In2art Aug 2, 2015 5:30 PM CST |
| I'm also from the PNW, zone 8a. I keep a very active worm bin, and it is inside the house next to the sliding glass door. There is no smell or worms escaping, but it is not my dream scenario. Eisenia foetidus (Red Wiggles) have a comfort/active range of 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit. It's too cold outside in winter and too hot this summer. In cooler summers, I put it outside the slider in the summer, but have to be mindful of sun shining on it. Our garage is not attached to the house and I just wouldn't feed them regularly if I had to haul the scraps out there several times per week. My next home will have a utility room between the kitchen and outdoors (ideally the kitchen garden would be located right outside), and I will put it under a cabinet where it would be out of sight too. In the meanwhile, I really want the vermicompost for my garden...it is about 7x more bioactive than regular compost, and I'm trying to cure verticillium wilt in one garden bed using it. It's truly amazing stuff. I have a worm factory 360 and have been very happy with it for several years. |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f       RickCorey Aug 28, 2015 3:54 PM CST |
| Good luck wiping out the v. wilt! It sounds like it has a huge economic impact. http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter... Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Joanna North Central Massachusetts (N (Zone 5b) Life & gardens: make them beautiful    joannakat Nov 6, 2016 4:16 PM CST |
In2art said:I'm also from the PNW, zone 8a. I keep a very active worm bin, and it is inside the house next to the sliding glass door. There is no smell or worms escaping, but it is not my dream scenario. Eisenia foetidus (Red Wiggles) have a comfort/active range of 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit. It's too cold outside in winter and too hot this summer. In cooler summers, I put it outside the slider in the summer, but have to be mindful of sun shining on it. Linda, glad to see this post! I know it's older, but I just purchased a 360 and am wondering where to buy the red wrigglers? Do you have a preferred source? There appear to be many out there and I'd like to get a really good start. TIA! AKA Joey. |
Name: Mac Soon to be MidCoast, ME (Zone 6a) Ex zones 4b, 8b, 9a, 9b         McCannon Dec 5, 2016 9:58 PM CST |
| Good evening, Is there any interest in more activity on this forum? We are home garden vegetable growers and looking to up our options on composting. We currently have an open outdoor compost bin for green waste, but production is practically nonexistent over the winter months. We're looking seriously at all options. Starting production in vermicomposting on a small scale to see if that's worth exploring and considering "hot" composting in the spring. The aboriginal people of the world and many other cultures share a common respect for nature and the universe, and all of the life that it holds. We should learn from them! |
Name: Rj Just S of the twin cities of M (Zone 4b)   crawgarden Dec 5, 2016 11:12 PM CST |
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. |
Name: Rj Just S of the twin cities of M (Zone 4b) crawgarden Dec 5, 2016 11:14 PM CST |
crawgarden said:Did vermicomposting for several years in a large tupper ware like container. I think the worms eat 1/2 their weight in food every day. Very easy to maintain. Lots of info available Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. |
Name: Joanna North Central Massachusetts (N (Zone 5b) Life & gardens: make them beautiful joannakat Dec 6, 2016 1:31 AM CST |
| @McCannon, I just started vermicomposting. It's a blast! I'm definitely interested but so far, I'm finding that there isn't very much work to it. Once you get going, the worms pretty much do everything themselves. You just have to make sure you feed them (with your kitchen trash, dry leaves, newspaper, junk mail, etc. but no meat or citrus) and drain off any fluid that might accumulate. I'm using the Worm Factory 360. Doesn't smell. I keep it indoors. Worth every penny! But be warned, you might end up talking to those little wrigglers! AKA Joey. |
Name: Karen Cincinnati, Oh (Zone 6a) kqcrna Dec 6, 2016 3:53 AM CST |
| Mac, it seems most garden forums are pretty slow in winter, especially around the holidays. After Christmas, people start looking forward to their spring gardens and activity picks up. It is possible to have hot compost in winter even in cold climates. Years ago when I belonged to GardenWeb I remember someone posting pictures of their compost steaming. It was in the far north, maybe Alaska? Anyway, if you have the fortitude to work at it in cold temps it can be done. I've never done vermicomposting. My climate's not suited to it and, now that I'm retired, I have no more pets, and that includes worms. Free to travel. Karen |
Name: Mac Soon to be MidCoast, ME (Zone 6a) Ex zones 4b, 8b, 9a, 9b McCannon Dec 6, 2016 6:13 AM CST |
| Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a response. Thanks to all. Rj, I’m all about information gathering. Like most things, all that info needs filtered to sort out the disparities. I’ve been busy .Joanna, I got interested in vermicomposting since Winter here (about 30 miles East of St.Louis) pretty much puts our 4x8x4 outdoor compost bin to sleep. We generate a fair amount of kitchen green waste and lots of coffee grounds. Our shredded junk mail goes in the outdoor bin. It has shiny paper and some plastic in it so I won’t put that in the worm bin. Plenty of cardboard and shredded newspaper for bedding. Here’s the setup I built, pirated off a few “continuous flow through” designs. Top bin for worms, bottom bin for castings collection and any excess liquid. Obviously, it’s in the basement. No need to talk to the worms. We have 3 cats that keep us occupied.  Karen, I was looking at hot composting to to get better results over winter. My neighbor’s oak trees are still dropping leaves and I have 3 roughly 6’ diameter bins full of them. They take a long time to break down. The aboriginal people of the world and many other cultures share a common respect for nature and the universe, and all of the life that it holds. We should learn from them! |
Name: Karen Cincinnati, Oh (Zone 6a) kqcrna Dec 6, 2016 7:41 AM CST |
| Leaves make a great carbon source but take forever to break down alone. Though that will yield leaf mold, great stuff. To hot compost them you need nitrogen to balance it- kitchen waste, coffee grounds, etc. If you have a coffee shop nearby they can be a great source of grounds, and plentiful source of N in winter. I had a local one for a while where they saved all the grounds for me. I always took a clean 5 gallon bucket with lid to replace the full one I was picking up. I had to go every day or the bucket was too heavy to carry! It was great until the shop closed. Starbucks (at least some locations) save and give away "grounds for your garden" https://news.starbucks.com/new... Karen |
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