Astro Findings

How To Compost With Red Wiggler Composting Worms

Composting with worms is really not that hard at all to do . Red wiggler worms ( manure worms , tiger worms etc etc . ),the most common type of composting worms , are available are very forgiving little creatures .Jeff at Lone Star Worms will help us out

We will want to begin our journey of compost , with the bin .
Worms are not picky like us. They will live in about any decent environment . I suggest for a beginner that the easiest route to take is to use a Rubbermaid style plastic tote either of the 10 or 18 gallon variety .The bin we will be making will be a simple one layer bin . I would advise that you choose one that is not clear , as the worms do not like light . If this is too hard to come by such things as 5 gallon buckets will work or wooden crates cut to size will work fine . really the main thing is to find something that is not clear and that the worms will have room . I would advise at least 6 inches in depth and if you are a typical beginner a square footage ( length x width ) of around 2-2.5 to begin . The reason I give this advice is that composting worms need surface area more than anything . Red wiggler do not need great depth like there garden worm cousin there more of a surface dweller .In general for every square foot of surface area you have you will need one pound of worms .

A step that you may want to take but is not absolutely need is to drill a hole on the bottom to allow drainage of moisture . Be sure to place it where the water ca drain easily and not get stuck . And since you have the drill out drilling some holes along the top under the rim of the tote will allow for air which will be helpful to the worms in making the compost .

Now that you have a bin ready you need bedding . The cheapest way to make bedding is to use newspaper or cardboard . Tear them into strips about a inch wide . If you have a paper shredder this may make the job a little easier . If you do not wish to use newspaper of cardboard , peat moss can be used as well as coconut coir . Wet the bedding , then wring it out it should be damp but not dripping wet . The best way to describe it is that it should be like a sponge . Layers this for a couple of inches . This will be the worms home . A word of advice. Do all this if possible at least a week before you get your worms. Everything you can do before the worms get there is going to help them out .

Well now we have our bedding ready and it is set to go , hopefully it has been waiting for the worms . Now we need worms . Do not unless you want a really smelly mess take the worms you find outside burrowing in the ground and place them in the bin . They will die sadly . The type of worm you will likely get is called a red wiggler worm . These are perfect for composting and they can live in your bin with no issues . They are readily available over the internet and possibly locally through a local worm farmer or friend who has some they can give . I recommend that you place the worms in the bin all together and here is the hard part try to leave them alone .This is especially important when you first get them .They may try to escape . A good way to prevent that from happening is to leave a light on in their area ( remember worms don’t like light Try not to over feed . A good rule of thumb is for every pound of worms you have they will eat about 3 pounds of food a week . The last step will give a list of good and bad worm foods .

So now we have a bin with bedding and worms in it . We have allowed them some time to adjust ( about 2-3 days if possible ) Now we feed them . Good news again worms eat about anything you will give them . Everything that is organic material they can eat . Some of those organic materials are better than others though . Here is a good list to follow .

Do Feed :
Vegetable scraps ( cut up if you can )
Fruit scraps ( be light on the citrus scraps )
Used coffee grounds and filters ( ask your local coffee shop for theirs for a good source of free food )
Newspaper and cardboard
Teabags
Leaves
Egg Shells ( good for grit )
Manure ( horse of rabbit is great for them )

Please do not feed the worms the following or be very careful with these.

Dairy and meat and fish ( these can be fed but…they stink )
Metal
Dog or cat or human feces
Wood ( it takes a long time to break down and be useful for them )

After you have fed them it is a good idea and practice to put additional layer of newspaper on top to act as a kind of filter .

Now what do we do after all is done ? Here is the beautiful part , let the worms make wonderful compost for you . Jeff says worms eat

“Have fun” , believe it or not you will come to “love” those squirming little fellas .

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Tags: Worms
Posted in Composting · January 17th, 2010 · Comments (0)

How To Prepare Mushroom Compost

Mushroom compost is a product which is used by gardeners and landscapers all over the world, the product you actually buy is the by-products of the growing process after the mushrooms are harvested. This article provides you the information to be able to make your own mushroom compost and so you can cut out the middle man.

The ingredients you need to start to make mushroom compost is manure, hay, poultry manure, gypsum and mushroom spawn as well as a large compost bin and steam machine. When you have got all these ingredients you are ready to begin.

1. You need to begin by mixing the gypsum and manure.

2. You then need to put this base to the bottom of your compost bin and leave it in sunlight for 2 or 3 weeks to get decomposed completely. Once this has happened the bin needs to be covered to allow the compost to get heated and all the organic materials to become decomposed.

3. The steam machine needs to be used indoors this allows the compost to pasteurize. The sterilized rooms with the ventilation has to be used for allowing the steam to blow inside the room till such time the room gets heated to an approximate of 1600.

4. After it is pasteurized it should be placed on trays and the mushroom spawn added and mixed.

5. Finally add the peat and moss and control the humidity and room temperature. The full growth of mushrooms should be expected within 30 days.

A quality mushroom can be grown with the help of horse manure. This can be bought from shops or for fresh manure add 20% of wet straw and leave it outside. After some hours, the heaps centre will become hot. The process has to be repeated and it has to be kept moist. Once it has finally become rotten the centre will no longer be hot.

Tags: compost, Gardening, mushroom compost
Posted in Composting · January 16th, 2010 · Comments (0)