You Can Change Your Mind with Worm Bins Plus Pre-Compost as Long Term Food
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- Hello!
One of the many great things about worm wrangling is that you can get into a bin with a plan in mind and then change what you’re doing based on what you see! Maybe the castings are more ready to sift than you thought, maybe a bigger bin refresh is needed. You can even go back into a bin a few days later and do something new! Worms are very forgiving and flexible!
Here’s the link to the first video where I set up the fruit cake feeding:
Christmas in July for the Worm Bin!
• Christmas in July for ...
If you are interested in starting or expanding your red wiggler worms please check out my website at:
rockinworms.com/products
Yours in the dirt,
Jayne
Hi Jayne and Cameraman, another good video. I think it's part of the enjoyment of being a worm wrangler, mixing it up, doing things different, experimenting and generally not being too stuck in one direction. Have fun, Mark : )
@@madhat127 Hey Mark! I agree! There’s many ways to get to the same end - healthy worms, great castings, reduced items to the landfill. Same old, same old gets a little boring 😂. Thanks for watching Mark! 💕🪱
Your worms are looking good, Jane. Very healthy. 🇳🇿🪱
Thank you! Pre-compost is the secret sauce 😂🪱
Yay, more videos from Jayne in the dirt! Hello, Cameraman! I have also been trying pre-composting now, learning from you, but the heat doesn't seem to build up. I'm thinking it's probably not enough nitrogen (not much coffee grounds yet). Perhaps more cow manure might help? (I bought this from Home Depot, but I'm not sure if it's safe from dewormers, etc.)
@@Soil4Soul Hey Cassie! You’re sweet 🥰.
Yes, lower nitrogen will make for a slower cooler composting process. It’ll still work, just take much longer. Since most of us want our bedding now (😍) having the carbon to nitrogen ratio approach 54/45 will accelerate the breakdown process. Cow manure, grass clippings or inexpensive baking yeast from the store (I activate it first) can help boost nitrogen cheaply and get the heat up.
Black Cow manure from the store - I’m not sure how much of it is manure. I’ve heard lots of reports of rocks and sticks and dirt vs manure 🤷♂️. I’d sift it at a minimum before adding it in. 🪱
Ha ha, changing my mind implies I had a plan in the first place! Seriously, though, that's a good reminder, Jane. Do you think you may get a mite surge with that fruit cake?
~ Sandra
@@NanasWorms haha! You’ve got a point there! But really it’s almost better to not have a set plan and rather let the bin and the worms tell us what they need 🤩😎
I might get a mite explosion. It’s definitely something g I wouldn’t be surprised about. On the other hand I’m down to just one bin that still has a noticeable mite population. And this wasn’t that bin. We shall see! 🪱🪱
I love your videos, Jayne! I always get so much out of them 🙏
Gurudas
@@selfpeace9539 Thanks Gurudas! I appreciate that ❤️. I’m almost caught up with the bin resets and I hope (once again I know 🙄) to set up the experiment you and I talked about this weekend while I get orders ready for Monday shipping. 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms Sounds good! Thank you 🙏
Love it auntie Jayne…. I always find I go into my bins open minded now, as when I was expecting a set thing and it wasn’t I would panic- possibly the autism… but now I go in and say, so how are we today? Do you need food? Are you ok and happy?
I do physically talk to them as makes me calmer lol
But I find this way I’m not pre expecting anything. So if I’ve had an issue and got a bit off die off- ahh ok I upset ya, or if they they happy and ready for more food I know I’m doing right.
I’m hoping to move a lot of the teenage bins- 6 I think I have , into a larger container and work it like a wedge. I’m just waiting for the worms to get a bit more bigger and that then put them in together, don’t want to find they don’t get enough each etc.
@@cherylhowker1792 Hi Cheryl! You summed up what I was trying to say perfectly! Thank you!
It’s good to have a general idea of what you’re expecting in a bin but don’t get too attached to it - the worms may have different ideas ! 😂. And it’s also ok to do something, think about it, and then go back in and do something different after all. Worms are fantastically willing to go with the flow, bless their 5 hearts! 💕 🪱🪱
I think out loud. Aka talk to myself. If the worms happen to be there or other people, so be it. If talking to worms or plants or the big blue sky makes someone happy I’m there for them 👍❤️.
It sounds like you’re doing great at growing and managing your clew - good job! 🪱🪱
Hi Jayne, another really informative video from you and the cameraman, thank you so much. I have a question: how long do you think finished pre compost will last before going into use? I'm starting a new batch tomorrow but I'm not sure how big a batch to make. By the way, I caught the rat that has been eating my worms. I caught him in a live trap and drove a few miles into the country and released him...or her. I now feel guilty about breaking up a family, but it had to happen. Hopefully he was a loner and his extended family don't show up looking for him.😉
@@funnysods Hi Bill! Pre-compost lasts and lasts until
You’re ready to use it. I used to have batches for 4-5 months - I go thru it a bit quicker nowadays 😝. All you have to do not keep it barely moist (throw some liquid on the top once in a while) and have some bare amount of air be able to get in (aka NOT a sealed plastic container). It literally gets better with time. Be warned however - the better the pre-compost is the faster your worms will eat it! 🤣🤩😍🪱
Good job on catching the rat! I try not to feel too guilty - they have a whole wide world - I only ask them to stay out of my little piece of it 😎.
@@RockinWorms thanks Jayne, I've made about 15 gallons of pre compost this morning, should last me ages. Also caught another rat so I took it to the same place and released it. I think they'll soon give up now their food source has gone.
@@funnysods You’re going to love having the more-compost ready for you whenever you need it. And with the larger amount it’ll heat up and break down even better 👍. I made about 40 gallons 2 days ago. I need to make another batch this weekend! It’ll be nice to get a lot of jugs of liquid out of my garage fridge 🤗.
Good job on the additional rat. Don’t let your guard down for a while in case there’s youngsters still around. 🪱
@@RockinWorms One thing I noticed while making the pre compost was the coffee grounds. They were still in the silver bags from Starbucks and they were absolutely covered in biota. I've had them in the garage for a few months and they've improved with age.
As for the rats, I'm pretty sure the ones I've caught are youngsters, certainly not huge horrible things like the ones I've seen on telly. I'll definitely be on my guard though. no freebies for rats anymore.😲
@@funnysods I love getting the coffee grounds already a bit moldy! Or they get moldy while they’re waiting to be used. Free biota! Also a great inoculant for the pre-compost bin start up 👍🪱. Fingers crossed the rats are a problem of the past!!
Does this mean you are no longer mixing the cow manure into your bedding? Also.. with the prepared bedding recipe you make (not pre-compost), do you do 50/50 with the cow manure too or just put 100% prepared bedding?
Hi again! I am still using sifted cow manure in my bedding. I was out of the basic bedding mix at the moment I was working in this bin 🙄😂. I go thru it very fast even when I make 15 gallons of it at a time.
I’m actually testing a new method of making the basic bedding right now! It’s only been 2 days so too soon to tell how it’s working (or not!).
Yes I go about 50/50 of ore-compost and sifted cow manure. It’s totally a rough measurement. It stretches out both of these materials as I have to spend time making each component. I rarely have equal amounts ready to go simultaneously so proportions will vary.
I have gone 100% on pre-compost on bins. I have never gone 100% on the cow manure. If I was going to do that I’d probably just put in a dry cow plop! But I’m not quite ready to have that in my living room! 😂🪱
@@RockinWormsthank you for your explanation! I was just thrown off because I know the basic bedding had manure in it and then you were saying you were adding straight pre-compost in the videos.. and it made me think.. hmmm.. are we not doing the basic bedding anymore?
Also.. I was asking if you added manure to the instant bedding you made in your other video that was basically made of paper shreds and worm tea/ worm castings. I just started with my own worms and my first pre-compost was too hot... So I made the instant bedding (paper shreds plus wet worm castings / tea). Since this quick bedding was supposed to be in place of the pre-compost, I wonder if I should have added manure to it. I hope this makes sense. Sorry . I am probably overthinking it. Thanks for your quick response.
@@ericaboss1835 I didn’t add manure to the prepared bedding mix (your instant bedding 🤩) as the idea was to give worm wranglers that have access to paper and castings an option that moved the bedding forward with what they have on hand. I assume that most people don’t have access to manures on a regular and:or free basis or simply don’t want that in their homes 😊. You certainly can add manure in but then you’re much more moving into pre-compost territory with increased heating possible and that would make it less ‘instant’.
Pre-compost definitely needs to cool down and that can take a little bit of time. How hot was yours?
For those pre-composting outside (like I am on the patio) remember that after it cools down it will still be at ambient temperature. For me that’s the mid 90Fs right now which is still right at the upper limit for the worms. I have to bring the pre-compost inside and give it a few hours to reduce to the mid 80Fs before adding to worm bins.
We do need to think about what we’re doing but we don’t need to needlessly over complicate the process 😊. We can add lots of ingredients to pre-compost - and that’s fine! - but at the same time 3 simple ingredients does do the job (carbon/cardboard, nitrogen/coffee grounds, and moisture/veggie slurry). 👍😊🪱
Got it. Thank you for clarifying.
@@RockinWormssorry.. forgot to add. Pre-compost is just shy of 100 today.
Also.. I buy 1cft bags of weed free and fine screen bags of cow manure for only a few bucks. Doesn't smell (to me at least) 🙂.
Good morning Jane. I have a problem with the vegetables. I freeze the food. The I take them out of freezer and clear out a long spot and put the food in it. Then covered it. Sometimes it gets really hot. So I check the feedings 2 days later. This is where it is really hot then sometimes no heat. Help please an thank you 😊
@@user-lc1po1tq9e Hi Sue! Well that can be frustrating - and potentially dangerous to your worms 😱. Let’s try to figure this out. The heating up is the food actively decomposing at a fast rate. This is usually due to a high level of nitrogen mixed in with carbon and moisture. Do you see that the foods that heat up tend to be the same or similar? And the ones that don’t are also the same? Bananas, lettuce, beets are all higher in nitrogen and can lead to heat up in a food zone once they thaw.
Also what are you using for bedding especially where you’re placing the food?
I trust that the food trench you’re setting up gives the worms plenty of space to keep away until it cools down…?
I actually had bedding heat up on me last week in 2 breeder bin resets 😱😩. First time this has happened in a loooong time. Since the bedding is the entire bin (!!) I had to repull the worms and place them into a different new bin 😊. I had either used the pre-compost before it had sufficiently cooled down and/or the cow manure wasn’t aged enough 🙄. It happens. That’s what you’re smart to circle back and check bin status when there’s a major change like a big feeding or a large refresh of bedding.
Anyway, back to the heating of your bins. What are your thoughts on the food types and bedding used as the trouble makers? 🪱
Your worms are looking good, Jane. Very healthy. 🇳🇿🪱
@@dnawormcastings Hi! Thanks! The ones that are from the overheated troughs are much better now that they’re out of the bedding that came with them when rescued. Thankfully!! 🪱