My twin daughters is enthralled by your videos and we started growing worms for our fishing ventures this past Friday...you are succinct, to the point, and easily understood. I also like the tidbits of science that your throw in, such as the calcium carbonate for buffering of the soil to maintain pH. THANKS!
I hand wash all my egg shells then put them in my oven at 180 degrees until dried then grind in my food processor. Thanks for your video as I learnt from it a few months ago. Thanks for sharing..
3/11/22 - Hi Josh! I am in the learning phase and I just bought my first tote for a worm bed. I have watched so many different videos, I began to get confused. So many folks worry about drainage, so I came back to see your set-up. I LOVE your methods of moisture control. I had been putting my wet coffee grounds into a sealed tupperware until I found your tutorials. Now I know better, thank you! Moisture control is what I want for my own beds (which, as you teach, I will set up the bed a couple of weeks before I order the worms.) Now I want to see your video on the stackable bed - I am so curious. Thank you so much!
Great video! I recently made the huge mistake of adding in larger chunks of eggshells thinking the worms would eat & break them down, but since learned the sharp edges can actually hurt them. I spent hours re-doing their bedding & will never make the same mistake. Thank you for sharing your method for grounding eggshells. Just ordered a coffee grinder!
I like the micro sterilization idea. I bought a old blender in a junk store for $2 and use it to grind my egg shells into fine particles. I add some coffee grounds or peat moss with the shells before grinding. I use the mix in the worm bins and around plants.
Thanks, Josh! Really enjoying your informative videos. I appreciate your attention to details and the thoroughness of your approach to everything you introduce to us. Excellent.
Great tips. I have been using eggshells in my 4 bins for about 3 years now. Another thing that happens with the egg shells that don't get processed by the worms, it adds calcium to your soil when you spread the casting into your gardens. Blessings.
I only use to use the shells from boiled eggs. Then I began to boil the shells I didn't make boiled eggs from. Making it into powder makes logical sense which is why there were so many egg shells in my worm farm bedding (commented below). Thanks for the tips.
Feldy66 thank u so much! I'm glad u like them. I am hoping to have a new video up ever 3 to 4 weeks. That's my buddy Astro he follows me around everywhere. Haha
My youngest daughter & I hand crush using a mortar & pestle. Yeah, more work to get there but I love the old ways for grinding seasonings/other foods, tho I do have choppers too.
@Robinette Family Farm So you made a for a worm food recipe 4 years ago and said you preferred oyster shell over egg shell because of a cleaning process. Does the 1-3 minutes in the microwave replace that process? Do you still prefer oyster shells? Me and my buddy built me a outdoor flow through composter out of an old garbage can some 2x4 and weedeater cord. 18 inches deep and then got some free tounge and grove board helping a guy haul a bunch of lumber he got for free from a storage facility. So we upgraded it and boxed in the frame with tounge and grove planks. And I rubbed em with foodgarde mineral oil and food grade beeswax to trap in the oil to help em last some (the worms have 0 contact with the boards I did that to. I started the bedding and will order worms on the first. (Took notes on extra food scraps to keep the temperature up for them I'm in Idaho it's still getting cold at night! Really enjoying watching and learning from your videos!
can i mix the egg shell with other worm chow? i mix it with wheat flour, corn flour, coffee, oats and gypsum. And I keep it in one can. So is it good ?
@@IAmNoeyes I was going to do that but realized I have a small coffee grinder and use that which is MUCH BETTER (and faster) thank a morter and pistel. :-)
I rinsed dried and put the eggshells in worm bin without pasterizing. It's been a couple days. I did grind it, and so removing the small eggshell pieces is difficult. I had left the egg shells in a bag in a fridge for a week until my worms arrived. Do you have a suggestion on what to do to avoid bad bacteria to grow? The amount of crushed egg shells is equivalent to 2 eggs. Thanks!
L D it should be ok to put rinsed and dried eggshells in your bin without pasteurizing them. If it is an established bin their will be enough good bacteria to outcompete the bad.
Tre Outdoors I would say at least twice a year. The worms process the bedding as well as the food waste. They don't want to set in there casting that is why they constantly move upward into the new food and bedding.
Hi nice beneficial video. Should I consider amount of egg shells? so is there any risk to harm worms or quality of worm casting if use high amount of shell ? Thanks
Oğuzhan Çeşmeci you should not have to worry about using to many egg shells. Obviously you don't want the worms in nothing but shells but just stay away from extremes which works well for most things dealing with the environment for the worms. If it looks like to many shell it probably is. As far as ph goes the shells break down slowly so adding several at one time shouldn't effect the ph in the bed to much.
Love your videos! Learning a ton! I am a Leader for a Junior Master Gardener 4H club - all first time participants. I have 3rd - 7th grades & 50/50 boys/girls. I took the kids on a tour of a worm farm here in Lower Alabama (Zone 8). We got worms for our 4'x4' raised bed. I saved some out so we can start a worm farm. I got 16 gal, grey bins from Lowes. I have about 4" of coco coir in the bottom for bedding. I put the worms in & let them acclimate. I just made up your dry worm chow mix but didn't have egg shells in it. Do I need to add that to my mix or add as I feed? I do have finely ground oyster shells in my mix. Any pointers for my 4H kids? They each (well at least all the boys & Dads) want to make a worm farm to keep at their house. I currently have my worm bin outside but plan to move it to my kitchen (gulp) so it stays cool enough. I worried about them escaping. Pointers? Sorry for the novel. All guidance is greatly appreciated. This is completely new to me. Thanks!!
Tami Ziglar if you included oyster shells in your worm chow mix u will not have to add egg shells into the beds as u feed as long as u are giving them worm chow with each feeding. I use my worm chow more as a transportation for the egg shells/oyster shells instead of a main food. I mostly give food scrapes. As far as escaping goes keep plenty of dry material on top and don't cover the bins with a lid. The moister trapped on the walls of the bin when it has a lid will make the worms want to crawl up them sometimes. Pointers. A few would be don't over feed it is better to under feed them over feed. Keep the bedding damp but not soggy and keep them close to room temperature if not a little higher. A live bedding like aged horse manure is very beneficial if u have access to it. Keep it simple. U don't need fancy bins and everything to worm compost. A plastic tote is perfect for small scale. If u give them moister food and bedding they will thrive. I hope I addressed all of your questions. Feel free to ask as much as u want and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. Good luck! It is awesome u are teaching the kids to garden by the way. 😃 I think we need more of that in our schools and communities.
Tami Ziglar if u already added half a cup oyster shells I wouldn't add egg shells. You can use all egg shells all oyster shells or a mix of the two but the total needs to be the 1/2 cup ratio still if that makes sense.
My twin daughters is enthralled by your videos and we started growing worms for our fishing ventures this past Friday...you are succinct, to the point, and easily understood. I also like the tidbits of science that your throw in, such as the calcium carbonate for buffering of the soil to maintain pH. THANKS!
I hand wash all my egg shells then put them in my oven at 180 degrees until dried then grind in my food processor. Thanks for your video as I learnt from it a few months ago. Thanks for sharing..
3/11/22 - Hi Josh! I am in the learning phase and I just bought my first tote for a worm bed. I have watched so many different videos, I began to get confused. So many folks worry about drainage, so I came back to see your set-up. I LOVE your methods of moisture control. I had been putting my wet coffee grounds into a sealed tupperware until I found your tutorials. Now I know better, thank you! Moisture control is what I want for my own beds (which, as you teach, I will set up the bed a couple of weeks before I order the worms.) Now I want to see your video on the stackable bed - I am so curious. Thank you so much!
Great video! I recently made the huge mistake of adding in larger chunks of eggshells thinking the worms would eat & break them down, but since learned the sharp edges can actually hurt them. I spent hours re-doing their bedding & will never make the same mistake. Thank you for sharing your method for grounding eggshells. Just ordered a coffee grinder!
I like the micro sterilization idea. I bought a old blender in a junk store for $2 and use it to grind my egg shells into fine particles. I add some coffee grounds or peat moss with the shells before grinding. I use the mix in the worm bins and around plants.
Thanks, Josh! Really enjoying your informative videos. I appreciate your attention to details and the thoroughness of your approach to everything you introduce to us. Excellent.
Good videos sir very informative and it sounds like we probably live fairly close to one another
Great info bud. I will be working my way through your vids as they seem really well put together and full of great tips. Greetings from Lithuania.
Good video! Looks like a nice simple way to handle it and the end product is super easy to use. 👍
Great tips. I have been using eggshells in my 4 bins for about 3 years now. Another thing that happens with the egg shells that don't get processed by the worms, it adds calcium to your soil when you spread the casting into your gardens.
Blessings.
Geez, 3 years? I feel like you'd have more than 4 bins by now :D
You are a gift my friend. Thank you so much for your amazing content.
I only use to use the shells from boiled eggs. Then I began to boil the shells I didn't make boiled eggs from. Making it into powder makes logical sense which is why there were so many egg shells in my worm farm bedding (commented below). Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for your vids, just started up my first wormery, excellent info, keep them coming, love your dog too.
Feldy66 thank u so much! I'm glad u like them. I am hoping to have a new video up ever 3 to 4 weeks. That's my buddy Astro he follows me around everywhere. Haha
My youngest daughter & I hand crush using a mortar & pestle. Yeah, more work to get there but I love the old ways for grinding seasonings/other foods, tho I do have choppers too.
Excellent information!
@Robinette Family Farm So you made a for a worm food recipe 4 years ago and said you preferred oyster shell over egg shell because of a cleaning process. Does the 1-3 minutes in the microwave replace that process? Do you still prefer oyster shells?
Me and my buddy built me a outdoor flow through composter out of an old garbage can some 2x4 and weedeater cord. 18 inches deep and then got some free tounge and grove board helping a guy haul a bunch of lumber he got for free from a storage facility. So we upgraded it and boxed in the frame with tounge and grove planks. And I rubbed em with foodgarde mineral oil and food grade beeswax to trap in the oil to help em last some (the worms have 0 contact with the boards I did that to. I started the bedding and will order worms on the first. (Took notes on extra food scraps to keep the temperature up for them I'm in Idaho it's still getting cold at night!
Really enjoying watching and learning from your videos!
can i mix the egg shell with other worm chow? i mix it with wheat flour, corn flour, coffee, oats and gypsum. And I keep it in one can. So is it good ?
What about sun drying/ sterilization?
So before crushing the egg shells you don’t wash out the left over goo inside the shells?
If I bake the egg shells what temperature do I set oven?
Hii can i wash my eggshells in tap water and heat up a pan. Toss the shells in till they brown and crisp?
How long do you heat them in the microwave?
Sorry. 1 to 2 minutes. Love your video’s, please keep them coming.
Great video, I'm going to start using your process. How often do you apply egg shells to your worm bin?
he said: a tablespoon with every feed time
i have a 5 gallon bucket of shells right now i need to get ground up. i need a good blender
Once dry use a motor and pistel.
@@IAmNoeyes I was going to do that but realized I have a small coffee grinder and use that which is MUCH BETTER (and faster) thank a morter and pistel. :-)
I rinsed dried and put the eggshells in worm bin without pasterizing. It's been a couple days. I did grind it, and so removing the small eggshell pieces is difficult. I had left the egg shells in a bag in a fridge for a week until my worms arrived. Do you have a suggestion on what to do to avoid bad bacteria to grow? The amount of crushed egg shells is equivalent to 2 eggs. Thanks!
L D it should be ok to put rinsed and dried eggshells in your bin without pasteurizing them. If it is an established bin their will be enough good bacteria to outcompete the bad.
If I was raising and breeding worms just for worms & not the castings would I still have to change the dirt & bedding. If so how often ?
Tre Outdoors I would say at least twice a year. The worms process the bedding as well as the food waste. They don't want to set in there casting that is why they constantly move upward into the new food and bedding.
Can I use white eggshells from the store, or should I use organic eggshells?
Any
Hi nice beneficial video. Should I consider amount of egg shells? so is there any risk to harm worms or quality of worm casting if use high amount of shell ? Thanks
Oğuzhan Çeşmeci you should not have to worry about using to many egg shells. Obviously you don't want the worms in nothing but shells but just stay away from extremes which works well for most things dealing with the environment for the worms. If it looks like to many shell it probably is. As far as ph goes the shells break down slowly so adding several at one time shouldn't effect the ph in the bed to much.
Can you use food grade diatomaceous earth powder instead of egg shells
That isn’t calcium though is it?
I was told that freezing your egg shells would kill the salmonella and bacteria. Do you think that’s accurate? Great video by the way!
My queen ant has just laid eggs. 🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜👑👸🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜😀😀😀😀
Rinse and 20 seconds in the microwave is much faster. Never had a problem.
Love your videos! Learning a ton! I am a Leader for a Junior Master Gardener 4H club - all first time participants. I have 3rd - 7th grades & 50/50 boys/girls. I took the kids on a tour of a worm farm here in Lower Alabama (Zone 8). We got worms for our 4'x4' raised bed. I saved some out so we can start a worm farm. I got 16 gal, grey bins from Lowes. I have about 4" of coco coir in the bottom for bedding. I put the worms in & let them acclimate. I just made up your dry worm chow mix but didn't have egg shells in it. Do I need to add that to my mix or add as I feed? I do have finely ground oyster shells in my mix. Any pointers for my 4H kids? They each (well at least all the boys & Dads) want to make a worm farm to keep at their house. I currently have my worm bin outside but plan to move it to my kitchen (gulp) so it stays cool enough. I worried about them escaping. Pointers? Sorry for the novel. All guidance is greatly appreciated. This is completely new to me. Thanks!!
Tami Ziglar if you included oyster shells in your worm chow mix u will not have to add egg shells into the beds as u feed as long as u are giving them worm chow with each feeding. I use my worm chow more as a transportation for the egg shells/oyster shells instead of a main food. I mostly give food scrapes. As far as escaping goes keep plenty of dry material on top and don't cover the bins with a lid. The moister trapped on the walls of the bin when it has a lid will make the worms want to crawl up them sometimes. Pointers. A few would be don't over feed it is better to under feed them over feed. Keep the bedding damp but not soggy and keep them close to room temperature if not a little higher. A live bedding like aged horse manure is very beneficial if u have access to it. Keep it simple. U don't need fancy bins and everything to worm compost. A plastic tote is perfect for small scale. If u give them moister food and bedding they will thrive. I hope I addressed all of your questions. Feel free to ask as much as u want and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. Good luck! It is awesome u are teaching the kids to garden by the way. 😃 I think we need more of that in our schools and communities.
If you put the oyster shells in your dry worm chow do you also add the egg shells to your dry worm chow?
Tami Ziglar I use them interchangeably. I will either put oyster shells or egg shells or a mixture of both. The ratio stays the same though.
DownToTheRoots Wow! Crazy quick response! Thanks! So even though I already mixed using 1/2 cup oyster shells I could add 1/2 egg shells as well?
Tami Ziglar if u already added half a cup oyster shells I wouldn't add egg shells. You can use all egg shells all oyster shells or a mix of the two but the total needs to be the 1/2 cup ratio still if that makes sense.
DownToTheRoots Sweet!! Thanks!! Really appreciate all the guidance!
Your welcome! 😃
Put them in the freezer to store them. Leaving them on top the fridge will attract insects.
I toast mine in a dry cast iron untill golden
I washed my egg shell to remove the egg white
Then I cooked them in my air fryer for 20 minutes.