Using Worm Castings

I have seen various uses for 'worm castings' over the past several years in this forum and various methods for collecting these 'castings'. I have usually referred to the material I use as 'spent media', which is basically a composite of some well composted peat moss, some fresh peat moss, along with some uneaten veggies which I add to my bins in the form of an emulsion. I don't know if it is possible to collect a hundred percent pure castings as such and the worm castings I have seen sold commercially is no different than what I call 'spent worm media'. But you would think the stuff is gold based on the prices retailers charge for this stuff.

Anyway, I was thinking about all the ways I use my spent media and I came up with quite a list of uses starting with seed germination (100% spent media); in potting mixes; worm tea; and so forth. The latest experiment was to place a one pound coffee can of media with worms in each hole I dug for tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. I cannot scientifically determine if I am correct, however I feel certain this has made a difference in the way water is quickly absorbed by these plants, i.e., the soil is better aerated by worm activity in each of these holes. I don't think the worms will migrate from these holes because my soil is very clayish. The holes themselves were filled with a mixture of top soil and well composted cow manure. The red wigglers I have in my two outdoor bins filled with aged cow manure seem to do quite well and I figured they would do the same, at least temporarily, in these garden holes. The real test comes in the fall when I rototill the garden. We shall see how many worms are still viable in these holes.

I am curious if there are any other unusual uses for this material which others have tried. I am always looking for new things to try with my worms cultures.

morgan..u are ever my inspiration!!!
my castings go into my teas for watering..everything..at least now..
i save back castings in fall/winter for early spring potting up my tropical plants..
which sure seem to appreciate the addition to their pots..
btw how has your growing season been up there?
all my true gardening friends have had a challenging yr..
one who plants nearly 1000 ..yea.. thousand.. tomato plants every yr
along with peppers,pumpkins,onions,squash...... is just getting
a few bushels of tomatoes a week.. she usually is havesting TONS...
she sells at farmers markets..gives to homeless center..
just wondered how u have fared this summer???

Bad season for tomatoes so far Dave but I have learned a good lesson. The only tomatoes I am getting are from plants which were potted up to 2.5 gallon pots from the 3.5 inch peat pots. Although transplanted late to the garden the 2.5 gallon potted plants are producing well. The peat pot plants which I thought would be more vigorous at ten inches were planted in my cages, and the tomatoes are still green. I can salvage most of the caged tomatoes by placing covers over the cages if they don't ripen before the frosts come. Potatoes, apples and raspberries were the best crops so far. Corn iffy and beans are just now starting. Onions still small but I am using them in my fish chowder along with last year’s frozen corn and this year’s potatoes.

I have about twenty hot peppers but very few peppers. I potted them up in 2.5 gallons plastic pots using an indoor mix which is mostly inorganic and the results so far have been less than promising. However....I got this brain storm and decided to top off the pots with an all organic mix with some fertilizer added. I bonzied the plants and within a couple of days they have gone from dormancy to looking like they will take off and start producing. What I now have is an indoor/outdoor hot pepper plant which can be moved inside once the weather cools and back outside later next season. They are located in two sunken raised beds which can be covered to extend this season, and I am preparing to move as many as possible to my two indoor plant stands. I am even considering moving my 8’ x 12’ inside my 30’ x 40’ shed and making it an indoor heated hoop house with florescent lighting for growing plants in the winter months.

I must confess that I did not complete my experiment with the tea making which I had set out to do this season. I only needed to find a larger aerator pump to set it up and I just never got around to it. This hot pepper project may be just the ticket to getting me going. Once the pepper plants are brought indoors those little green aphids seem to appear out of nowhere. I did come up with an alternative method to fighting those buggers though. I placed some diatomaceous earth in the upper layer of the organic material added to the pots. The addition of vermiculture tea however may be another good alternative to the aphid problem. All other methods of aphid control I have tried in the past didn’t work.

I appreciate your response here Dave. It gives me an opportunity to vent and think about what ideas I might come up with for the fall and winter.