have you added worms?

Has any one tried a worm tower to add composting worms to their bale?

???? worm Tower!! Please , this sounds very interesting! I am all ears!

http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/video/video/show?id=2008067:Video:9395

I'm going for it. Ordered my compost worms and picked up my supplies yesterday.

This is just tooooo easy!! Thanks a bunch! Hmmmmmmm, I wonder if old plastic storage bins with lids would work too! gonna get started today!

Good Luck to me!

close up of a tower

How fun is that!! Now to just get out and DO it!!lol.

Well, the worms are in there. A few more weeks before its planting time here.

We were talking about this on the daylily forum and someone brought up the possibility of possums, raccoons, and other critters getting into the pipe. A rod through the middle with a well secured bungee cord was suggested as a possible solution.

Oh I was just discussing adding worms to someone today...

Erm. I'm sure Miss Manners would disapprove...

LOL!!

I think it was turpentine and sugar my mother used to make me take to get RID of worms...

Doug

3 straight days of eating nothing but pumpkin and grape juice. A lifetime dislike of pumpkin pie...At least the turpentine wouldn't come back to haunt you every Thanksgiving!!

2nd chance, I lost the sound on my computer. Can you tell me what you did without maybe boring the rest of the people on here? LOL

Thanks, Jeanette

Jeanette, first of all right click on the speaker icon in your system tray on the lower right and open the Audio Properties screen to make sure nothing is muted. If so uncheck it (mainly your Volume Control slider) If that doesn't help D-mail me and I'll try to help you fix it. I've been building/repairing PC's since 1992 as a hobby.

Doug

Hi Doug,

Thanks for your help, but it is not connected in the tower. I had just had to fix some stuff in there and then I discovered it wasn't connected. I haven't taken it all apart again. Jeanette

Doug,
Why on earth would your mother want to get rid of worms?

Dovey, INTESTINAL worms when I was a kid!!

*LOL*
OK, I missed the Intestinal part in your post. Too funny

So, Eufaula and 2nd Chance, how are the worms doing?

The ones you are working on, not Dougs. LOL

Jeanette

{{{Let's not ask Doug about his, dear}}}


ok, sorry, I couldn't resist...90% lurker and incipient strawbaler I haven't the right, but...

Ill have to pass on this ... I never got around to the worm tower! NOT yet , that is!! I will when ever i get a good free moment!
I wonder... should I just wait on the little wigglies to come on their own or should I get to diggin' around and get some from another site and add them to the tower when I get it built?? I definitely want worms that will live here, not some imported fishing night crawler from Africa or some other other non-indiginous that will die right off the bat.
Any one with a good source for Georgia "Red-Neck"n worms???That work for Food!!
LOL!!!

Eufaula, find someone with a pile of horse manure. It is loaded with worms.

Doug

Eufula you cannot use earthworms! they eat dirt and live in soil you must buy the red wigglers. Mine have disappeared into the bales. I just keep the bale moist.

To my knowledge (and I'm sure others will agree) earthworms do not "eat" dirt. They eat the microorganisms and organic matter in the soil converting it to very rich worm castings which will help your soil tremendously. From Wikipedia: Biological. In many soils, earthworms play a major role in converting large pieces of organic matter (e.g. dead leaves) into rich humus, and thus improving soil fertility. This is achieved by the worm's actions of pulling down below any organic matter deposited on the dried dirt, such as leaf fall or manure, either for food or when it needs to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the worm will shred the leaf and partially digest it, then mingle it with the earth by saturating it with intestinal secretions. Worm casts (see below) can contain 40% more humus than the top 9" of soil in which the worm is living.

Doug

Doug, what's this "see below" stuff?

2nd chance, how do you know they are in your bales? And, just what is it we want these "red wigglers" to do?

Jeanette

Sorry Jeanette, I just copied and pasted from Wikipedia.

When I stuck my trowel down in the holes I saw a few. I get my info from the experts: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/wrigglers/all/


This message was edited Apr 6, 2009 6:05 PM

The worms are helping your bales decompose. Exactly what you want.

Doug

This message was edited Apr 6, 2009 9:14 PM

Exactly what I was hoping for!

I still want to know about the turpentine.. You didn't have to drink it right???

I think I'd rather eat the worms.....

Ginger

Yes I did. If I remember correctly (it was over 40 years ago!) it was a teaspoon of suger and turpentine. Apparently an old home remedy for ?tapeworms?. If you did that today they'd have you locked up for child abuse!

Doug

From Wikipedia:
Medicinal elixir
Turpentine and petroleum distillates such as coal oil and kerosene have been used medicinally since ancient times, as topical and sometimes internal home remedies. Topically it has been used for abrasions and wounds, as a treatment for lice, and when mixed with animal fat it has been used as a chest rub, or inhaler for nasal and throat ailments. Many modern chest rubs, such as the Vicks variety, still contain turpentine in their formulations.

Though internal administration of these toxic products is no longer common today, it was once administered by masking the taste by dosing sugar cubes, molasses, or honey, or when unavailable, straight. It was touted as treatment for intestinal parasites due to its alleged antiseptic and diuretic properties, and a general cure-all.


Doug (still alive after all these wormless years!)

Oh Le Vache (Holy Cow)

and in English.....Ewwwww...Ickkkkk...

and now....back to our regularly scheduled worm discussion....

I have a lot of donkey poop ...better go check it for worms to throw on my bales.

Ginger

Doug, you could read tons of those things, including many poisen plants that they used back before they knew any better. They being a lot of Indian tribes, many people in different countries including our own. That didn't make it right. That doesn't mean that if they had not given them one speck more, that those patients would not be here today. That doesn't mean that many people didn't get that dose who are not with us today.

Jeanette

You mean like all the drugs they advertise on TV now with a list of side effects as long as my arm....We've become a chemical dependent society, for health, food and gardening!

Doug

We don't have to use them.

Jeanette

I agree, and I refrain from all as much as possible.

Doug

Doug and 2nd chance, how are the wormy bales growing? Did you kick start your bales with nitrogen this year? Or did you just use the worms? Do the worm bales produce better than the control bales without the worms?