Can you use earth worms for compost?
Also, please tell me some tips on composting ether way.
Worms? Plain ol' ordinary earth worms? You bet your booties! There is only one finer nutrient source and is bat guano, and I'm not so sure about that.
If you are composting kitchen waste in addition to garden waste, then worms are a must as kitchen waste simply does not break down fast enough without them. Most of the time the compost pile/bin will attract worms, but whenever I find one in a spot, I toss it into the compost.
Composting is one of those things that can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. I have an enclosed binn(made by Rubbermaid about 15 years ago) that kitchen waste goes in, and then just a simple plastic trash barrel with the bottom cut off (or not), some air holes, a lid, and thats how fancy I get with clippings, weeds, dry matter, and the like.
I also plant my tomatoes around a compost ring, and I am able to get twice the number of tomatoes and twice the weight in half the space. With a compost ring I just take a ring of chicken wire and make a circle. In the middle of the circle I bury a large 3-liter soda bottle with holes punched all over it, and inside that a length of pvc pipe. I plant the tomatoes around the outside of the ring, on their sides so that their root ball is close to the bottle, but outside the wire. I water through the pvc pipe/soda bottle and I use the inside of the ring as a compost ring, throwing in garden waste, clippings, weeds — layers of dry and wet. As the tomatoes grow, I string them with nylon pantyhose to the chicken wire. The watering through the bottle and the compost ring keeps the roots evenly moist, prevents surface moisture dehydration, and is a constant supply of nutrients. Towards the end of the season, the chicken wire ring makes it a snap to toss a protective covering over on those frosty nights. It doesn't get any simpler or lazier than that to produce enviable tomatoes!
Good luck. Decide how fancy you want to get, then go from there.
ADDED: You can attract even more worms by laying down a few old boards in out of the way and cool, damp spots. The worms will gravitate to the board (as will slugs) which makes them easy pickings for transplanting into the ground-based compost pile, and the castings easy scrapings for putting directly into potted plants.
If you live in an area where composting is encouraged, you may be able to purchase a composter at a reduced cost through the municipality.
At any rate, if you are serious about composting, you can purchase a composter at a lot of buildin supply or related retailers. With the composter comes a manual explaining how the process operates. Earthworms are helpful in the process and can be added to the mix and there are other 'starter' kits to get things going. In my composter, I discovered earthworms at the top of the pile when I lifted the lid one day. This is a sign they have worked their way up from the bottom and I would assume are now throughout the waste inside the bin.
Different bins and different locales may recommend different methods.
However the definite no-no to composting is putting animal product leftovers or waste into the conainer — vegetable matter, only!
Good luck.
References :
Yes, and they will give the well known earth worm castings which is an excellent soil additive. You can use a barrel or the best thing is to build a small square out of blocks. Have the back of the wall the height you want and then the two side walls starting at the same height gradually going down with each block. Make sure you stir the compost pile periodically. You can buy stuff at garden shops the will better the decompisition process.
References :
Earthworms, torn newspapers, grass clippings, dead leaves, most food products (no meats or greasy foods – they don't break down very fast and can attract animals)…
I'm not sure where you live, but here are some links to some wet-weather composting, dry-weather composting and easy composting…
Good luck and good for you for giving composting a try!
References :
http://www.ehow.com/how_4846507_wetweather-compost.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4846348_dryweather-compost.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4846543_easiest-compost-ever.html
Worms? Plain ol' ordinary earth worms? You bet your booties! There is only one finer nutrient source and is bat guano, and I'm not so sure about that.
If you are composting kitchen waste in addition to garden waste, then worms are a must as kitchen waste simply does not break down fast enough without them. Most of the time the compost pile/bin will attract worms, but whenever I find one in a spot, I toss it into the compost.
Composting is one of those things that can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. I have an enclosed binn(made by Rubbermaid about 15 years ago) that kitchen waste goes in, and then just a simple plastic trash barrel with the bottom cut off (or not), some air holes, a lid, and thats how fancy I get with clippings, weeds, dry matter, and the like.
I also plant my tomatoes around a compost ring, and I am able to get twice the number of tomatoes and twice the weight in half the space. With a compost ring I just take a ring of chicken wire and make a circle. In the middle of the circle I bury a large 3-liter soda bottle with holes punched all over it, and inside that a length of pvc pipe. I plant the tomatoes around the outside of the ring, on their sides so that their root ball is close to the bottle, but outside the wire. I water through the pvc pipe/soda bottle and I use the inside of the ring as a compost ring, throwing in garden waste, clippings, weeds — layers of dry and wet. As the tomatoes grow, I string them with nylon pantyhose to the chicken wire. The watering through the bottle and the compost ring keeps the roots evenly moist, prevents surface moisture dehydration, and is a constant supply of nutrients. Towards the end of the season, the chicken wire ring makes it a snap to toss a protective covering over on those frosty nights. It doesn't get any simpler or lazier than that to produce enviable tomatoes!
Good luck. Decide how fancy you want to get, then go from there.
ADDED: You can attract even more worms by laying down a few old boards in out of the way and cool, damp spots. The worms will gravitate to the board (as will slugs) which makes them easy pickings for transplanting into the ground-based compost pile, and the castings easy scrapings for putting directly into potted plants.
References :
Look up "vermiculture". It's a special method of raising worms to make worm castings.
For regular compost, you just build a pile and the worms will show up on their own – they'll stay out of the pile when it's too hot for them and move back into it when it's cooled enough.
References :
you can't make compost from worms. compost is plant material that has broken down due to bacterial action. worms can't use fresh or undigested material .there are various factors that come together to produce compost.oxygen binds up with carbon and other elements and release them to the atmosphere.bacteria and fungi eat the material and leave a broken down waste,then the worms can feast but a long process has taken place .they are a contributing factor but never alone.
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