The Gentleman Vermiculturist

Common knowledge says that there are certain foods you should not feed to a worm farm. By searching around, we know that bread, meat products, onions, pineapple and other things are really bad for our squirms. Or are they? Worms have been eating organic material for a few years now, so it’s reasonable to say that they can probably eat all the things that we shouldn’t put in. However, the experiment is massively interesting to see played out. There’s a group of people on Facebook called Experimental Worm Fun . Their credo is: We have all heard you can and can’t or should and shouldn’t, as it applies to worm composting. One of our goals is to put those supposed limits to the test. Another of our goals is to share the testing and the results with anyone. One of the members has been experimenting with feeding onions to her worm bin. Lilia has been trying to safely compost the onions with worms. The Experimental Onion Bin Lilia is not only running the experiment, but she’s...

This is the big question that keeps coming up in forums, on Reddit and various Facebook groups.  What do I do with the run-off from my worm bin?  Isn't that the Worm Tea that we've all heard so much about?  Do worms actually wee?  Many people believe that the runoff is the worm tea that we've all heard about. This is incorrect and can be dangerous! To start with, worms have neither kidneys or a bladder, so it's not worm pee. The runoff in the reservoir is moisture that has collected and drained through the worm bin. Leachate is the result of the decomposition of the organic waste that's fed to your worms. It may contain phytotoxins (that can harm plants AND humans) and are created by bacteria that aid the decomposition process. This waste liquid is being released from the cell structure of the organic waste as it decomposes. Don't worry!  Every worm bin has a mix of good and bad microbes and as long as the good outnumber the bad, everything is okay. ...

I have started to expand on this, making another worm compost sifter from a couple of bicycle wheel rims and some rudimentary carpentry skills. *** COMING SOON ***

WHAT IS VERMICULTURE? Worms have been around for a really, really, really long time. There is a belief that they have stunted evolution as they have attained evolutionary perfection for the task that they perform. They help to improve water and airflow into the soil and break down organic matter in the ground. Behind them, they leave a trail of superfood that plants can use to grow. Their poop is commonly referred to as worm castings and is a very valuable type of fertilizer. Vermiculture or vermicomposting is the use of worms to create compost. The worms will consume any organic matter in their way, including decomposing vegetable or food waste and bedding materials. The end result is then known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure. I think poop works fine. Although, as a gentleman vermiculturist, worm castings are more acceptable. The worm castings contain water-soluble nutrients and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. Vermicomposting ...