Comments on: Vermicomposting: Born Again Worm Bin http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/ Hacking Everyday Life. Exchanging Notes on Survival. Compost, Vermicompost, Biofuels, SVO, Green, Solar, Electric Vehicle, DIY, Gardening Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:30:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Cropwiki webmaster http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-101679 Cropwiki webmaster Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:04 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-101679 Thanks for the information on your blog about vermiculture. I'm writing an article on crop wiki about vermiculture. If you have some information to contribute, please add it <a href="http://www.cropwiki.com/wiki/Worm_composting" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Thanks, and keep up the good work. Thanks for the information on your blog about vermiculture. I’m writing an article on crop wiki about vermiculture. If you have some information to contribute, please add it here.

Thanks, and keep up the good work.

]]> By: jay http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-98420 jay Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:12:16 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-98420 It's not crazy to compost with your family. Seems like it'd even be a good way to teach kids how things work. you can start with a small compost bin just to see how it works. It’s not crazy to compost with your family.
Seems like it’d even be a good way to teach kids how things work.
you can start with a small compost bin just to see how it works.

]]> By: Sandra http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-97684 Sandra Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:58:15 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-97684 I want to vermicompost. Do you think it's too crazy to try to do this with toddler and one on the way though? My husband will probably shoot the idea down. I'm sure my one year old would have a great time though. He'll catch the escape wigglers for sure. I want to vermicompost. Do you think it’s too crazy to try to do this with toddler and one on the way though? My husband will probably shoot the idea down. I’m sure my one year old would have a great time though. He’ll catch the escape wigglers for sure.

]]> By: jay http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-72061 jay Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:59:31 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-72061 Hey sarah...that's awesome. I think little kids would love to see worms eat their scraps. We have a vermicomposting mailing list if you want to join the community: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vermicomposting Hey sarah…that’s awesome. I think little kids would love to see worms eat their scraps. We have a vermicomposting mailing list if you want to join the community: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vermicomposting

]]> By: sarah g http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-72031 sarah g Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:25:59 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-72031 i watched this with my 4-yr old daughter, and we are so excited! we have read lots and lots, but seeing others' worms has been too helpful! thanks! i watched this with my 4-yr old daughter, and we are so excited! we have read lots and lots, but seeing others’ worms has been too helpful! thanks!

]]> By: Apartment Composting 101: Vermicompost with Barb Finnin at Ryan Is Hungry http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-49690 Apartment Composting 101: Vermicompost with Barb Finnin at Ryan Is Hungry Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:51:47 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-49690 [...] modified this original design to a shallower, more airy worm bin. Check out our new design here, Born Again Worm Bin. Cheers! Good [...] […] modified this original design to a shallower, more airy worm bin. Check out our new design here, Born Again Worm Bin. Cheers! Good […]

]]> By: Vermicompost: Our Worm Bin Rocks! | PodTech.net: Technology and Entertainment Video Network http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-44569 Vermicompost: Our Worm Bin Rocks! | PodTech.net: Technology and Entertainment Video Network Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:42:54 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-44569 [...] you might remember, we made a new worm bin after our original bin failed. This new one is doing great! The drainage holes in the bottom have [...] […] you might remember, we made a new worm bin after our original bin failed. This new one is doing great! The drainage holes in the bottom have […]

]]> By: Vermicompost: Our Worm Bin Rocks! at Ryan Is Hungry http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-44238 Vermicompost: Our Worm Bin Rocks! at Ryan Is Hungry Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:04:46 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-44238 [...] you might remember, we made a new worm bin after our original bin failed. This new one is doing great! The drainage holes in the bottom have [...] […] you might remember, we made a new worm bin after our original bin failed. This new one is doing great! The drainage holes in the bottom have […]

]]> By: jay http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34190 jay Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:14:06 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34190 Yeah, we learned to not overfeed the worms and not putting in too much liquid. You have to work your way to having enough worms to handle all your daily food waste. Yeah, we learned to not overfeed the worms and not putting in too much liquid. You have to work your way to having enough worms to handle all your daily food waste.

]]> By: ryanne http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34187 ryanne Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:09:26 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34187 thanks for everyone's advice and stories! our worms are doing surprisingly well in the new bin. i think the secret has been to feed them only once a week and blend the food in the blender, it makes it easier for them to eat right away. video update soon! thanks for everyone’s advice and stories! our worms are doing surprisingly well in the new bin. i think the secret has been to feed them only once a week and blend the food in the blender, it makes it easier for them to eat right away. video update soon!

]]> By: Annie http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34135 Annie Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:19:39 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-34135 My worms passed away this summer too. :( It was a combination of crazy, fluctuating moisture levels (the heat waves we had made it hard to maintain humidty) and an ant attack. Most depressing. Good luck with the new bin. It looks like a good size to me! My worms passed away this summer too. :( It was a combination of crazy, fluctuating moisture levels (the heat waves we had made it hard to maintain humidty) and an ant attack. Most depressing.

Good luck with the new bin. It looks like a good size to me!

]]> By: Milkwood Nick http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-33284 Milkwood Nick Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:56:14 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-33284 Yay for you. I love worms. We had to give our worms to a friend, because we have just moved to a very remote block of land to start a farm from nothing :) We are nearly ready to start a new worm farm. A few tip that might help your worms stay healthy; make sure you don't feed them too much, wait until they have eaten EVERYTHING before you feed them again don't feed them anything acidic or very spicy make sure you wet all the newspaper before you put it in, otherwise the worms can get stuck to it I have never found any problems with giving my worms newspaper. I try and avoid paper with coloured inks, but I find they do best if i give them lots of newspaper to eat. Make sure that tray is watertight, otherwise you will have a big mess in a few days. Keep up the great posts Yay for you. I love worms. We had to give our worms to a friend, because we have just moved to a very remote block of land to start a farm from nothing :) We are nearly ready to start a new worm farm.

A few tip that might help your worms stay healthy;
make sure you don’t feed them too much, wait until they have eaten EVERYTHING before you feed them again
don’t feed them anything acidic or very spicy
make sure you wet all the newspaper before you put it in, otherwise the worms can get stuck to it

I have never found any problems with giving my worms newspaper. I try and avoid paper with coloured inks, but I find they do best if i give them lots of newspaper to eat.

Make sure that tray is watertight, otherwise you will have a big mess in a few days.

Keep up the great posts

]]> By: Melanie Swan http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31348 Melanie Swan Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:04:10 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31348 Yea! new worms! go composting :-) Nice tip re: blending outgoing food waste Yea! new worms! go composting :-) Nice tip re: blending outgoing food waste

]]> By: John Leeke http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31347 John Leeke Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:45:02 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31347 Oh, yeah, pet worms--cool. Our vet says she doesn't work on worms. Just as well, the vet bills would probably throw the economics of vermiculture way out of whack. John Oh, yeah, pet worms–cool. Our vet says she doesn’t work on worms. Just as well, the vet bills would probably throw the economics of vermiculture way out of whack.

John

]]> By: jay http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31346 jay Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:31:41 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31346 agreed. it's best to compost outside IF you have an outside. When we first started our worm bin, we lived in an apartment surrounded by concrete. Now that we have a yard, we still have a worm bin to make sure we can pull it off. agreed. it’s best to compost outside IF you have an outside. When we first started our worm bin, we lived in an apartment surrounded by concrete. Now that we have a yard, we still have a worm bin to make sure we can pull it off.

]]> By: John Leeke http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31345 John Leeke Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:24:25 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-31345 My secret: the worms stay where they belong, out in the garden. How it works: I sneak out there late in the evening and bury my banana peel with a 3" inch gardener's trowel. Advantages: --> saves on worm funeral service expenses (in the wild worms bury their own, or do they eat them? (I don't want to know.)) --> no petrochemical plastic bins (with high carbon footprint, footprints in garden soil OK) --> no initial purchase (they were already there, or they arrived by spontaneous generation, they can tell me which, they say their ventral nerve cord does not allow for philosophical thought, only locomotion & digestion) --> no vermicular husbandry required (the wiggly critters simply take care of themselves) --> gets me out and about (don't want to get stuck indoors, and I suspect worms don't either) --> feces automatically feed the the peas (saves dramatically on manure spreading equipment) --> no escapee worms in the kitchen (I hate when get out via those vent holes and wander about aimlessly along the edge of the kitchen floor until dessicated, then get mix up with the Chow Mein Noodles.) Disadvantages: --> wear and tear on my LLBean moccasins (the left one already has a hole in the sole) --> requires brace & bit when ground is frozen (after all, we live in Maine) --> can't tell if they are keeping busy under there doing their composting duties (or if they are just goofing around) Bottom line: food waste + worms = peas (for disputable proof see the video here: http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/frontporch/front.htm#Peas) My secret: the worms stay where they belong, out in the garden.

How it works:

I sneak out there late in the evening and bury my banana peel with a 3″ inch gardener’s trowel.

Advantages:

–> saves on worm funeral service expenses (in the wild worms bury their own, or do they eat them? (I don’t want to know.))

–> no petrochemical plastic bins (with high carbon footprint, footprints in garden soil OK)

–> no initial purchase (they were already there, or they arrived by spontaneous generation, they can tell me which, they say their ventral nerve cord does not allow for philosophical thought, only locomotion & digestion)

–> no vermicular husbandry required (the wiggly critters simply take care of themselves)

–> gets me out and about (don’t want to get stuck indoors, and I suspect worms don’t either)

–> feces automatically feed the the peas (saves dramatically on manure spreading equipment)

–> no escapee worms in the kitchen (I hate when get out via those vent holes and wander about aimlessly along the edge of the kitchen floor until dessicated, then get mix up with the Chow Mein Noodles.)

Disadvantages:

–> wear and tear on my LLBean moccasins (the left one already has a hole in the sole)

–> requires brace & bit when ground is frozen (after all, we live in Maine)

–> can’t tell if they are keeping busy under there doing their composting duties (or if they are just goofing around)

Bottom line:

food waste + worms = peas (for disputable proof see the video here:
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/frontporch/front.htm#Peas)

]]> By: xxx http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-30558 xxx Sat, 15 Sep 2007 23:30:56 +0000 http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/#comment-30558 I guess, it is the hazardous ink of the newspaper, that kills the worms. In germany, we use much recycled paper as toilet paper. Since I'am studying water economy and soil management, I know that this harms the biological part of sewege treatment plants. The ink is not made to be recycled. It's a creadle to grave product with a second downcycled lifetime. Especialy yellow ink is hazardous. What I wanna say, is that our recycling is not good. Its just making a bad system more efficient. And people think, they are good to the environmen, when they recycle. Thats called "percepion management", and helps to keep the eyes off the real things. What we need is big steps. Maybe one environmental magazine could get an ink producer to produce "environmental ink". But that is big buissiness, and it's not easy to make them do expensive and uneconomical things just for the environment. If they would be under pressure by environmentalists, it would be economical for them, because they could print "we are doing something for the environment" on their flag. This is what Braungart and McDonough do, for example with Ford. Why don't you just use a normal compost? :-) Your Blog is great! xxx I guess, it is the hazardous ink of the newspaper, that kills the worms.
In germany, we use much recycled paper as toilet paper. Since I’am studying water economy and soil management, I know that this harms the biological part of sewege treatment plants.
The ink is not made to be recycled. It’s a creadle to grave product with a second downcycled lifetime.
Especialy yellow ink is hazardous.

What I wanna say, is that our recycling is not good. Its just making a bad system more efficient. And people think, they are good to the environmen, when they recycle. Thats called “percepion management”, and helps to keep the eyes off the real things.

What we need is big steps. Maybe one environmental magazine could get an ink producer to produce “environmental ink”.

But that is big buissiness, and it’s not easy to make them do expensive and uneconomical things just for the environment.
If they would be under pressure by environmentalists, it would be economical for them, because they could print “we are doing something for the environment” on their flag.

This is what Braungart and McDonough do, for example with Ford.

Why don’t you just use a normal compost? :-)

Your Blog is great!

xxx

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