Boulder Vermicomposting

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Add comment October 31st, 2009

Myco-vermicomposting article

The Mad Bioneer, over in Arizona, has a fascinating post on combining vermicomposting with mycoculture, or the raising of mushrooms.  I’ve raised mushrooms briefly, but only for food, not for composting purposes.  It looks liek worms and mushrooms complement each other, at least when your primary material is wood chips.  The mushrooms can break down the wood chips, and the worms can eat what’s broken down, as well as the mycelium (mushroom ‘roots’).

He also shares lessons.  He talks about what you can expect in terms of mushroom production:

The worms will reduce the number of mushrooms you get from the wood chips by at least half. I don’t think they can really get into the log to steal from there. They eat the mycelium, weakening the mycelium and reducing its ability to produce mushrooms. So if you are doing it for mushroom production, have more of a two-bin system. Let the mushrooms grow alone on the wood chips first, then let the worms have a crack at it to finish it off. If you try the worms first and then the mycelium, the worms get a lovely snack and you get no mushrooms at all. I tried inoculating a worm bin with some mushroom spawn that I didn’t really have plans for. I came back a few days later to see if it had taken off and it was completely gone. The worms had eaten it.

Watch out for those red wigglers!  They eat everything.

And also about what he thinks the soil nutrition content is for the broken down wood chips (not too balanced):

Lately some of my plants in the compost have been kind of pathetic looking. I think it might be due to the nutrient content of the soil. After all, it was made from pure wood chips. I haven’t had a chance to test the soil, but my guess is that it is a little low in nitrogen at least and possibly potassium and phosphorus. I would recommend the addition of a good organic rock-based fertilizer regularly with the various layers of organic matter that you add. The rock-based fertilizer, such as greensand for potassium and rock phosphate for phosphorus, will have more staying power in the soil than the quick-fix type fertilizers. I don’t know of a rock-based source of nitrogen, so I use blood meal. They will also be good for the mushrooms that you get in there, as they are used to breaking down rock for minerals. A little sand or pea gravel in the layers might also be good to help out the soil structure. Of course, ignore this if you are composting in one place and using the compost elsewhere.

This makes sense.  The redworms can turn nutrients into different, more accessible forms, but, as I mention in my post about sending my worm castings to a soil lab, the chemical contents of your bin depend on what you put into it.   Earthworms aren’t alchemists!

Regardless, this sounds like an adventure in composting.  Definitely read the whole article.  I also enjoyed one of his other articles about mycorrhizal fungus.

Add comment October 26th, 2009

Upcoming composting workshop with John Anderson on Nov 7

From the Broomfield Enterprise:

John “The Worm Man” Anderson, an expert in the art of vermicomposting, will present a workshop on the basics of using worms to compost kitchen and yard waste from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Lakeshore Room of the Broomfield Community Center at 280 Lamar St. Cost: $10. Sponsored by Broomfield master gardeners. Registration required: 720-887-2286.

Here’s all their upcoming events.

Add comment October 19th, 2009

Vermicomposting on Wikipedia

I strongly encourage you to visit the Wikipedia page on vermicomposting.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.  Isn’t that cool?  So much information packed into one page.

One of the things I love about worm keeping is that it is such a hands on experience.  Are you curious if worms like cabbage?  How about carrot tops?  Rotten apples?  The answer is try it, if you have the room in your bin.  This culture of experimentation is prevalent everywhere I look in the worming community.

However, a lot of the knowledge people have is locked up, in mailing lists and on the web.  And, if a newcomer looks for advice on the web, they can find all kinds of crazy conflicting advice (yes, I realize I’m adding to the madness).

This is where Wikipedia comes in.  It can serve as a jumping off point, with references to other blogs and papers.  The Wikipedia article is already the top result for ‘vermicomposting’ on google.  But the best part is that you can edit the article yourself.  Notice an incorrect fact?  See a typo?  Found an article that explains an aspect of worm keeping?  Have a great picture of your bin?  Add it to the article, and keep pushing the knowledge of worm keeping forward.

Note, please be aware that you shouldn’t put links to your own blog posts on Wikipedia; it’s bad form to do so.  I did this, until someone else removed them.  And that brings up another point–editors and writers on Wikipedia can be a bit brusque, so be prepared with a thick skin.  Here’s the Wikipedia manual of style to get your editing started on the correct path.

Add comment October 16th, 2009

Available on the Kindle

Now, you can read Boulder Vermicompsting on your Kindle.  Please let me know if you do, as I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences.

Add comment October 8th, 2009

Worm Bin Components: The container

The container of a worm bin, especially a home worm bin, fulfills a couple of needs.

• keeps worms in a habitat that they enjoy: humid and dark
• keeps worms and other bin inhabitants in
• pleasing to the eye
• durable
• cheap
• light, so you can move it if you need to

I’ve used the following containers for worm bins:

• compost bin
• rubbermaid box
• wooden box

Each of these has benefits and drawbacks.

The compost bin is what I currently use.  It is very durable, looks alright, and provides a great environment for the worms.  They especially like the fact that they can get into the ground–giving worms more control over their environment leads to happier worms.  However, the compost bin is not mobile at all.  If I had moles or some other pest, it would not do a great job of preventing that pest from invading the bin (though I did put some chicken wire underneath the bin).  This bin was also about $50, and I got a special deal through the county of Boulder.  So, not all that cheap.

The rubbermaid bin is cheap, durable, and light.  My major issue with it is that I need a lot of rubbermaid bins to process all of my materials.  I’ve read of people stacking bins 4 and 5 high, so if you want some concentrated worm power, this may be a container to use.  Melanie, a longtime vermicomposter, uses a “10 gallon rubbermaid tote”.  And here’s a great pdf from the Boulder Compost Company about making your own worm bin.

The wood box I build was fun.  You can build just the size of worm bin you want (mine was 2ftx2ft), and make it look anyway you want.  If you make it out of scraps, you can’t get cheaper.  However, wood is heavier than plastic and definitely not as durable.  The humidity that red wigglers like causes wood to break down.  I used my bin for a year or two and saw some wear and tear, though it did not fall apart.  I have read that wood bins should be rested every few years to maximize their longevity.

In short, you’re looking for a container that will fit well with your needs.  Just getting into worming?  Consider a cheap plastic tote.  Have a lot of worms–think about a bigger container.  Just keep the criteria at the top of this post in mind, and you’ll do fine.

Add comment October 6th, 2009