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.
October 16th, 2009
Via a pointer from Dan Matsch, I looked at some of the work that Clive Edwards has done. One paper, “The Effectiveness of Vermiculture in Human Pathogen Reduction for USEPA Biosolids Stabilization” (pdf) is interesting. The researchers basically piled human feces (dewatered biosolids between 15 and 20 percent solids) into two windrows. They then innoculated both windrows with a variety of pathogen indicators, and one with a significant number of E. Fetida worms.
The results? After 144 hours (12 days), the windrow with the worms had significantly less pathogens than the one without:
The test indicated that all of the pathogen indicators in the test row were decreased more than in the control row within 144 hours. The test row samples showed a 6.4-log reduction in fecal coliforms compared with the control row, which only had a 1.6-log reduction. The test row samples showed an 8.6-log reduction in Salmonella spp., while the control row had a 4.9-log reduction. The test row samples showed a 4.6-log reduction in enteric viruses while the control only had a 1.8-log reduction. The test row samples had a 1.9-log reduction in helminth ova while the control row only had a 0.6-log reduction.
Interesting stuff. It would be hard to do this outside of a commercial facility, since the biosolids were not 100 percent feces, you’d need a large number of worms, and to let the worms work undisturbed for two weeks. But it certainly is interesting that rewdorms are responsible (in some manner!) for such a large amount of pathogen reduction. (I’ve worried about pathogens in worm bins before.)
This also reminds me of a chapter from the Solviva book, where the author discusses various composting toilets (including a flush toilet), and her successes with using earthworms there.
March 27th, 2009
Via the Redstone Review, I found out there is a vermiculture class happening soon in Lyons, Colorado.
The Worm Man’s class will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday March 28 at Barnette at the Farmette, 4121 Ute Hwy., just east of ReRuns. The cost is $10 per person.
John Anderson (Colorado’s rock star of vermiculture) is coming to town in his “wormbulance” to show us how to use worms to build soil, create compost, and shrink your trash.
…
Please RSVP with Betsy Burton at betsy@GreenHeartInstitute.org, or call 303-823-5839.
More information at the original article.
March 19th, 2009
Updated: Here’s the website announcement of this workshop.
Transition Boulder County is having a vermiculture workshop next week. From emails (I couldn’t find an announcment on the web):
- Cost: $25 (includes worms)
- Where: 4500 19th Street in the Boulder Meadows Community Room.
- When: Nov 13th, 7-9 pm.
- RSVP: Call 303-494-1521, or email alice@transitionbouldercounty.org.
Full Description:
Winter is coming and your hot compost pile will soon be slowing down. Hit the ground running by participating in this hands-on workshop, building your own worm bin from scratch. Learn the many benefits of indoor composting with worms.
At the end of the evening, you will have everything you need (including a supply of worms) to begin composting your kitchen scraps and turning them into rich, loamy amendment for your spring garden and potted plants.
Please register early, as class size is limited! Registration $25. Call 303-494-1521, or email alice@transitionbouldercounty.org.
November 8th, 2008
Check out this article about worms, found at old mining sites, that eat heavy metals such as zinc and iron:
“These worms seem to be able to tolerate incredibly high concentrations of heavy metals, and the metals seem to be driving their evolution,” said lead researcher Mark Hodson of the University of Reading in England.
Via the_worm_bin.
October 17th, 2008
