Realistically, how much worm poop does one of these worm bin systems generate say, on a weekly basis?
I have been looking at worm bins like this one and understand that there are many less expensive ones out there, I am just showing this as an example. :
http://www.gardeners.com/Worm-Chalet/Composting_WormBins,35-977,default,cp.html
Also, my little kitchen pail fills up quickly with egg shells, veggie/fruit peelings, coffee grounds, etc. Can I dump this daily into one of those trays?
Thanks
Realistically - how much ?
The amount of worm poop you will harvest is a factor of how many worms you have, how much you feed them, and ambient temperature. Depending on the volume of your kitchen pail, you may be able to empty the contents into a section of the worm bedding on one tray, then into another section of the same tray the next day etc until it's time to add another tray.
Thanks, I should start with a large number of worms then. By the time I get going the ambient temp will be fine. Then the trick will be keeping them cool enough through the summer.
Hoew long does it take to produce one tray of castings if the conditions are right?
Depending on our ratio of worms to food to bedding, they may show through a tray in 4-6 weeks or take longer. There are so many variables. Perhaps others will post their worms "chow time".
A figure that gets quoted a lot is that a pound of worms eats half a pound of kitchen waste a day. That's probably a good place to start, but there are a whole lot of "it depends" factors.
Hmmm how many lbs of worms will these little worm bin setup hold? My whole idea was to get rid of the compost bin for my kitchen wastes but it sounds like I will need several worm bins or continue to keep my compost bin. We eat a lot of veggies and fruits and generate a lot of waste. I don't mind waiting 4 to 6 weeks for the first tray of castings but I would hate to have to wait that long for each tray.
I'll probably get a bin anyway any worm castings are better than none) but it doesn't sound like the answer to my prayers.
Your volume of kitchen and yard scraps may be too high for the smaller multitray worm systems. If so, you may want to consider building a larger worm bin or converting your existing compost bin to a the worm composting bin. The only way you'll really know if the regular worm bins will work for your volume of scraps is to try it.
I think I will toy with one of the smaller systems just to check it out. I am spending a fortune buying worm castings right now. The only reason I wouldn't start with a larger system is that it gets too hot here in the summer and it is hard to keep the worms alive. I can move a small set up to my sadly undersized garage where it might be a bit cooler.
In a larger bin, the worms can tolerate warmer air temperature. Just like they do in the ground, they can move away from the surfaces, into the interior, where the temperature is more constant. But once again, it depends for how big/how much warmer.
However, fire ants are a huge problem if they get in. The smaller setups are a little easier to fortify against the ants.
Interesting and that makes sense about the size; a larger bin would have more mass and stay cooler. However, the last thing I would want to do is attract the evil fire ants. I've done the "fire ant two step" too often.
ardesia, I keep my worm bin in a shady, sheltered corner next to the house---although we don't have your humidity, we routinely hit 105 in the summer, and my wigglies do fine. I have the Can O Worms, and we probably take about 3 gallons of worm sludge out of a tray every 2 months...ish.
Thanks Ima, that is a good figure for me to use in my estimations.
Funny about your weather; it would be very unusual for us out on the sea islands to get temps over a hundred, jigh 90's are normally the hottest, but our nights never cool off.
Isn't Gilroy the garlic capital? Wjile it cam be done, it is generally too humid It to grow garlic successfully here.
Yep, we are the home of the world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival!
Having spent some time on the East coast, I have to tell you I don't miss the humidity. It's almost as dry here as where I grew up in Denver, and that's fine with me!~~
LOL, no matter how many gallons of water we drink, our skin dries and flakes off when we visit the southwest. What really amazed me was how fast my hair dries after a shampoo; around here it takes forever and I can truly wash and wear out there. Yep, I think I could get used to no humidity very easily.