Hi, I am thinking about build a wormery in my garden.
Have some questions.
Q.1
Is now the right season to start with?
I am a bit worried about the temperature in the summer.
Besides, Wormcity now only have black wormery, which make the temperature a big concern.
Q.2
How long it takes the wormery to be ready for the waste?
I can imaging it takes sometime to let these little guy to set down.
Q.3
From the pic on the web, there is a lid on the top, which prevent the rain goes in the wormery.
Does this mean we need to watering the wormery regularity to keep moisture?
Q.4
What's the tap on the bottom for?
I can't fig out where water comes from.
Q.5
When one tray is full, do we need to put extra bedding (Coir Block) into another tray before put it on?
As I don't feel it right to put the waste direct into the tray.
Q.6
How do I know the compost is ready?
I know it's a lot of questions, but I really need know everything before start doing it.
Thanks!
Willing to build my own wormery
Re: Willing to build my own wormery
Hi zack
Q 1. There is never a bad time to start a wormery off. Worms will be very happy up to 26c, and will live and feed above this temperature. That said in the summer you should provide some shade, try to site your worm bin on a north facing wall this will be perfect in hot weather.
Q 2. Your worms should start eating your waste food in about two weeks but won't be at full capacity for three or four months.
Q 3. In hot weather you may need to mist with water occasionally. But the moisture comes, mainly, from the fruit and vegetables as they are broken down.
Q 4. The tap is there to remove the excess liquid which come from the above process. This liquid (leachate) can be used as a valuable liquid plant feed, just dilute one part to ten parts water and water it on with a watering can. It may take months for leachate to start to flow it depends on what you feed, how wet the bedding is to start with and how drying the location they are sited in is.
Q 5. When you fill one tray you put damp bedding in another tray then put it on top of the first. You do not have to use coir. You can use shredded paper, shredded corrugated cardboard, leave mould, some saw dust (but about 20% no more and avoid pine saw dust even at this level). Many people use a mix of these ingredients. What ever you use try to mix some of the compost from your first tray with it to encourage the worms to move up into the new tray.
Q 6. You will know when it's ready. It will have a nice dark colour, there will be no sign of food stuff or bedding but trust your nose it will have a rich earthy smell like you get in a wood after summer rain.
Q 1. There is never a bad time to start a wormery off. Worms will be very happy up to 26c, and will live and feed above this temperature. That said in the summer you should provide some shade, try to site your worm bin on a north facing wall this will be perfect in hot weather.
Q 2. Your worms should start eating your waste food in about two weeks but won't be at full capacity for three or four months.
Q 3. In hot weather you may need to mist with water occasionally. But the moisture comes, mainly, from the fruit and vegetables as they are broken down.
Q 4. The tap is there to remove the excess liquid which come from the above process. This liquid (leachate) can be used as a valuable liquid plant feed, just dilute one part to ten parts water and water it on with a watering can. It may take months for leachate to start to flow it depends on what you feed, how wet the bedding is to start with and how drying the location they are sited in is.
Q 5. When you fill one tray you put damp bedding in another tray then put it on top of the first. You do not have to use coir. You can use shredded paper, shredded corrugated cardboard, leave mould, some saw dust (but about 20% no more and avoid pine saw dust even at this level). Many people use a mix of these ingredients. What ever you use try to mix some of the compost from your first tray with it to encourage the worms to move up into the new tray.
Q 6. You will know when it's ready. It will have a nice dark colour, there will be no sign of food stuff or bedding but trust your nose it will have a rich earthy smell like you get in a wood after summer rain.