Hello all
Been reading up on foods on the web..ideas etc and am finding posts etc saying that that potato skins and potatoes are not good for my worms.
I was given a bag of potatoes that were sprouting and starting to go green a bit. Can the experts please tell me if I can feed this to them. at the moment I mince all the food up prior to feeding them.
Pete
Potatoes
RE: Potatoes
Hi pete, I'm no expert just a member like you, but here is my two pennies worth. Yes you can feed your worms potatoes. However they are slow to brake down to the form that the worms can use (this is the case with most "root vegetables" ) without some help from the worms little helper (you). Your grinder will help a lot but becareful because grinding or foodprocessing will result in a very wet feed, for this reason mix some shredded corrigated cardboard with the ground up potatoes just before feeding. I find the best way with potatoes is to boil them up skin, shoots the lot, then mash and feed. Like many other food items feed in moderation, a mixed varied diet leads to healthy worms.
It is beginning to sound like you really do have the worm bug, welcome to the club lol
Willy
It is beginning to sound like you really do have the worm bug, welcome to the club lol
Willy
RE: Potatoes
hi Willy.. and thank you for your two pennies worth lol at the moment I couldn't make a farthings worth of advise so I do appreciate yours. and I will try boiling the spuds and adding a bit of cardboard to it prior to feeding.
Today I have just brought out a few of the egg size food I froze, as you suggested. I'd also like to ask you something else if I may.
I believe its too early for the second tray (6 weeks) but as i look at the trays they have stops on them which will give a 50 mm gap between trays.
my first tray ( with its bedding and a good 50 mm of cardboard) it is 70 mm bellow the top of the tray and If i put a tray on top of the first one I have a gap of around of 5 mm ie its not resting on the stops, and as the tray grows in depth this gap will get bigger so wont the worms escape via this route when I do add the second tray?
I'm unsure at what stage I should be considering adding the second tray and the resulting gap i will have when I do.
Trying to keep one step ahead
Pete
Today I have just brought out a few of the egg size food I froze, as you suggested. I'd also like to ask you something else if I may.
I believe its too early for the second tray (6 weeks) but as i look at the trays they have stops on them which will give a 50 mm gap between trays.
my first tray ( with its bedding and a good 50 mm of cardboard) it is 70 mm bellow the top of the tray and If i put a tray on top of the first one I have a gap of around of 5 mm ie its not resting on the stops, and as the tray grows in depth this gap will get bigger so wont the worms escape via this route when I do add the second tray?
I'm unsure at what stage I should be considering adding the second tray and the resulting gap i will have when I do.
Trying to keep one step ahead
Pete
RE: Potatoes
Hi Pete, I may have got you wrong, if I have please let me know and I will try again.
Is the 5mm gap you refer to the gap which is around the sides of the trays where one goes inside the other? This gap is vital for providing oxygen to the system. Worms will rarely leave a mature well set-up bin which meets their living and feeding requirements, unless something goes badly wrong like over heating, flood or anorobic (without oxygen) conditions are feared. So there is little fear of the worms leaving via that route.
The trays are intended to drop down as the food stuff and bedding is converted into castings (compost) as the trays drop the gap around the trays will get smaller, but there will always be a gap or you will never get the trays apart. The bedding material, which to the worms is all food, will quickly be broken down and the trays will settle. The stops prevent the castings getting compacted too much, lift your tray and try to imagine five times that weight, one on top of the other compressing the bottom castings.
If you have had your worms in place for six weeks then you will be thinking of adding the next tray at any time now.
You are really doing well and are clearly enjoying your worms and learning about them.
If I answered the wrong question please let me know.
Willy
Is the 5mm gap you refer to the gap which is around the sides of the trays where one goes inside the other? This gap is vital for providing oxygen to the system. Worms will rarely leave a mature well set-up bin which meets their living and feeding requirements, unless something goes badly wrong like over heating, flood or anorobic (without oxygen) conditions are feared. So there is little fear of the worms leaving via that route.
The trays are intended to drop down as the food stuff and bedding is converted into castings (compost) as the trays drop the gap around the trays will get smaller, but there will always be a gap or you will never get the trays apart. The bedding material, which to the worms is all food, will quickly be broken down and the trays will settle. The stops prevent the castings getting compacted too much, lift your tray and try to imagine five times that weight, one on top of the other compressing the bottom castings.
If you have had your worms in place for six weeks then you will be thinking of adding the next tray at any time now.
You are really doing well and are clearly enjoying your worms and learning about them.
If I answered the wrong question please let me know.
Willy
RE: Potatoes
The gap round the edges has to be there - else the trays wouldn't sink inside one another
Ronnie
Ronnie
RE: Potatoes
Thank you both for your replies it helps me tremendously.
yes willy you interpreted my remarks correctly. I now understand what to expect and the need for the gap. Ive had a sheet of damp news paper on the top but have removed this just didn't think it was necessary as I keep my worms in the garage. Ive stopped feeding today as there is slight amounts of food left so I think ill leave them for a couple of days to clear up. Thanks for your help I don't want to be a pain I just want to get it right.
By the way the powdered peanut shells disappeared.
Pete
Till the next time lol
yes willy you interpreted my remarks correctly. I now understand what to expect and the need for the gap. Ive had a sheet of damp news paper on the top but have removed this just didn't think it was necessary as I keep my worms in the garage. Ive stopped feeding today as there is slight amounts of food left so I think ill leave them for a couple of days to clear up. Thanks for your help I don't want to be a pain I just want to get it right.
By the way the powdered peanut shells disappeared.
Pete
Till the next time lol
RE: Potatoes
There is no pain in helping you Pete. Just ask if we can help we will.
Re: Potatoes
With taties peelings and the like, if I'm adding them to my wormeries I slice them up with a sharp knife before I add them. I have quite a few ordinary compost daleks that get most of my taties peeling scraps though.