On Wed, 09 May 2007 17:18:43 GMT, "fox66"
wrote:

Hi

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a wormery. I am either going
to buy one or better still make one. Instructions on how to make one would
be great.

I have two in use, both made from plastic barrels ( spice barrels, no
less ) bought from the local tip for a couple of quid a pop.
An old water butt will suffice, but as these tend to be rather thin
walled you might find it beneficial to wrap some insulation around the
outside. Bubble wrap will do.

You need a ring of holes around the top of the barrel for ventilation,
and a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage. It helps to place
the bin on a stand so that you can collect the drainage - diluted it
makes an excellent foliar feed.

You need worms - and these are brandling worms. You can buy these - or
you can grab a sheet of cardboard, find a bare patch in the garden and
sprinkle it with vegetable waste then place the cardboard over it and
lightly weigh it down. Give it a few weeks before lifting it and the
small ( about 2-3 inches long ) red worms you'll see are just what you
need. Pick 'em up and put them in the bin. Repeat as necessary.

To prepare the bin I put a layer of sticks in the base followed by a
layer of cardboard, followed by a thin layer of soil mixed with soft
vegetable matter.

When full, these bins are rather heavy - so you might want to opt for
a smaller bin if you can't find anything substantial.
It's a slow process - and the resultant compost is extremely
rich...better suited for making potting compost or for spot feeding
than for general use.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk