In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:32:42 -0500, Omelet
wrote:

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:49:43 GMT, "debnchas"
wrote:


Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being
said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Good stuff.

I just scored a copy of the original "Let it rot" in a homesteading
lot I bought last week but haven't had a chance to thumb thru it yet.

I need some help with a fairly large vermicomposting bin design to
process rabbitry waste, preserve the "liquid gold", and not kill my
back.

Anyone have any ideas?

I was at a rabbit farm once that built the composting "bins" out of wood
right under the rabbit cages, and stocked them with worms. The worms did
not look that healthy tho', kinda pale and slender.

That might work if it was managed properly to keep it from becoming too
acidic.

I;ve seen those, but I'm redesigning my barn to have the rabbits on
the second floor and sliding the waste out of a drain to the bins
outside. Most of the acidic urine will be washed out before making
it to the bins, and they tend to stay away from the "hot corner"
anyway.

I'm kind of thinking of something modular like the "can o worms"
thing, only on a much larger scale.

I'd like it to be modular in design so that I could capture all of
that lovely "liquid gold" the worm also produce. A little bit of
that on the plants and they become very very happy.

The worm castings are she on top of the soil (I gather them in my yard
during the rainy season) in little piles. You can scoop them by hand.
:-)

I'd also like to easily remove a section of compost without killing my
back, and allow stacking new modules as needed, just like the can o
worms thing.

I currently basically just use the manure straight or diluted as
manure tea, but I'd like the worms to refine it further for me.

Coffee grounds make worms happy too, as does vegetable compost. :-)

Are there any vermiculture lists? I've not looked. My back yard is
full of red worms so I've never had to box or buy them.
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)