On Thu, 27 Apr 2006, adm, gave forth these words of wisdom:
Dear All,

I'm thinking of getting a wormery to dispose of all my organic and food
waste. I like the idea of having it all enclosed rather than just sitting on
the top of the compost heap attracting rats etc...


Does anyone have nay experience with this kind of thing, or can you
recommend another approach ?

http://www.originalorganics.co.uk/wormeries.htm
Basically, you need a plastic dustbin with a tight lid. Drill two rows
of holes for drainage, about 50mm & 100mm from the bottom and put plenty
of air-holes in the lid.
Add a layer of rotted vegetable waste and tip your worms into this
(you'll need about 100 to start, soon you'll have hundreds more).

After this, keep adding layers of torn paper, alternated with vegetable
waste until the bin is full (it may take a long time to fill, as the
worms keep digesting the waste and it sinks and compresses). Eventually,
when the bin is full and it' s obvious that all the waste has been
digested, sieve the compost to spread on your garden and use the worms
to start a new bin - you'll have hundreds by now.
Don't use any old worms. Brandlings (Eisenia foetida - also known as
tiger worms because of their stripes) are best for making compost. They
breed fast and are easiest to farm, or there are the plain red small
worms you can often find in compost. These will breed more slowly, and
won't convert the waste to compost so fast.
Mind you, you'll probably end up with both types
I've had wormeries in both my garden and allotments for years now. Then
again, I am an angler so have an interest in worms for bait as well as
for making compost!
You shouldn't have to purchase your first lot of worms, they can be
found in any good compost heap. Only problem this year is that it has
been very dry lately and they are a bit hard to find. Still the fishing
season is still a couple of moths off yet...............:-)
Don't use lob worms they will only die!!!!!!
The RHS also have a pretty interesting web page about wormeries he
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/horti...omposting2.asp
this also give a list of suppliers, but why waste money when, with a bit
of patience, you can easily find them yourself
Hope this all helps
Alec Powell
--
Alec Powell
Watlington Oxon. UK
Skype name: alecpowell

"Alec Powell" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 Apr 2006, adm, gave forth these words of wisdom:
Dear All,

I'm thinking of getting a wormery to dispose of all my organic and food
waste. I like the idea of having it all enclosed rather than just sitting
on
the top of the compost heap attracting rats etc...


Does anyone have nay experience with this kind of thing, or can you
recommend another approach ?

http://www.originalorganics.co.uk/wormeries.htm
Basically, you need a plastic dustbin with a tight lid. Drill two rows
of holes for drainage, about 50mm & 100mm from the bottom and put plenty
of air-holes in the lid.
Add a layer of rotted vegetable waste and tip your worms into this
(you'll need about 100 to start, soon you'll have hundreds more).

After this, keep adding layers of torn paper, alternated with vegetable
waste until the bin is full (it may take a long time to fill, as the
worms keep digesting the waste and it sinks and compresses). Eventually,
when the bin is full and it' s obvious that all the waste has been
digested, sieve the compost to spread on your garden and use the worms
to start a new bin - you'll have hundreds by now.
Don't use any old worms. Brandlings (Eisenia foetida - also known as
tiger worms because of their stripes) are best for making compost. They
breed fast and are easiest to farm, or there are the plain red small
worms you can often find in compost. These will breed more slowly, and
won't convert the waste to compost so fast.
Mind you, you'll probably end up with both types
I've had wormeries in both my garden and allotments for years now. Then
again, I am an angler so have an interest in worms for bait as well as
for making compost!
You shouldn't have to purchase your first lot of worms, they can be
found in any good compost heap. Only problem this year is that it has
been very dry lately and they are a bit hard to find. Still the fishing
season is still a couple of moths off yet...............:-)
Don't use lob worms they will only die!!!!!!
The RHS also have a pretty interesting web page about wormeries he
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/horti...omposting2.asp
this also give a list of suppliers, but why waste money when, with a bit
of patience, you can easily find them yourself
Hope this all helps

good advice Alec. Why buy worms when compost heaps are festooned with them.

rob

The Invalid wrote:
On 28 Apr 2006 05:49:07 -0700, wrote:


Sue wrote:
wrote
I am afraid that is my verdict after trying one for 1 year. The
minute quantities of stuff you get out are not worth it and mainly you
get dead worms and piles of rotting food.
These green cones and variations look simpler. In the meantime, I
will just continue to use my normal compost heaps but I am still
reluctant to put cooked food on them despite assurances from regular
compost experts here who probably do know whta they are taling about.

How large a volume of cooked stuff are you talking about though? It may
be time to start serving smaller portions or develop a taste for
leftover remakes like bubble n' squeak and rissoles.

We are quite good with leftovers in our house and I love potato cakes
etc.
No matter how hard you try though, you still always end up dumping
cooked food sooner or later. Whether it comes from tins, packets or
carcasses or potatoes that never made it to potato cakes, a regular
stream of it gets dumped.
We already scrupulously put all veg peelings in the compost heap.

Get some chickens.
Feed them all your waste food and they give you lovely eggs and
activator for the compost bin.

That is actually a good idea. We live in the Dublin suburbs and do
have foxes so it will take some organising. I reckon it will be a year
or more before we get it together.

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com
from contains these words:

I will
just continue to use my normal compost heaps but I am still reluctant
to put cooked food on them

I can't get my head round anyone throwing away left-over cooked food
in the compost bin!

Although we have a dog and cat, they count themselves lucky to get any
leftovers (the skin and meat pickings from chicken carcases after I've
made stock). If we have leftover meat, it goes into spaghetti sauce or
some variant of shepherds pie or pasties. If it's veg or carbohydrate,
it goes into any of the above , or soup. If it's fat, it's bird food. If
its bones, it gets buried under plants. Even the gloppy scrapings from
the porridge pan (scorned by cat and dog) are eagerly eaten by birds
:-)

We have a cat and no dog and the cat gets nothing. My family are
vegetarian (all of them). Left over meat gets pout in the fridge until
I either eat it or it goes mouldy. I then dump it. If you cannot get
your head round that then good luck to you. We are in the process of
getting a green cone jobby where the left overs will go in the future.
In the meantime, the tiny amounts get dumped. I simply do not have the
time or energy to make shepherds pie or bubble and squeak every
evening.
As it is, we are easily the best recyclers of any family I know. That
is city life with young kids.


Janet


Dazz you sound very stressed :-)
A solution to your problems would be to feed the cat some meat resulting in
a very happy pussy. Cease to peel vegetables and cook them as they are
resulting in tastier food, little or no waste and a healthier bank balance.
An added bonus of hours of time saved would allow you time to chill out.

vegetable peelings are not an issue as we have a compost heap already
and I do not like the taste of vegetable skins anyway apart from
potatoes and only then when baked.
The cat gets bits but she is tiny.
The only remaining problem is how to dispose of cooked food that cannot
be converted into potato cakes.
or string vests. That will be solved by a green cone (traffic cone
shaped thing that you stick in the ground and fill with food; it stops
rats or foxes getting at it.
I had pointed out that I was talking about very very small quantities
and suddenly I get the entire womens institute home thrift section
berating me about my household organisation and/or offering advice
about hens and bubble and squeak.
Sorry for the stresss Janet and Mike do that to me :-).

wrote in message
oups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com
from contains these words:

I will
just continue to use my normal compost heaps but I am still
reluctant
to put cooked food on them

I can't get my head round anyone throwing away left-over cooked food
in the compost bin!

Although we have a dog and cat, they count themselves lucky to get
any
leftovers (the skin and meat pickings from chicken carcases after
I've
made stock). If we have leftover meat, it goes into spaghetti sauce
or
some variant of shepherds pie or pasties. If it's veg or
carbohydrate,
it goes into any of the above , or soup. If it's fat, it's bird food.
If
its bones, it gets buried under plants. Even the gloppy scrapings
from
the porridge pan (scorned by cat and dog) are eagerly eaten by birds
:-)

We have a cat and no dog and the cat gets nothing. My family are
vegetarian (all of them). Left over meat gets pout in the fridge until
I either eat it or it goes mouldy. I then dump it. If you cannot get
your head round that then good luck to you. We are in the process of
getting a green cone jobby where the left overs will go in the future.
In the meantime, the tiny amounts get dumped. I simply do not have the
time or energy to make shepherds pie or bubble and squeak every
evening.
As it is, we are easily the best recyclers of any family I know. That
is city life with young kids.


Janet


Dazz you sound very stressed :-)
A solution to your problems would be to feed the cat some meat resulting
in
a very happy pussy. Cease to peel vegetables and cook them as they are
resulting in tastier food, little or no waste and a healthier bank
balance.
An added bonus of hours of time saved would allow you time to chill out.

vegetable peelings are not an issue as we have a compost heap already
and I do not like the taste of vegetable skins anyway apart from
potatoes and only then when baked.
The cat gets bits but she is tiny.
The only remaining problem is how to dispose of cooked food that cannot
be converted into potato cakes.
or string vests. That will be solved by a green cone (traffic cone
shaped thing that you stick in the ground and fill with food; it stops
rats or foxes getting at it.
I had pointed out that I was talking about very very small quantities
and suddenly I get the entire womens institute home thrift section
berating me about my household organisation and/or offering advice
about hens and bubble and squeak.
Sorry for the stresss Janet and Mike do that to me :-).


Brilliant-thanks for a good chuckle.
Have you changed your pants today and cleaned your teeth:-)

"The Invalid" wrote in message
...
On 1 May 2006 06:50:32 -0700, wrote:

Get some chickens.
Feed them all your waste food and they give you lovely eggs and
activator for the compost bin.

That is actually a good idea. We live in the Dublin suburbs and do
have foxes so it will take some organising. I reckon it will be a year
or more before we get it together.


Have you seen the 'Egglu'?
Its brilliant and some friends of mine got one several months ago and
now get 2 fresh eggs every day
http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_serv...?view=Chickens

Its a bit expensive but a great idea

Bloomin heck a lot expensive. Can you buy them on a mortgage?

We also went and got a letter shredder from our local DIY shop and now
use shredded paper for our chickens bedding which then goes straight
into the compost!

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
...


Have you seen the 'Egglu'?
Its brilliant and some friends of mine got one several months ago and
now get 2 fresh eggs every day

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_serv...?view=Chickens

Its a bit expensive but a great idea


Bloomin heck a lot expensive. Can you buy them on a mortgage?


Need you ask ?

http://mortgages.egg-online.co.uk/


Although at least people will needing an extra big one
by the looks of things.

quote

An eglu with two chickens £385

*Please note there is an extra delivery cost in the following areas:
Southern Ireland £112, Northern Ireland £82 North of Edinburgh £33

/quote


michael adams









michael adams

....

"The Invalid" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 May 2006 18:33:40 +0100, "Rupert \(W.Yorkshire\)"
wrote:



Its a bit expensive but a great idea

Bloomin heck a lot expensive. Can you buy them on a mortgage?

Haha That's what I thought but for people with little or no garden
like my friends, they do the trick.


Yes you are right. It seems a well designed attractive product and I think I
would prefer one of those rather than some of the home made scruffy
contraptions.

wrote
prune
I had pointed out that I was talking about very very small quantities
and suddenly I get the entire womens institute home thrift section
berating me about my household organisation and/or offering advice
about hens and bubble and squeak.

Hah! I've never been near a WI meeting in my entire life and don't make
jam because my cupboards runneth over with spare jars-ful from my M in
Law.

I wasn't being *entirely* serious about the bubble and squeak. That's
what the meant.

--
Sue

Sue wrote:
wrote
prune
I had pointed out that I was talking about very very small quantities
and suddenly I get the entire womens institute home thrift section
berating me about my household organisation and/or offering advice
about hens and bubble and squeak.

Hah! I've never been near a WI meeting in my entire life and don't make
jam because my cupboards runneth over with spare jars-ful from my M in
Law.

I wasn't being *entirely* serious about the bubble and squeak. That's
what the meant.

hi Sue; I did get carried away for comic effect (I gave Rupert a laugh
anyway). I am grateful not to have to make any bubble and squeak then
:-)

Des



--
Sue