Forgive the novice question. I did look at the FAQ for info on
composting but the relevant link seems to be obsolete/dead.

My question is about wormeries. Do they really make a lot of sense for
the average vegetable gardener? It has often occurred to me that they
might be expending a lot of nutrients into the raising of worms rather
than the raising of plants! I note that they create some useful
plant-feed liquid. However, if I primarily want fibrous, nutrient-rich
compost, would I be better advised to use a simple traditional compost
bin or compost heap?

Many thanks,

JD

"JakeD" wrote in message
...

Forgive the novice question. I did look at the FAQ for info on
composting but the relevant link seems to be obsolete/dead.

My question is about wormeries. Do they really make a lot of sense for
the average vegetable gardener? It has often occurred to me that they
might be expending a lot of nutrients into the raising of worms rather
than the raising of plants! I note that they create some useful
plant-feed liquid. However, if I primarily want fibrous, nutrient-rich
compost, would I be better advised to use a simple traditional compost
bin or compost heap?

I haven't tried a worm farm however I can say that any decent compost
pile/bin is virtually a worm farm anyway, such are the numbers of worm I
have in my pile. A worm farm is only really decent for kitchen scraps &
won't handle grass clippings, leave, twigs etc. A decent compost heap will,
a 2 or 3 bay compost bin system is best if you bung a big load of the above
in. It will heat up (if the mix is correct) and worms will initially avoid
the heat but come after the compost cools. If you only have kitchen scraps
than a plastic compost bin is good enough. You won't get any heat but the
worms will soon attack and devour anything in it along with other insects
like slaters, ear wigs etc.

rob

On Oct 6, 10:21 am, JakeD wrote:
Forgive the novice question. I did look at the FAQ for info on
composting but the relevant link seems to be obsolete/dead.

My question is about wormeries. Do they really make a lot of sense for
the average vegetable gardener? It has often occurred to me that they
might be expending a lot of nutrients into the raising of worms rather
than the raising of plants! I note that they create some useful
plant-feed liquid. However, if I primarily want fibrous, nutrient-rich
compost, would I be better advised to use a simple traditional compost
bin or compost heap?

Many thanks,

JD

They produce very small volumes of material and need looking after.
We failed to get ours to properly work
and gave up after 6 months. For uncooked vegetable matter, we just
use an ordinary compost heap as we need one for garden waste anyway.
A wormery could never cope with general garden stuff. The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). Nick McLaren is a compost fiend and he says to put all
that on the general heap anyway. I may try one of those cone thingies
for the caviar etc. If you have an active garden yuo need a general
compost heap anyway.

Des

"Des Higgins" wrote in message


... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Mary

On Oct 6, 11:32 am, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Des Higgins" wrote in message

... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Mary

ehhhh, I was possibly joking.
This reminds me, last time I commented on compost and wormeries, I was
berated by the entire URG women's institue recycling division and
'Mike' for not reusing all kitchen material to ehhh make lace curtains
or candlestick holders or leftover hotpot surprise. I can regurgiate
(ho ho ho; that was a feeble joke) that thread and all its heated
comments to save simply going over it all again.

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Oct 6, 11:32 am, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Des Higgins" wrote in message

... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Mary

ehhhh, I was possibly joking.

I guessed that, but how can you have any kind of food waste?

It wastes money as well as nutrients. It's also a waste of effort for the
growers, sellers and preparers - even if you prepared it yourself. I think
that's an insult to those people. If it's animal food it's a waste of a part
of that animal's life.

Mary
Not a WI member

On Oct 6, 12:42 pm, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Des Higgins" wrote in message

ps.com...

On Oct 6, 11:32 am, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Des Higgins" wrote in message

... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Mary

ehhhh, I was possibly joking.

I guessed that, but how can you have any kind of food waste?

It wastes money as well as nutrients. It's also a waste of effort for the
growers, sellers and preparers - even if you prepared it yourself. I think
that's an insult to those people. If it's animal food it's a waste of a part
of that animal's life.

Mary
Not a WI member

It is really easy; I live in a city; I work hard during the day and
sometimes at weekends and evenings; we have kids; we do not have any
livestock (no chickens, no dog; no goat and now no worms); we do
recycle more than almost anyone I know; we are one of the few people
in my area to even have a compost heap; our fridge is full of
leftovers; we grow some of our own veg (in our suburban back garden);
it is still impossible to avoid throwing stuff out and have a life.
We already do more than almost anyone I know in the city and the last
10 yards just are not worth it. After all that, any food that is
still there and that has become dangerous, gets put on the compost
heap or, in the case of the fois gras and caviar, thrown out.

Des

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message


... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Me too!

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message


... The wormery was
for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
by date etc.). ...

How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.

Me too!

In article ,
"Alan Holmes" writes:
| "Mary Fisher" wrote in message
| t...
| "Des Higgins" wrote in message
|
| ... The wormery was
| for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
| by date etc.). ...
|
| How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
| but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.
|
| Me too!

Why on earth not? I do. And I have difficulty in believing that you
NEVER forget anything in the fridge, decide that food is too horrible
to eat, or have nothing left over for any of the other common reasons.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 6 Oct 2007 18:56:02 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:


In article ,
"Alan Holmes" writes:
| "Mary Fisher" wrote in message
| t...
| "Des Higgins" wrote in message
|
| ... The wormery was
| for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
| by date etc.). ...
|
| How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
| but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.
|
| Me too!

Why on earth not? I do. And I have difficulty in believing that you
NEVER forget anything in the fridge, decide that food is too horrible
to eat, or have nothing left over for any of the other common reasons.



Maybe they have a dog?
Or a bird table?
Or at a push a cat who likes chips?
--
http://www.orderonlinepickupinstore.co.uk
Ah fetch it yourself if you can't wait for delivery
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk
Or get it delivered for free

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
"Alan Holmes" writes:
| "Mary Fisher" wrote in message
| t...
| "Des Higgins" wrote in message
|
| ... The wormery was
| for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past best
| by date etc.). ...
|
| How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers here
| but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.
|
| Me too!

Why on earth not? I do. And I have difficulty in believing that you
NEVER forget anything in the fridge, decide that food is too horrible
to eat, or have nothing left over for any of the other common reasons.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Anyway, don't potato peelings, cabbage hearts, the pods of peas
(excluding mange-touts), etc, count as kitchen waste?
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Alan Holmes" writes:
| "Mary Fisher" wrote in message
| t...
| "Des Higgins" wrote in message
|
| ... The wormery was
| for small volumes of kitchen waste (rice, fois gras, caviar past
best
| by date etc.). ...
|
| How on Earth do you have such leftovers? We never had food leftovers
here
| but I wouldn't put them on the garden compost heap even if we did.
|
| Me too!

Why on earth not? I do. And I have difficulty in believing that you
NEVER forget anything in the fridge, decide that food is too horrible
to eat, or have nothing left over for any of the other common reasons.

It might be difficult for you. For people who've been poor - and hungry -
it's not. We waste nothing.

I've been to the farmers' market this morning (before breakfast) and bought
a magnificent lettuce. The outer leaves were damaged in the scooter pannier
so they've been fed to the hens for recycling. If we didn't have the banties
I'd have washed them for us to eat.

Yesterday we fitted a new, low flush, wc. The old (1937) one will be used as
a planter in the garden, bowl and cistern.

Yes, things have been forgotten in the fridges and freezers, they're not
wasted though.

Mary

snip everything :-)

When I first glanced at this heading I did not have my glasses on and I
thought it said Worries-are they worth having ? I was going to answer No but
first I found my specs and read it proper like :-) sorry not to be any help
to you or anyone else. I have just been doing some work in the garden and
have left my little friend the robin clearing up the worms that I have
exposed , cheers everyone

kate

On Sat, 06 Oct 2007 02:41:37 -0700, Des Higgins
wrote:

I may try one of those cone thingies
for the caviar etc. If you have an active garden yuo need a general
compost heap anyway.

Thanks for the input. Since my original query, I think I've settled on
a 'modus operandi'...

We have two black plastic dustbins that aren't being used (leftovers
from before the councul introduced the big wheelie bins). They two old
bins are the older shape: sort of cylidrical, but narrower at the
bottom than at the top. My plan is to place one of these on the earth,
near the kitchen door and also near my vegetable patch. I plan to make
some 2" diameter holes in the sides (for ventilation) and in the
bottom (to allow the worms to come and go).

My plan is that when the bin is full up (I guess after about 12
months), I will take the lid off and invert the bun onto a bare patch
of ground. (It should empty out easily die to the shape of the bins.)

What was at the bottom of the bin will now be at the top of the
resulting pile, and I will shovel that off, directly onto my vegetable
patch. The unrotted remainder will go back into the bin, and the bin
will be used as before, until full, and so on. Well, that's the
theory, anyway. I'll report back in 12 months....

I figure on adding a couple of hanfuls of earth from the veggie patch
every time I empty the kitchen waste bag into the bin. I gather this
will aid composting.

Comments invited... And if anyone can think of a good use for that
other spare bin, I'll be interested...

JD