Worm composting

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I'm looking to get a worm composting setup. Anybody have any experience with them good, bad or otherwise? Any recommendations on a particular model? Can-O-Worms seems to be the most available but there's also a Worm Hotel (sounds nice for the worms) and a Wasetbuster

Any thoughts appreciated.

saibhne

I'm also looking at getting in a wormery - I'm moving from a house with garden and full composting ability to an apartment with none so hoping to install it on the balcony of the apartment.
By all accounts it seems a wormery will take a bit of getting used to and a little maintenance but can be quite efficient in getting rid of your organic watse. One thing I'd check out is whether the system you choose can handle the amount of waste you produce. I only have to cater for waste from two people so most worm bins should be able to do that easily
Also looking at the JORA 270 Organic Food Waste Digester - which seems to suit an apartment set up well but I'm veering towards the worms. Can be found at the eco shop in Kilmacanogue in Wicklow if that's of any use to you.

Can you let me know what you go for in the end? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts..

Thanks,

S

gonk

Had thought about getting one of these until I saw one being set up on RTE's "Desperate Houses" last night by Éanna Ní Lamhna.

What put me off was the advice given by Éanna that it is necessary to finely chop all the waste before putting it in the wormery as otherwise the worms can't manage it. Can't imagine a bigger PITA than having to slice and dice all your organic waste before disposing of it.

Can anyone any experience of these things confirm or refute the advice given in the above programme?

Ice_Box

I was thinking of getting one of these Big Pigs. It doesnt need worms but it costs over €600.

http://www.growgreensolutions.com/Pages/BigPig.htm

Alun

I've got the Can-O-Worms and can confirm that they, and indeed all wormeries, are a little more difficult to set up and maintain than most people would have you believe. Yes, you do have to chop things up pretty small to encourage the stuff to rot since the worms can only digest the food once it has already rotted. It's not too big a problem as long as you're kind of disciplined about the whole thing and chop everything up as you create it. I have a small "holding bin" in the kitchen which I use for the scraps and transfer the stuff every few days.

One problem is stopping the wormery getting too wet, and you need to add shredded paper (good use for all those shredded bills ) or cardboard regularly to stop that happening. Also the worms only work effectively at the right temperature and the right acidity. Broken egg shells are good for keeping the acidity under control. Also certain foods, like citrus fruits and onion peelings/skin should be avoided for the same reason.

Despite all this, I'm rather attached to my worms, and am always on the lookout for cocoons and baby worms when I'm rooting about in the wormery They're not exactly cuddly, but I'd hate to see them die

Look here for a great resource on wormeries and composting.

bhickey

Chopping stuff up may speed things up a little but it'll all will break down in the end and get recycled by the worms. I've had one now for a year and a half and it's incredible to see how much stuff the little fellas get through.

The_Minister

I'm not very "green" but I think enfo have lots of stuff on it in their headquarters.

silverharp

Just got one the other day, I'm a little cynical about it as it cost €160 and the pay will be a long time away (we have 2 normal composting bins as well). However looking forward to seeing it working.

saibhne

silverharp wrote:

Just got one the other day, I'm a little cynical about it as it cost €160 and the pay will be a long time away (we have 2 normal composting bins as well). However looking forward to seeing it working.

Hi Silverharp,

What kind of wormery did you buy? Also interested in knowing why you wanted a wormery as well as your two composting bins..

silverharp

it was the can-o-worms. I find the compost from the bins (wooden with slats) have too many bugs/slugs in them to use in pots for instance, so it would be nice to have a supply of clean compost

damiand

Hi All,

I have a Wastebuster system purchased from the Recycleworks in England. I got it and about 5,000 worms for about €250. They sent it in the post. The same system was about €230 in Wicklow with the worms costing €40 per kilo (approximately 1000 worms).

The worms were very small when I got them with most being cocoons. I didnt know how to look after them and they all died/disapeered. I restocked my wormery with worms from my compost and some tiger worms from a fried who has a can-o-worms system.

In the past 12 months I have gotten very little 'compost' from the wormers as its not working right yet (not enough worms) and what worms I have are very effecient.

My friend who has the can-o-worms system is very happy with it. It is hard to keep a balanced PH but other that that the worms keep eating. This system is ideal for him and his wife. I have two kids so I need a bigger system.

The big problem with wormeries at the moment is the cost of worms 40 - 50 Euro per kilo. Any one know where to get cheap 'tiger' worms ?

greenwilly

The best value for money wormeries are the Original Organics wormeries.
If anyone's interested my web site be selling them in a week or so - www.newgreenfutures.ie.

damiand

Hi Greenwilly

Nice site, lots of good stuff. Question, how many worms in the starter kit ?:D

greenwilly

Hi Damiand

Our starter kits contain a colony of about 200 tiger worms and worm eggs in an organic compost medium supplied by a leading permaculture gardener.

These worms will multiply rapidly in the right conditions to deal with your organic waste.

We do not sell worms by quantity. What we sell is the medium to get your wormery started. At less than 20.00E we reckon this is good value.