Wormerys?

kenmc

Does anyone have a wormery in use? If so which one is it, where did you get it and how much? (assuming of course that you recommend it!!) How long before you start getting good stuff out of the bottom of it???
I'm thinking of getting the "Can O Worms" but have only seen it in one garden center for like 180 euro or so.... must be cheaper than that - can get it in the uk on the web for 89 sterling. Have emailed them to see what shipping would be here, if they do it...
Cheers
K

Jackz

I know they use them in the Brook Lodge Hotel in Aughrim. They are tiger worms as far as I know and they can go through all food waste, cardboard and paper. i dunno about the price they had three 1000 litre oil tanks buthered someway at the bottom to allow access to the compost. i think about a grands worth of worms in each one. All food waste for the hotel was disposed of in this way so well worth it for them. The worms come to the top of the container when they have done their work, you take them off then and take away the compost. And away you go again. Make sure you keep the top on whatever container you use.
They lost one tank full because it filled with water.

fred funk }{

What do you want one for?
They sell them in the garden center in Bray for 99 yo yo's. Im getting one myself to feed my tropical fish. There is some info HERE on how to set your own up from scratch i haven't tried it myself though.

kenmc

Silver Knight wrote:

What do you want one for?
They sell them in the garden center in Bray for 99 yo yo's. Im getting one myself to feed my tropical fish. There is some info HERE on how to set your own up from scratch i haven't tried it myself though.

Thanks for the info. was just looking to use it to recycle some waste instead of dumping it, apparently they're sh|t hot at going through kitchen stuff, except meat and dairy.... The "juice" that comes out the bottom is supposed to be the best fertilizer you can get...

Edit : Is that 99 euro for the can o worms one, or some other sort? Does that include the worms??? Where abouts in bray is the garden center??

Alun

I've got the Can'o'Worms, but have only just got it started. I've nearly filled up the bottom section, so will soon be fitting the next stage. I can't comment on the compost quality as basically you have to wait until the third top section is full before you rotate them.

On the price ... was the sterling price including the worms? Ours was euro 175 including a bag of 1000 worms from the EcoShop just before the Glen of the Downs on the N11. They also had some simpler plywood ones that had a grid at the bottom that you could pull in and out to shake the compost out of the bottom. Maybe worth a visit?

kenmc

Alun wrote:

On the price ... was the sterling price including the worms? Ours was euro 175 including a bag of 1000 worms from the EcoShop just before the Glen of the Downs on the N11. They also had some simpler plywood ones that had a grid at the bottom that you could pull in and out to shake the compost out of the bottom. Maybe worth a visit?

Yeah I think the sterling price was including the worms. Bit worried about them dying though during delivery - guess it'd have to be overnite couriered. Is it a heavy thing?? found that price here (http://www.thebincompany.com/downloads/composters_and_wormeries_order_form.PDF). I've asked them about shipping costs (if they ship to Ireland) and if the worms are included anyway...
How have you found your one anyway - is it easy to get it up and running???
I know the first harvest takes a while cos you've to get 3 layers full first, but then you get reasonably quick turnaround apparently. Does it smell at all? The websites say no but.....

Alun

So many questions ...

The worms I got were from a local woman who breeds them specially. They come in a bag with sufficient food (according to the leaflet that came with them) to last for 'several' days, so that shouldn't be a worry.

It is quite heavy, yes. You've got the wormery itself, a bedding block, a bag of 'worm treats' (!) a bag of lime mix, and a moisture retaining cover. I've no idea how much it would cost to ship.

Like I said, I've only got one layer full so far, and am about to put the second layer on any day now. They say it can take several months, depending on how much waste you put in them to get fully operational, so to speak. I've also heard from other people who have them that the worms are pretty sensitive to temperature, i.e. more active in warm weather than cold. We got ours recently at the start of the cold weather and kept it inside for a week or so. It didn't smell much at all really.

They've got one set up at the EcoShop, along with a cheaper wooden version, and lots of other composting solutions. They're quite knowledgeable there too, so if you're not too far away, I'd suggest a visit.

One thing though, if you do go there, although they have the wormeries in stock they don't keep the worms in stock, so you'd have to go back again the next day to pick them up as they're ordered specially.

kenmc

Thanks for the answers Alun, may pay them a visit next weekend.... if nothing else than to see it working and how big it is etc.
Cheers
Ken

Doper Than U

I'm also hoping to get a wormery, but for dog poop. Yep, worms eat dog poop. Some places say not to use it, but they are referring to the resulting compost... you can't use compost from dog poop womeries on edible or garden crops (obviously), the worms are more than happy to eat it. They also eat leftovers, hoover bag waste and pet hair. I can't wait to get ours, I'm sick of paying to have dog poop taken away. (A weeks worth can weigh quite alot!) They will also eat human faeces if you're into that kind of thing. Worms are great.

kenmc

'Parently though you can kill all your worms in one day if you feed them doggy poop that has been made by a dog who has been given a "deworm" treatment recently.... so just be careful you don't go feeding them too soon after that!
Did you do any ore research into prices and suppliers and so on???

Doper Than U

Yup, good advice Kenmc, I forgot to mention that!
Some suppliers I've found are : http://www.elementgreen.com/index.htm
and : http://www.ecoshop.ie

Prices seem similar everywhere, at around €169-179, which does seem expensive. I', still going to go ahead with buying one, probably at the ecoshop, because it's relatively local.

chispa

Hi there,

I was of the opinion that I couldn't compost because my "garden" measures 4 x 0.8 metres! But I'm really keen on reducing waste, and cook a lot, so kitchen waste is one of our main by-products. The yard is concreted over, so we're looking at a few small pots for herbs, and something green and leafy, but not a whole lot more organic matter.
Any thoughts on whether it's worth having a wormery to munch our waste and feed our herbs? Colleagues at work assure me that it is - and it'd be a handy answer to my boyfriend when he says he wants a pet.

Thanks everyone.