Using Household Waste for Organic Gardening
Trash is something we all have to deal with. This includes throwing away things as well as taking out the trash. Instead of just disposing of things in this manner, wouldn’t it be great to use it in a productive manner?
Since most people like to avoid using chemicals in their gardening, you need to find other ways to feed your plants. Abstaining from chemicals is known as organic gardening, and you can use waste to improve your organic garden.
While organic gardening seems like a new thing nowadays, as stated, it was the only kind before chemicals. Now the form is making a comeback around the world, as people become more aware of the health benefits from growing organically.
Now people have gone one step further by initiating the process from home itself. What they are doing is using their household waste (obviously only the organic part) to create manure which they are using to nurture their plants.
The process of making this manure is pretty simple. One needs to keep the organic waste in a compost bin, add some water to it, and wait until it to turns into humus. Then one has to make use of this humus and await best results.
The simplicity of the process is one reason for its popularity. Another reason is that the waste is utilized for good reasons, and homemade manure is truly great for plants.
The third reason is very clear – one would always prefer organic food over any other type of nurturing process. If you can avoid using chemicals, then do so.
While some fertilizers may increase the yields you get, the quality of those yields will be less than what it would be with organic growing methods. That is why you should always make sure to grow organically, so you end up with the highest quality crops possible.
why are the worms in the garden pale and fat and the ones in the compost bin red and thin?
Because different species of worm inhabit different spaces. The large fat worms in your garden soil would probably be lobworms. These do not like being confined for long and like deep depths of cool damp soil. They are the ones that aeriate your garden soil.
The red worms in your compost are dendrobenas, which are the main composting worms, they eat around half their bodyweight each day!
There are many different kinds of worm, all doing different things but all, in the end, making and improving our soils.
Lobworms make wonderful bait when fishing!
How can you tell Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus rubellus worms apart?
I specifically am looking for Eisenia worms for composting, but it seems that suppliers tend to mix species, and rubellus as well as fetida are found in manure piles as well.
What are some obvious physical differences so I can tell them apart?
We ID’d them in college, but I forgot the details, so had to look em up again.
The most obvious difference is that Eisenia foetida has a lighter colored tail tip, but also it is striped, having alternating light and dark bands when stretched out.
http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/wormwatch/images/taxonomic_key.gif
to my previous question about the colours of worms, it’s my compost bin?
and I have not introduced any worms into the garden? so if they are different species (tiger worms) – where have the buggers come from?
The ground of course. They have come up through the soil to your compost.
Replacing Traditional Open Pit with Compost Bin
Compost Bin is generally a large vessel especially designed as a storage receptacle for biodegradable matters. Biodegradable matters refer to materials which have the characteristics for decomposition like food, leaves, papers, barks and other organic matters. This type of receptacle is an excellent substitute for the traditional compost pit. It can transform biodegradable matters and waste materials into organic plant food.
The produce of the soil are basically the plants which come in peculiar shapes and different sizes according to their species. Compost Bin can produce compost which is another type of organic fertilizer which is very much needed by the plants and soil. The by-product produced out of this bin is an excellent plant food. The primary dietary needs of living beings are supplied by the products of the soil.
The quality of these edible products depends on the type of soil where they are grown. Plants that grow may or may not bear fruits yet they still offer edible produce. The yields or crops that they grow can be under the soil such as the root crops, or may be grown above the ground with leaves and flowers which are edible.
These plants also need to eat the minerals and nutrients of the soil, and in so doing it makes the soil unhealthy in the process. This is the reason why it is indeed important to feed the soil with fertilizers to supplement and aid it to be always healthy for the growing plants for sustenance and survival. Compost Bin can manufacture the desired substances and other organic elements which are very much needed by plants to sustain growth.
Compost Bin manufactures the essential organic plant food which is very vital to both soil and plants and these do not contain the toxic substance that soil and plants absorb. It must be considered that the toxic substances being absorbed by the plants which we eat are hazardous to health of humans and other animals. In short, we are also eating the toxic elements that are derived from the plants being transmitted to them from the soil. The compost is the best organic plant food for soil and plants alike. As this is part of the ecological system, humans must take care of the environment especially the food source, which are the plants, for living creatures with mouths or beaks.
Everyone wants to offer something to preserve the environment. The compost bin is one product that could help the environment. It is the perfect substitute for traditional compost pit. With this you would be able to help the soil and the plants through the compost bin which can produce an organic fertilizer. To get more ideas on this click on www.ourcrazydeals.com
Are orange peels too acidic for compost?
I am starting to compost with worms in a bin. Are orange peels too acidic for the worms or too acidic for the soil in my garden?
i have been putting them in for almost 30 years. never had a problem of any kind. they where always gone when i emptied the pile.
should i wait for my compost to cool down before adding worms?
i have my compost in a large metal bin, the bin is a bout 4 feet deep and 7 feet wide, ive only filled it up about 6 inches with fruit and hay. and it gets hot!
i was just wondering if that’s too hot for worms its not for the soldier fly larvae that are in my bin but i would think worms would like a couple of inches of cooler compost to live in…what do yall think?
It depends on whether you mean red wriggler worms or earthworms. The red wrigglers won’t find much to eat once the compost has cooled; they prefer their food only slightly rotten. They also can’t stand the heat.
If you mean earthworms, they would love the compost once it cools. They reproduce in early fall, so if you just heap the compost on the ground once it cools, you will have lots of big worms, and worm castings by spring.
Bacteria are cold- blooded; their activity slows down in cool temperatures, which is why food doesn’t spoil quickly in a refrigerator. In the hot compost, their activity is super accelerated; you don’t really need worms when the compost is hot.
Organic Gardening – How to Make Worm Compost Fertilizer
Vermiculture is the fancy word for worm excretion which is worm compost. Heres how to do your own worm composting.
Choose the Proper Container
You will need a container at least 8 to 12 inches deep. Wood is better as it absorbs moisture and insulates the worms. A rectangular plastic container is often used, but the compost tends to be soggy.
Aerate the bottom
Drill holes at least 2 inches apart all along the container bottom. Plastic containers may need more holes. Raise the bin off the ground with bricks. This provides air flow to the worms and prevents the materials from rotting. Keep a tray underneath the bin to catch excess moisture that can then be used for liquid fertilizer. If your compost comes out too wet, simply drill more holes.
Line with Newspaper
To line the bottom of the container, simply shred newspaper into one inch wide strips and spray with water from a spray bottle until damp. Once this is completed, you will need to add about one cup of sand to the container. The sand assists the worms with their digestion.
Collect Kitchen Scraps
Just as you would save leftovers for your home composting, you will need to save your kitchen scraps for your worm compost. This should be started at least one week prior to purchasing your worms. The best foods are egg shells, used tea bags, coffee grounds and raw fruit and vegetable leftovers. The foods you want to avoid are meat, bones, cheese, milk or mayonnaise and salad dressings.
Purchase Your Worms
Red worms or red wigglers are best in a compost bin because they thrive off of organic material like rotting vegetables. You will need two pounds of worms for one day each of food waste, this is around 2,000 worms.
Put a Cover on the Container
When placing your container outside, a wooden board works best as it keeps the worms in darkness just as they like it while keeping the soil moist. In addition, it also prevents predators from getting in. If your container is indoors, a simple plastic lid cover will suffice.
Collect Castings from Worms
After two to four weeks, the bedding in the container will start to appear darker. By two to three months, nothing of the original bedding will be left. At this point, you can then harvest your worm castings or compost. First, simply pour the container out in piles on a tarp or old shower curtain liner. Then, shine a bright light over the piles to ensure all the worms move to the bottom. Now you can begin collecting. Scoop away all the compost until all that is left are worms. Finally, re-line the container with new bedding, add worms and some of their castings and begin again.
Rhonda Abrons is a keen organic gardening enthusiast and featured writer on Clivir.com where she shares her gardening knowledge about Organic Gardening Tips and How to Worm Compost.