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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] RE: Attracting worms

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  • From: Marty Kraft <martyk AT allspecies.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] RE: Attracting worms
  • Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 13:56:10 -0500

Some questions I have are,

Are worm castings equivalent to animal manure?
How far from the bucket would the bed be benefited?
How long should the bucket be left in one spot?

Marty

> From: "mtlivestock" <crublee AT libby.org>
> Reply-To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 08:02:40 -0600
> To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: [Market-farming] RE: Attracting worms
>
> A compost pile is quite different IMHO. The internal heat in a pile would
> be higher that what is in a five gallon bucket. Also the bucket is not
> going to have the same ventilation. By the time it is buried deep enough to
> work, it may not make a suitable container. A large tub or barrel make
> better sense. What does others on the list think? I love the idea of
> pulling up a few buckets or barrels at the end of the season, spread with
> rake, and till.
>
> I conclude the cover would be necessary to keep the bugs and disease down.
> I would think I would need to water occasionally. I also conclude this
> would not be a replacement of my compost system.
>
> Have you tried this Marty? I am expanding our garden next year (triple). I
> am thinking I should start to gather buckets now. It seems to be a
> work-able solution. It would put the compost right back in the garden where
> it is intended to go without that round trip to the compost piles.
>
> Our farm's mission is to reduce all outside resources and inputs including
> labor. This would fit in the plan.
>
> Christina
===
We have 32X4 foot raised beds. I am thinking about cutting the bottoms out
of 5 gallon paint containers, digging a hole, and placing them in the beds
at yet undetermined spacing. I will put clean food waste and leaves etc. in
each one and put on the lids. The worms should find and eat the material
leaving castings and tunnels behind. We can adjust the bucketĀ¹s positions
from time to time.

Worms, cows, horses and rabbits eat vegetables. Can worms alone maintain the
animal part of the nitrogen and or other soil cycles necessary to sustain
healthy soils? Has anyone else tried this idea?

Marty Kraft





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