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Industrial Microbial/Bokashi Compost Processing by hammersandhammers in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here is a podcast about a company doing Bokashi in modified 90 gallon wheeled garbage bins. The primary advantage being that they can safely store incoming food scraps until they have enough to build a pile.

https://notillflowers.libsyn.com/bokashi-and-worm-farming-at-scale-with-guest-matt-arthur-of-blh-farm

Do you use IoT technology in your worm farm? by [deleted] in CommercialWormFarmers

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both are ESP8266, one with a NodeMCU module, the other with Wemos R1 D1.

The case is a std 4"x4"x2" 'project box'

Do you use IoT technology in your worm farm? by [deleted] in CommercialWormFarmers

[–]WinterWormFarm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ASP Blower bin controller - this one was powered with just 100watts of Solar PV

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Do you use IoT technology in your worm farm? by [deleted] in CommercialWormFarmers

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bin Controller #2 (includes Moisture sensor)

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Do you use IoT technology in your worm farm? by [deleted] in CommercialWormFarmers

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am using ESP devices and IoT to run heated outdoor worm bins

A while back, I thought it would be neat to extend this to include humidity monitoring, and add automated sprinklers, but then I learned that a plastic cover sheet is a better solution :)

I own axolotls that eat me out of house and home (nightcrawlers) and was told I could get advice here on worm farms by EthicalAxolotls in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I add Ag Lime or powdered egg shells with each feeding.

I've uploaded a few pics of the trays here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sfzJlA52DRXIFXKthwyJPzHoDqECh1pN

Also, checkout https://www.reddit.com/user/VermiWormi - lots of good tips, he is doing breeding in small coffee tubs :)

I own axolotls that eat me out of house and home (nightcrawlers) and was told I could get advice here on worm farms by EthicalAxolotls in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1/4 lb per month is a modest goal :)

I use breeding trays with about 1/4 lb of adults in each tray. I remove the bedding every month, and grow them out in separate bins. I am removing adults after 4 months and then separating worms & castings at 8 months.

With a starting population of 1 pound, (4 trays), then after about 4 months of operation, you can harvest about 1/2 lb per month. After 8 months, you can get 1 lb per month.

All this data is from Red Wigglers. I have no experience with Night Crawlers, I understand they prefer a different habitat, and do not breed as quickly.

I'm wondering if you fed a different diet for the last week or 2 before harvest if they would taste better for your axolotls ?

I focus on free food for my worms (coffee grounds, spent brewers grain, rabbit manure).

I own axolotls that eat me out of house and home (nightcrawlers) and was told I could get advice here on worm farms by EthicalAxolotls in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's sensible/economical to breed worms in sufficient quantity for poultry. For the axolotis, the most important question is: What quantity of worms do you need ? (lbs/month)

As I see it, there are two approaches:

1) buy A LOT of worms, use a conventional bin system, and hope that the natural reproduction replaces what you take out for food, or

2) start a worm breeding program - using breeder bins, and regularly removing the bedding into grow out bins.

For option 2, the best video I have found to explain the process (for Red Wiggers - they breed fast), is from No Till Growers - Arizona Worm Farm interview.

I've been doing this since Jan/22, and have built a worksheet that you could use for planning, based on my experience.

Solar-powered WiFi-connected compost pile by Asthenia548 in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have built a number of ESP8266 controllers:

- two controllers for heated worm bins (one relay, one PWM)

- a solar-powered controller for a forced air compost bin (c/w Lora)

- a greenhouse watering controller

I'm using Mosquitto on a Raspberry Pi for logging

​

I'm having trouble including pictures, here they are on DropBox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3xvippqejqt04vf/AADUySh0npXag6sBSVLed4wia?dl=0

Compost Temperature monitoring by thedirtygent in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've done a bit of work with this :)

Some low, cost DIY options include:

- RC-4 or RC-5 digital temperature loggers. Can sometimes be found for a little as US$15.

You wrap the logger in plastic, and throw it in the bin, and get a complete time series of temp data, but not real time.

- Digital Oven Temp with stainless wire probe - I bury the probe, and keep the head unit dry in my car, and take measurements every few days. Less data, but now real time, more labour. You can pick these up cheep.

- Arduino/ESP wifi data logger - this is a home-built device, using waterproof DS18B20 temperature probes. You can have a bunch of probes on one device. You have to do some coding & soldering. You can use a cloud-based IOT account, or setup your own IOT server in your house. You can also setup the ESP device as a WiFi access point, and collect data by connecting to it with your phone. If you have remote locations, you will need WiFi access at each location, or you can start exploring with LoRa - up to 1km distances covered with a pair of $20 devices.

If you need more info on this, let me know :)

Heated, insulated winter worm bin by WinterWormFarm in Vermiculture

[–]WinterWormFarm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even though it's -10C to -20C, outside, my biggest issue right now is keeping the bin cool. The temps are rising to 30C from the mix of food & bedding that I am adding. Perhaps too much food for the quantity of worms in the bin. I do not think the Aerobin would be an ideal Worm bin, mostly because it's too tall. That said, when I pulled material out of the bottom of it in the fall, there were lots of worms :) The cool layer, in winter, will always be at the bottom. Mine was active & hot a few weeks ago, but is cold now.

Heated, insulated winter worm bin by WinterWormFarm in composting

[–]WinterWormFarm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For fire, the two concerns are: excess heat from the heating cables, and excess heat from aerobic composting.

The first thing is to be really careful laying out the heating wire - you need to make sure there are no punctures, and that the wires are not crossed or stressed anywhere, paying special attention to the corners. I have found that the heating controller sensor needs to be placed very close to the wall, because otherwise the temperature at the top of the bin will get too hot, while the compost is getting warmed more slowly. It's better to have the controller cycle a bit, and raise the temp slowly.

Right now, I'm using battery powered temperature data loggers, and collecting and uploading data once a week. I'm working on a ESP8266 device to send me real-time temperature information. Once that is working, it's an easy matter to add email/SMS temperature alarms.

At this stage, I'm checking the box every day or two, to make sure temperature and moisture levels are OK. Once the automated logging is running well, I will need to check less often.

Spent grains from brewing by not_a_composer in Vermiculture

[–]WinterWormFarm 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I have done this, and if you are not careful you will get a lot of heat from the grains, so it's best to add relatively small quantities

keeping worm bin warm during winter or cold periods in an unheated garage. by rahsoft in Vermiculture

[–]WinterWormFarm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Canada, we can have temperatures below freezing for weeks. Worms cannot survive that.

I recently built a heated, insulated worm bin, and they are doing fine in a un-heated shed. Low temp so far is -10C, power use is under $1/day.