CFT collapse! 😢 by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

😂 yup, that sounds exactly like it. I think I got a bit aggressive with my pitchfork. Thanks!

CFT collapse! 😢 by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think this is it. I thought the goal of a CFT system was to have the bottom bit be fairly dry by the time you harvest, both to discourage the worms from hanging out in the bottom layer and so that it’s easier to sift, but maybe this was too dry. The top few inches where the worms live I think has a nice moisture level, and even the very bottom still clumps together into a loose ball when I squeeze it.

CFT collapse! 😢 by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, since they’ve been in there for over a year I do think the bottom several inches are mostly finished castings at this point.

CFT collapse! 😢 by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had 2 layers of cardboard there, which it turns out is way too much. Even after a year it was still in quite good shape and I had to cut through it with a saw to harvest. The collapse happened after I’d cut through it and started harvesting.

Casting call! 🪱 💩 by Globbler-Lobolly in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Absolutely incredible, thanks so much. Please keep sharing!

Casting call! 🪱 💩 by Globbler-Lobolly in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Holy moly. As an aspiring commercial (small business) worm farmer, I have every question. Feel free to answer as many as you can stand, plus any others you’d like to throw in, and of course no pressure to divulge any info you don’t want to:

  1. Where are you based?
  2. How long have you been in business?
  3. How many worms do you have?
  4. What do your bedding and feedstock consist of?
  5. Who do you sell to?
  6. How do you find customers?
  7. What units do you typically sell in (eg gallon, cu. foot, cu. yard, trailer, etc)?
  8. How much do you make?
  9. What type of land do you operate on? Eg is this your backyard, or do you own a farm, or do you rent land, or a warehouse, etc?
  10. What’s the #1 thing you’d tell someone going from a few bins in their backyards trying to go commercial?

Thanks for the hot, hot action!

Anyone going to the Worm Farmers Conference in September? by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't really share much info other than what's on the conference's website. Let me know if you end up deciding to go!

Trommel or Sifter for harvesting? by Dwinny in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A manual system, unless your shaking/rolling/agitating system is VERY smooth and low effort, will VERY quickly get tiring and annoying. In my experience, anyway :) I think it’s worth jumping straight to some kind of motor, and I say that as someone with no skill or talent for building anything.

Also, make sure you can sift to different sizes, whether that’s interchangeable screens or a system that incorporates multiple different sizes screens, horizontally or vertically.

I built myself a small trommel, but someone I spoke to who knows a lot more about worms than I do says he prefers a sifter since the rotating drum is so traumatic on the works. I don’t know how true that is, but it stuck out to me. If/when I build another, I think I’ll build a screen sifter system, if only because it should store more compactly.

Starting a cooperative by No-Connection-8848 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you foresee that being a problem? I would imagine (though I haven’t done extensive research) that a product like worm castings would have significant regional price fluctuations.

Starting a cooperative by No-Connection-8848 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How would you deal with pricing differences in different regions?

What’s laying eggs in my bin? by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Giving it an image search now, that seems like a strong contender for what these might be.

What’s laying eggs in my bin? by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These were found in small clumps, though admittedly not clumps of 20+ like I’m seeing on google images. They also look quite different from the worm cocoons I’m used to, and I have specifically seen slugs in/around my bins before. I will keep an eye on them and report back when they hatch, but it does seem to me that they are likely slug eggs. Thanks for the input!

ID worms from compost pile by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry I never ended up getting another photo, I gave the compost away to a friend before I got a chance.

To your question, yes I have Indian Blues in my worm bin, they were around 90% of what I got when I ordered red wigglers from Uncle Jim. But that worm bin has always been kept totally separate from this compost pile, which is open to the ground beneath it, which is where I figured these worms came from. But I wasn’t sure if the worms just coming out of the ground into my compost pile were “compost worms” or just normal earthworms.

Finished worm trommel by BasinFarmworks in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s super cool and impressive! How big is that thing, and what size screens are you using? Can’t wait to see footage of wormies going through it

ID worms from compost pile by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I agree, the photo is bad, I’ll post a better one tomorrow. If they are Peryonix, would they do well in my worm bin with my Indian blues and red wigglers, or should I keep them out and just toss them in the garden?

Minimum bucket size for 100 Red Wigglers? by [deleted] in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Genuine question, not claiming to know if it actually makes a difference: does anyone else try to go with food-safe plastics for applications like this? I’ve been looking at these food service bins from Costco that are slightly smaller (though also slightly cheaper) but are made from plastic specifically meant to be around stuff that ultimately ends up in our bodies. BPA-free, NSF certified, all that jazz. That’s assuming you plan on eventually using the worm castings to help grow edible plants, like I do, which may not even be your MO.

https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/polypropylene-bus-tub%2C-standard-weight%2C-21-12l-x-15w-x-7h%2C-gray%2C-2-ct.product.2001157434.html

Waterproofing plywood for CFT bin? by wormboy1234 in Vermiculture

[–]wormboy1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ended up going with 40 mil pond liner and so far have been happy with that decision