worm farm / red wigglers

Balduvian

Balduvian

started my own worm farm today, got 1/2 pound of red wigglers from a woman the city over for $15 not bad price from what i have seen, hoping to get some good worm castings and some liquid nutrients for my peppers.
does anyone else have their own worm farm?
how do you like it and how well does the liquid nutrients work for you?
also at what ratio to water do you dilute it? ive heard 20:1 and 10:1 so far
 
Candace020.jpg
 
What foloows is a compilation of my responses to the topic of worm farms:
 
On my personal fert routine: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/38304-your-personal-fert-routine/page-2?hl=worm
 
[background=#fff4e4]In previous years, I have used almost exclusively [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] tea in combination with well-amended soil and the occasional sprinkle of miracle grow for micro nutrients.[/background]
[background=#fff4e4]This year, when the peppers were approximately 4 weeks old, I gave them a weak dose of miracle grow, along with a top dressing of [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] castings and foliar fed liquid seaweed.[/background]
[background=#fff4e4]From this point on to crowning, the plants receive a light dose of fish emulsion with approximately every third watering, until mid june or so.[/background]

[background=#fff4e4]At about 8 weeks, I fed the plants with a silica rich fertilizer, which imparted a very sturdy nature in the plants.[/background]

[background=#fff4e4]I have selected the best specimens of each of my "most anticipated" varieties to transplant early into 2 quart pots of "premium soil." This soil is composed of foxfarm ocean forrest, foxfarm happy frog, roots organic original mix, and my own special "super-soil" mix which undergoes self-pasteurization (promix bx amended with beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizae, azomite, gypsum, coco choir, perlite, [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] castings, compost, bee pollen, fish emulsion, liquid seaweed, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, super-thrive, and molasses.)[/background]

[background=#fff4e4]Once it becomes warm enough for the plants to stay outside permanently, I will be transplanting the peppers into raised beds amended with home-made compost, field-aged from horse/cow manure, and home-made [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4]castings, as well as gypsum, hydrated lime, dolomite, azomite, cottonseed meal, and kelp meal.[/background]

[background=#fff4e4]When the plants begin to flower I will give them compost/[/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4]tea and a medium strength dose of potash and epsom salt. They will receive this same regimen during each 'wave' of ripening peppers until the end of the season.[/background]
 
[background=#fff4e4]On ratios of worm castings to use as a soil amendment: [/background]http://thehotpepper.com/topic/38580-worm-castings-question/?hl=worm
 
[background=#fff4e4]I would say 1/4 of the soil as [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] castings would be fine... 1/4 [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] castings-1/4 coco-choir-1/4 perlite-1/4 vermiculite would be a nice soil. [/background]

[background=#fff4e4]And although you will need to buy [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] castings for this* time around, I would still recommend that you start your own [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4] farm.  Its great fun, easy, convenient, clean, and you can take great pride in the fact that you are fertilizing successfully with nutrients that you* are responsible for making (well, with assistance from the [/background][background=#FFFF00]worm[/background][background=#fff4e4]s that is)!!!!![/background]
 
 
 
On whether worm tea is sufficient unto itself as a fertilizer for peppers: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/38043-is-worm-tea-enough-for-entire-grow/
 
[background=#e9d8c1] Last season I fed my pepper plants only three times using home made worm tea and they produced mre peppers than i could handle. This monster ButchT was one such plant... They were fed worm tea 3 times or so... once during "crowning" (when the plants put out massive amounts of flowers all at once) and two more times after the first wave of peppers...  otherwise they were only given  well-water when required[/background]

[background=#e9d8c1]I should add that the soil was well-amended with compost and manure, which carried the plants through vegetative growth until they were ready to produce peppers.  Honestly peppers don't require too much nutrients.  Worm tea is rich enough for most plants.  Some plants will do well with a little dose of potash and epsom salt during fruit setting, but worm tea should suffice.[/background]
 
On the efficacy of using coffee grounds in worm farms: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/38528-coffee-grounds/
 
[background=#fff4e4]Actually, its kinda funny... before we first got into worming, my aunt had brought a cup of red wrigglers from her worm farms for my little brother as a Christmas gift. She explained to him how to care for them, as well as the beneifts they bring to your garden. My dad helped him set up a tub and the worms were on their way. However, my little brother was not ever even interested in gardening and neglected the worms... While I was off at school my dad was the one who essentially was in charge of the worms, and being a very very busy man, he basically neglected them as well. For the entire winter, from thanksgiving to may, the worms subsisted in a very hot room of our house in a tub with only a few small holes in the lid. The only food the worms recieved for that entire period was coffee grounds and filters. That is it!!! When spring came along, I returned home for summer break. I wanted to start my own worm farm(s), because I was/am an avid gardener. When I pulled that worm farm out of that hot room and opened it up fully for the first time in months, I was amazed to see a huge mass of thriving, writhing worms!!!! The worms were packed solid. There were so many worms it was ridiculous. There may have been more worms in that tub than I have in all of my worm farms combined. It was freakish. So the point is, that heat of which you speak is something the worms love. Those worms were in a room that stayed about 80 degrees and were fed only coffee grounds.[/background]

[background=#fff4e4]Now I have 6 worm farms of my own!!! I feed them a huge diversity of things... and of course, every day one of the bins gets its morning coffee ;-)[/background]
[background=#fff4e4] [/background]

[background=#fff4e4] [/background]

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[background=#fff4e4] [/background]

 
And lastly: A pictorial demonstration of the awesomeness of worm castings that are fed a diverse diet.:http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33769-who-has-the-best-butch-t-plant/
 
 
[background=#e9d8c1]I think I may have a contender.[/background]


[background=#e9d8c1]
gallery_7416_58_105966.jpg
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[background=#e9d8c1]My one and only Butch T plant from pepper joes seed stock.  I had a disastrous experience with my seedlings last spring (I had my brothers promise to keep them watered over the weekend---which neither of them did... and I only had one Butch T survive the drought.... I will never make that mistake again)  Furthermore, I went on a 39 day vacation over the summer around the country and left the Butch T in care with my mother, who barely ever watered it and when she did it was watered with chlorinated city water... and was barely alive when I returned.  The results you see are the product of only 2 months of real growth from a skeletal stick with leaves and a few flowers.  All of this goes to show that the Butch T Trinidad Scorpion is genetically a beast.[/background]

[background=#e9d8c1]The plant was organically grown from a home-made soil media... and only fertilized once (with home-made worm castings after the first crown of peppers began to fully ripen).[/background]


[background=#e9d8c1]Here are some frozen pods...(there are currently no ripe, fresh pods to show)[/background]

[background=#e9d8c1]
gallery_7416_58_5233172.jpg
[/background]
 
Yes.. its an old barrel chainsawed-in-half by my uncle decades ago ;-)
 
I let the run-0ff from the roof spill into the barrel and then mix in worm castings, compost tea, fish emusion and whatever other 'premium" nutes I have around.
 
I'm impressed with the worm castings, I bought .7 CF and I top dressed some of my peppers and I also did an AACT with it and the normal ingredients I use.

I did foliar, soil drench and top dressing, and all I can say is wow. my peppers are taking off again after being stunted for a while and yellowing out.

About the Butch T... I'm a first time grower and what I did was that I took like 3 seedlings at that time. I took a 7 pot yellow, 7 pot CARDI, and of course the Butch T, while I kept checking on them under full morning sun, 2 were wilting real bad while the Butch T was enjoying the sun.

Two thumbs up for the Butch T!

, Vegas
 
@noah
 
out of curiosity do you have any problems with bugs in your worm bin? I have read a lot of people have trouble with roach's in/ around the bins. I personally have never had this issue. 
 
No... I have never had any problems with insects in my bins...probably because I allow spiders to live on the lids and around the bins.  However, one time I put some "spoiled" grain in a bin...only to later discover they had turned into maggots  :confused:
 
Other than that... one time I had a skink living in one of the bins.  :P                 
 
Properly fed worm bins are pretty clean.  They shouldn't smell bad (unless you feed some not-so-fresh kitchen scraps that smelled bad to start with).  On the contrary, my worm bins smell like the greatest soil you ever smelled.  All 6 bins stayed inside the house through the winter.  No smell whatever. :party:    
 
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