TIPS FOR THE WORM FARM

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Studying PERMACULTURE with my teacher Geoff Lawton - The 2024 online PDC is open for students from 10th May 2024. If you go to the enrollment page using this Weedy Garden affiliate link www.discoverpermaculture.com/a/2147844655/UvHULpHp - you can also recieve a US$150 discount off the online course by writing "weedy150" in the coupon.

[@sandorkovacs9271]

this 0:12 is magical. like the Shire. i love your cinematic work, it is out of this world!!!

[@HANU-4EO]

FOR SOME REASON I FEEL PEACE OF MIND WHEN EVER I WHATCH YOUR VIDEOS SIR ...... ALL MY STRESS AND OTHER DISTURBING THINGS IN MY MIND JUST DISAPPEARS .....KEEP POSTING AND I LOVE YOUR WORK....😊😊😊😊

[@Youngstomata]

Just found your channel and cant stop watching! I dig your relaxing style and garden techniques

[@CoconutInformation]

Love your follow ups, nice to learn from your learning :)

[@AJRestoration]

I just found your channel and you are instantly my favourite KZbinr and channel!

[@dgcain76]

Love your mini movies, (cos that’s what they are) & I’m learning loads.. thank you for your genius !,

[@amaturearcadia]

I really likes the seminar segment haha lol

[@TheWeedyGarden]

👍

[@chantallachance4905]

I live in Quebec, Canada my worm casting is in the house all year Now its time to sow for autumn and winter garden in a no heat greenhouses on my small urban ground I sift my worm castings compost it is so rich and a FREE organic homemade quality soil equal quality vegetables and quality Health Thank you 🙏

[@MrSeney1]

Salut Chantal du Québec moi aussi et vermiculteur pareillement! Bonne journée!

[@martysgarden]

Part two top stuff. Compost worms are a part of the organic system and play a massive role. Good on you for getting out the message about this amazing creature Worm Wrangler Warrior from the Mid North Coast NSW Australia..This is what my channel is all about worm farming! Cheers Marty

[@hfestion.]

My congratulations!!! You have reached another level

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Thankyou. Keep up the comments on other vids too please 😃 It helps my channel grow 🙏🏻

[@Mushabis]

I feeel your videos more than alll other videos and chanels , those photos and videos wow

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Thanks Milad 🖐🏼😉

[@TheGoodFunGuy]

Those kookaburras must have had some questions about worms! Lmao the timing was fantastic, great series mate!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

They go off every morning and afternoon. It’s like a symphony

[@richardpill8322]

Thanks for the video, this is something I need to start doing. Checked out the jewellery and lovely stuff, I am sure my wife will like her surprise present! All the best.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Let’s hope she doesn’t read your comment or the surprise won’t be a surprise 😃🙏💪🏻

[@rhs010]

Love your channel. Your wormville videos have helped me a lot with my own worm compost.

[@nickerzzbell4811]

I finished my bathtub worm farm the day before wormville part 1 came out, so far so good 👍 I had been pondering over the juice going anaerobic, great to know I can just cycle it back through each day, makes more sense to me than messing around with a little air pump that will likely just stop working after a month or 2 anyway. Great info, I learnt a few things from this video, thanks for sharing Weedy!

[@nancy4994]

You’re positivity and optimism as a person and gardener is so vivid and fresh .. and your photography is amazing…. luv from Melbourne 😀

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Nice of you to say so Nancy. Thanks a lot

[@jessicaerke691]

Great video. Thank you.

[@jennifermhogan7113]

nice video creative and engaging and learnt a bit about worm juice too dont sit for a week....a like your worm farm design too cool....nice jewellery your partner too I love my gemstones...

[@TheWeedyGarden]

So does she. Thanks for the nice words

[@joeyaldente8858]

All I can say after watching all of your videos is thank you. No other words seem to completely encompass everything that I want to say other than thank you, complete and utter thanks from the bottom of my heart.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Yeah, I’m like that too sometimes. But I heard you load and clear 🙏🪱🎃

[@lloydedmonds8775]

Great Video! Loved the questions from the birds and outsiders hahaa

[@gor4988]

Another great video thanks David Look forward to the webinar

[@planterbanter]

Weedy Garden your videos are absolutely amazing

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Thanks Planter Banter. I’m glad you think so 🙏💙🎥🪱

[@freegandavehartman8908]

Howdy, love how your videos are done, you are inspirational! We are gardening at 6300’ off grid in Montana, North America. Been taught thru affiliations of the Permaculture institute as well. We have lots os swales, I added these worms to every tree and shrub basin. Now they are everywhere, even in this cold climate. I’m always getting yard waste(not waste to me) at the county landfill to mulch and feed the worms. They have really help to improve my growing situation. Be well my brother!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I reckon my fruit trees with be happy too

[@marcelvandorst2570]

You’re an inspiration as a person a the things you make. Thanks a lot!

[@middleway1885]

Boop! Thanks another great episode! Cheers to ya!

[@kalaoaflowerpower]

omg im so excited! this webinar looks way cooler than any reddit ask me anything I've ever heard of. I'm a visual learner who struggles to read and write but you sir are a badass with a lens and speaks directly to my heart. lets go! spread the word fam like, subscribe, ring the bell and share on your social media's

[@farmerbug7343]

worms! my soil healthiness barometer. thanks for doing this very edifying video. stay healthy, mate.

[@randyarndt8409]

And secondly, yes I live in Homer, AK and have been using locally harvested earthworms instead of compost worms and getting good results. Biggest difference what they like to eat. Earthworms seem to like the things that grow around here like leaves, manure, and imported brown groc bags and cardboard. Going to try the grass cuttings idea in small amounts. I think the webinar idea is fantastic, will be watching for it. And yes your presentation is well done and exhibits the mingling of two passions. = )

[@suburbanhomestead]

An earthworm barista 😂. I’m curious to see how effective your final brew will be. Great vid David.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Me too Siloe.

[@elenapaiuc4619]

I look forward to the webinar! :)

[@piamerycelis1115]

Es muy interesante un abrazo de Chile ❤❤❤

[@ianpoole357]

Hey Tony from Simplify Gardening sent me to see you

[@JoanEvangelista]

Thank you for explaining how leachate can be dangerous if not treated properly! Great tips overall! My worm bin is just a tiny tub without a drip hole. I manage the worm juice by adding cardboard :)

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Sure thing. Thanks for commenting 👍🏼

[@giselamarcolongo9852]

Is such a joy to watch your videos! God blessed you 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😃🤩💐😊🙏🏻🪴🌻👏🏻👏🏻

[@maryhmedina779]

Okay, so you have increased the worm population and your tub is now very full. 1. Do you Farm out the worms where you are growing your plants? Or do you just use the worms for the casting in your garden? 2. How do you separated the worms from the casting without harming them? 3. Do you water the plants like every 4-5 days with the liquid from worms besides just putting it back with the worms? I just realized I called your videos, The Weedy Gardener" My apologies. far from Weedy. "The Weedy Garden," videos are so enlightening. Thank you so much.

[@maryhmedina779]

Other questions, 1. Do you ferment your food? 2. Do you have a fridge, or do keep things cool under ground? 3. Do you filter your water. 4. How do you keep the bugs from eating your harvest? 5. Besides the kind group that has helped you, how do you do everything? It's not good for man to be alone. I pray for you.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@maryhmedina779 lots of questions. I have not started to learn fermenting yet. I have a fridge, I companion plant to reduce pests and I love being alone with my wife here. Sometimes friends come and help in exchange for fresh produce 😀

[@TheWeedyGarden]

No I don’t put the worms in the garden because I use them to make castings and juice. I water the juice now on my plants once a week. To harvest castings without killing the worms, all I do is move their food to one end of the tub and wait for a few days. They migrate to where the food is, then I take a few shovel fulls of them along with their food from that end, save them in a bucket and empty the tub.

[@manuelrojas4483]

Saludos desde Canarias 🇪🇸🤙🏻👌🏻🌿🌿🫑🌶🍓👏🏻🪱🪱

[@mygardenhomestead]

Very great vidéos and wow love thé ways you take pictures and videos 👍😃😃😃👌👌👌

You have always such a beautiful selection of music! I lovit!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I have a subscription to artlist.io. I’m always happy when I press “upload video”, and no, I’m not sponsored or have an affiliate with them 🤣 I rarely use a whole track, but often mix them up. Sometimes using just the start, middle or riffs...and most of the time I use the END! 🎼🎻🎷🪕

[@sufiblade]

Still my favourite channel, but one advice: I feel the volume is way too low so if you can please look at it in the future

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Roger

[@basecamp.santoshwhowrites]

Its been so long that i waited for something other than spaceX test videos.

[@alanmagana1927]

Much love from the base of mount Shasta

[@martysgarden]

Much love from Australia😀

[@alanmagana1927]

@@martysgarden lemuiran love to you!

[@martysgarden]

@@alanmagana1927 and you!

[@alanmagana1927]

@@martysgarden that lava fire is was no joke

[@jamesnapier7789]

When i have too many worms I go fishing.... great bait

[@tcotroneo]

I see from several videos, like any good gardener, your all about the microbes. I’ve come to the conclusion, that a microscope is probably the best tool in the garden. You can measure, real time, the state of your microorganism population. Then you have a great idea about bacterial/fungal/beneficial/parasitic populations in your composts, teas, and soil.. Then you know exactly what’s going on and can adjust your farming needs.. No more guessing/assuming..

[@martysgarden]

Gotta luv the microbes and worm poop

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I’m getting my new scope next month. Yay 😀

[@beelover2827]

I want one too

[@bernadette6211]

After watching your video I went out to check on my bin, it was fairly soggy and smelly/poor worms. So I gently mixed in some compost and mulch hopefully this helps.

[@biggersmilesinasia8402]

Getting my worms in 2 weeks... Perfect timing. Cheers

[@martysgarden]

Nice, you will love it. I teach worm farming on my channel if that helps?😀

[@biggersmilesinasia8402]

@@martysgarden Already subbed to you Marty, getting lots of great info. Love the Aussies!!!

[@martysgarden]

@@biggersmilesinasia8402 wow, now thats cool. Thanks

[@danutabanachowicz-kosyra6033]

Super, super.

[@NONAMESLEFTNONE]

Too much greens!! Thank you! My castings are always completely soaked, though I don't add water, and I dry it out by adding potting soil! I will switch to browns from now on (and some potting soil). It's weird that I use to be 'grossed out' by bugs living in rotting things but now the black, fungus covered tomato slop is the first thing I'll pick up with my bare hands to see if the underside is undulating with microscopic life. How times change. :) Thanks again. (And I love the plug for your wife.)

[@davidbrown9458]

Great video. I've been vermiculture forjust over a year.Mine is about quarteryour size but have about threeinches of gravel in bottom ith a 2" perferreted pipe in gravel with the overflow on side. To keep the juice Aerobic, placing anair stone driven by air pump in bucket helps but your wayis cheaper

[@martysgarden]

Top stuff David, I am a worm farmer also from Australia. Happy Worm Farming!

[@TUrsaum]

Like how u think! Be water

[@tomcharles4027]

Thank you eh!🙏

[@BloosSelfReliance]

Wow!!! 50 times!!! Thats alot of food !!!

[@peterclark6290]

Worm juice must be very similar to compost tea which in its final preparation stage is aerated with a bubbler (for your purposes, like those used in fish tanks, something very small, on a timer maybe). The aeration is a multiplier as the microbes breed like it was the 60s all over again. I have no suggestions as to the music they like, soz.

[@hhhhjkjj7287]

Another great vid!🙂☮️

[@OscarBiedma]

Feeding the algorithm.❤

[@onemancamera1]

Howzit from Cape Town

[@tylersprague8994]

You are an inspiration, thank you!

[@skyylarhubbard]

@ weedygarden use avocados in the worm tub!! They will breed sooo much faster than normal the see is like a hotel for worms and all the rooms get checked out try it yourself and bring your worm crop up

[@TheWeedyGarden]

But I never have avos left after I eat them. The husks they are not keen on, (or maybe it’s just hard for them, and the seeds...I’ve been planting them, but now I have enough. So you are saying they like the seed? I can imagine they love avo. It’s soft and full of good stuff 😀🥑

[@denimacaz]

For the worminar… I’m in the desert and have a veg garden in raised beds only. I use 2 gallon buckets, directly in the raised beds (bottom cut out/ holes drilled in the sides). This is where I introduced my worms to the garden and where I feed them. I only started this about 6 months ago and I would love to hear any tips for success as well as things to watch out for with this method. Thank you!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

We will talk about this in the webinar also. Basically holes small enough to keep mice out, holes not above ground, lid on but not closed...it needs oxygen. Mix greens AND browns.

[@sislertx]

I love this idea...decades ago i had worms under the sink..no one in the house knew... i out my leftovers direct in the garden...all over...too old to do much more..

[@MrJoeeano88]

Great info, thanks!

[@stickshaker101]

I bet a solar powered pond pump would keep your tea circulating and aerated, maybe give you some extra shelf life.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Probably would

[@doggert1]

@@TheWeedyGarden If you are interested in that, then a search on KZbin on "DIY water pump" would give some inspiration. A small DC motor, a piece of aluminum (a can), a small aquarium-hose and a lot is done. Aliexpress is your friend, sir. You can also get a small solar panel there as well.

[@Kier4n99]

Apparently water pumps kill the bacteria in the tea. Only read that online though

[@ParkDari]

I have a worm factory 360 in the corner of my living room. It looks like a little end table. It has no smell other than the smell of dirt when I open the lid. I use a moisture meter to keep my bin on the lower end of moist. I don’t make any tea but it keeps mites to a minimum. I grind my scraps so the worms process them before they smell

[@TheWeedyGarden]

That’s getting close to nature

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Would love to see more videos of your swales and the rain!!! As far as the worms, my question would be making aerated worm tea and also using the castings with compost for seeding trays. What about finishing compost in the worm bin?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I think for me, finishing my compost in the worm tub would fill up too much space. Instead, I mix them both in the soil. Then if there is anything left for them they will go for it, otherwise move on looking for more. I “chop and drop”, so the soil around my plants is always covered with something fir the compost worms

[@TheVigilantStewards]

@@TheWeedyGarden I agree that what you are saying makes more sense in your context... however, just as a general topic of when people describe "supercharge your compost" by passing it through your vermicompost system.... I would just like to hear a wise man's thoughts on that idea for someone who does have enough flow through in their setup to handle it. Also, it could end up being really good to generate enough materials to fill seed trays or block makers with and the compost would be pretty well finished. By the way Weedy, I'm still singing your swale digging song :) I loved that episode when all the men sang while working. And I love the music you picked for the swale preview video, I have it saved somewhere but the name eludes me right now. Racoon Racoon maybe was the artist?

[@RoyHolder]

I noticed Geoff Lawton leaves his worm farm open to the rain because the area of the bathtub is only small so rainfall doesn't add that much water to it.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I know. But when it rained a lot this summer, his got all mushy and welll...that’s another story. When I spoke with Geoff about wormville, he said “you need to meet Andrew”.

[@sonylimena2933]

If its too mushy maybe you need to mix them with your compashi before applied to your rasie bed..

[@bernadette6211]

I have a worm bin that has layers that stack on top of each other. I've been playing around with it for years but have never managed the worms properly. Considering how long it has taken me you are getting amazing results in a short time. Have you seen the different types of bacteria in the worm castings under a microscope?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

No. Not yet. I should be getting my new scope soon. Then I might have a look 👀

[@BalticBarbarian]

Hey bro, how so you stop the plug / drainage hole getting clogged? 🙏🙏 Thank you

[@TheWeedyGarden]

shade cloth wrapped in chicken wire with a stone on top

[@thenande]

Hi, is the worm castings and the worm juice enough as a fertilizer for the crops for the long term to infinity or do we need to supplement them with other nutrients?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

well I use it and also some chicken manure and some blood and bone

[@thenande]

@@TheWeedyGarden got it. Thank you!

[@northeastworms]

i just found out your channel and I am in love :)

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Welcome to The Weedy Garden channel ✌️

[@wesleycatlett9144]

What do you think would happen if you provide a steady, but not excessive, flow of pure oxygen into a worm farm through a port in the bottom. Would oxygenating the system make it more productive?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Hmmm. Not sure. Perhaps. If you feed them properly, you should not need to

[@Su-du7pm]

Hello, I have been reviewing your videos again. How do you avoid having worms in the juice? They die inside if they can not go out from there.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

the filter keeps them in the tub

[@Su-du7pm]

@@TheWeedyGarden Thank you

[@ralsharp6013]

Looking forward to your Q & A webinar session on worms..🌿The worms under our gum tree mulch are as long as my hand. My worm farm "not so successful" due to not understanding it

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Sorry but we never went ahead with that webinar. How´s it going with your farm. Did u get it started

[@lukelints9776]

I use a fishtank bubbler in a 15 gallon container to keep it aerobic.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Weedy, while flipping our compost this morning a question came to mind. If you only could pick 1 method of adding "fertility" to your garden(compashi, worm poop,liquid fertilizers etc.), which 1 would you pick? The reason I ask, as new gardeners the internet is a great help. Conversely it overwhelmed us and maybe others with information. We've recently got over that and have a no fear approach which has help us and our garden a lot. Soil is the key in my mind, but sometimes less is more ???? We recently finished our 1st batch of compost and the results are amazing!! Your approach to gardening and life has taught us a bunch!! Thanks from Victoria Canada

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Worm juice wins every time!!

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@TheWeedyGarden interesting and awesome!! Thx :)

[@randyarndt8409]

Another question for Andrew. If I am only wanting to make castings can I just put a foot of horse/cow manure in the tub, cover with shredded cardboard and then bug screen and let it sit for the summer ? And the kitchen scraps can go into my 170 degree compost pile with all my other harvested goodies.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

It’s a good question. If I were to guess, I would say you could, but I think the worms will go looking for food(greens and decomposting stuff). You could experiment, but if you join the live webinar, I’ll ask for sure.

[@randyarndt8409]

@@TheWeedyGarden Sounds good, need to figure out our time difference.. What is your time zone and date and time on webinar ?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@randyarndt8409 planning on noon on a Sunday. NSW Australia time

[@randyarndt8409]

@@TheWeedyGarden Cool - Looks like you are 18hrs ahead of us.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@randyarndt8409 which would make it 6pm on a Saturday correct?

[@lisahope36]

Can you store worm castings? I have recently moved and moved my worm farms with us but we haven't started building our gardens yet, if I can't store them should I just throw them away?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Sure you can store them. No problem 👍🏼

[@Su-du7pm]

And how do you get the worm hummus out from the bath receipt without worms? Greetings from the south of Chile

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I show that on my next video

[@Su-du7pm]

@@TheWeedyGarden yes, I watched it after I wrote to you. 🙂

[@l.ronhubbard5445]

Do you suppose worms would thrive being fed spent oyster mushroom blocks? I'm talking pure straw that has begun to be broken down by the oyster mushrooms. Thanks!

[@janohdegroot989]

What do you do with the wormcastings, use it in the soil? And then what to di with the tigerworms, can they go with them?

[@allenclayton4162]

Beautiful setup you have there. I'm looking at making a worm farm. Could a person get a fish tank bubbler for the worm juice bucket to keep it aerobic?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

That’s a good question. I would think so

[@Smokertoker]

I wish I had the means and land to do what you are doing.

[@ronk4073]

I do not have space inside to keep worms. If I set up a worm farm it would have to be outside. But we have cold winters here. Typically the low is 15 F, but it can go as low as 0 F. I don't think worms could survive those temperatures outside. Should I even bother to make a worm farm? Does Andrew have suggestions?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

You could ask him on the webinar. I’ll post when it is coming

[@ronk4073]

@@TheWeedyGarden I understand. I was posting my questions so you could pass it on during your webinar. Thanks for your help.

[@sarthakbhardwaj3392]

What is that you wear around your neck?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Aum. Om. 🕉

[@lsb9073]

Hi Weedy G'day mate. Loving your viddies. This one is timely :D. But the time of your Webinar is going to be middle of the night for me, so any chance we will be able to review it later? And get to see/read a transcript of the discussion & the questions? Problem here in SW Scotland is we can go down to -10 C overnight for spells of maybe a fortnight - and who know what climate change has in store for us yet. I need a lot of worms but don't have a lot of space for them. My bathtub is going to be my garden pond eventually and is set in the ground already. I like your set up of a waist level tub tho and I have an old metal potting table I can use to hold a bin of maybe 40-45% volume of a bath. My question to your man is: How do I manage it in our wet and cold weather? I'm alone and don't have your building skills to erect a quick structure & roof to house them, In summer it gets really hot in the direct sun. My available walls face north, northwest and northeast and a shaded area which faces east but looks straight onto the gable wall of the house, so still doesn't get a lot of sun, especially in winter. I do have a potential spot in the middle, under a silver birch but no protection from the winds and I'd be worried my converted table would get tipped over in a gale. I have some left over wall insulation panel I could tape around my bin but that won't survive long in our weather. And we have a lot of rain so I'd have to cover it overnight, and during any wet spells. Many thanks! Laura B Dumfries, Scotland

[@TheWeedyGarden]

It ended being cancelled actually. I might answer a few questions on a face book vid, so keep your eye out for that

[@flujackson604]

Love the video. I have 1500-2000 or so in an environment in my basement. Do any pests try to get in at it outside? I live in Canada so I was thinking of making this in the garage so I can get the juice like that. I have some chipmunks in there. Thanks so much from across the way.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Rats snd mice here. The cover I made keeps them out. In the summer flies!!

[@flujackson604]

@@TheWeedyGarden thanks I'll check it out for the cover appreciate it

[@evelyndulay5613]

Can you please feature how to look after ANZ worm African Night Crawler

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I am no expert. My worms are Tiger. try going to a vermiculture face book group

[@doctorsnake8764]

Used to keep some 'compost tea' in a very old cast-iron cauldron in the green house and never thought or worried about it going anaerobic. So, since the green house operation was very successful on the face of it, what signs should I have looked for to assess damaging effects? And, aside from pouring tea back through the system, what can be done to maintain aerobic conditions? I can't help but think about wastewater treatment plants' use of bubblers, fountains of fizz shooting in the air to capture more oxygen. Your current methods are fine if you don't have much else to do or think about, but surely small steps at automation can safely be applied as you move on to other tasks?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Yes, I think a small pump to aerate it would keep it fresh. I think also if it is cool, it will keep for longer. I have no experience using "outdated" worm juice, but I have used "outdated" bacteria juice. See vid nr 6 to see what happens. Similar thing would happen if you used pungent worm juice. Use your nose. It knows. If it smells ok, it´s probably ok.

[@jbontregor6717]

Hey weedy, did I miss the worm class? Can’t find a link anywhere? Thanks, Hawaii

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Hi Hawaii. Actually it never eventuated.

[@charliebell4632]

Wow that was so loud I’m in the states was that sound monkeys where you are ?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Ha ha ha. No, it was the kookaburra, a bird. A very noisy bird

[@goolsa]

Hey mate, loving your videos, thanks for the effort you put into these! Have you tried putting seaweed into your work farm? The worms love it!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I put seaweed in my compost and also directly on the soil. I live a fair drive from the beach, so it’s a luxury item here in TWG. I am sure they love it too 🪱😊

[@unbekannt2898]

Can someone explain what’s going on there ??? 1:42 I see 3 worms and 2 of them goes in one of them ? Or what?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Two worms mating !

[@ChrisPBacon-yz6nk]

What if you put a bubbler in the juice bucket?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

I don’t have power up there

[@oleggold]

(question after TLTR) I've been growing worms since a tear ago when the covid started. Now we have 3 bins, but I am still not sure exactly what I am doing. Luckily the worms are so forgiving. My question is about the uninvited guests. I try to keep my bins covered with nets to keep bugs out, and yet those annoying ones get in and lay eggs and I know they aren't bad, but it is still annoying. i didn't see any bugs or flies flying over your bath, how is it possible?

[@martysgarden]

Maybe I can help, I have a popular channel about worm farming and run a live q and each weekend too. Happy Worm Farming Marty

[@TheWeedyGarden]

That is the cover I made. See it on part one. It works a treat

[@oleggold]

@@TheWeedyGardenI saw that. I guess our bugs here are too small, or maybe I should work more on the layers. I saw you added onions and biochar, which I don't add. Maybe that's a repellent

[@martystevens2313]

Can you do this on a smaller scale like a 5 gallon bucket? I live in a condo and dont think the neighbors would appreciate the bathtub 🤣

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Sure u can. We talk about that in the webinar in a few weeks

[@randyarndt8409]

Everyone seems to follow the same model of a large volume of manure as a base then adding other stuff on top, however I have never heard the reason for the large volume of manure if the composting worms live in the upper area, feeding on the fresh scraps. Seems like it is two different things going on, composting and vermaculture.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Well that’s interesting. I’m combining two methods I have seen, but you are right. I think the manure base is just something you can use. Doesn’t HAVE to be.

[@randyarndt8409]

@@TheWeedyGarden I would love to chat/email/text with you and /or Andrew or both about worms in general, having great luck with AK earthworms and am always trying new ideas. Just added some dried onion skins, mustard leaves, radish greens and a mixture of bandsaw dust mixed coffee grounds to the 4 corners of my bin to see where they group up cause they love it.

[@fabbey74]

When is the webinar scheduled for?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Yeah, that was ages ago, but it was cancelled. I won´t be doing webinars after all. Maybe sometime in the future.

[@johnskelly2542]

our worm farm was about 15 years old when we moved to North West NSW, 1 summer was enough to wipe them out with temperatures up to 48 celcius, it was probably my fault as i cleaned out all the worm castings and gave them a fresh start, that probably meant they couldnt find the sweet spot temperature wise, it was pretty disappointing.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Oh no. I would have cried 🥲

[@johnskelly2542]

@@TheWeedyGarden we never even used the worm juice or castings as we didnt have a garden, we just fed them scraps, they were kind of like our pets, but that only made it more upsetting, by the way, we usually blended there scraps so that they consumed them easier, they seemed pretty happy and thrived accordingly

[@Aurora-rd8lm]

Why you didn't think about starting an aquaponic in your garden ?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

No need. I have plenty of room and soil

[@90s_HipHop]

Only just found this video, so think I missed the webinar. I have a pretty good worm farm but I have 2 questions. How do I harvest the castings easily? Also, does storing the juice in a sealed container stop it going bad?

[@TheWeedyGarden]

To harvest castings, move all their food up to one end and wait a few days. They will migrate to where the food is. Then shovel out that section and save it to go back in. Remove the remaining castings. Not sure how long the juice will last in a sealed container but probably not long.

[@marlenen6130]

Have you found a good way to harvest the castings yet? I use several methods in combination. In my CFT (continuous Flow Through) systems I can harvest mostly completed castings from the bottom and use them as is or more often they are kinda wet so I put them in those felt grow bags to dry a bit and after a a week or two I bury a cut (preferably diagonal) banana with the cut side up, cover with damp newspaper and a piece of cardboard to keep it dark. The worms will usually gather in and around the banana and then I can Re home them in the system again. I keep this up until I use the castings or I move them to buckets with little air holes on top and a lid, this keeps the castings moist and alive, as well as I can then stack the buckets up saving space. With my totes/bins I typically set them up and over time I push finished castings to one end and feed the other, pulling out larger pieces from the finished end and putting them to the feeding area to go through again. I can then gather up all the finished ends and put them in a shallow tub, leaving an area on one end to use as a baiting area. Over time they will all migrate to that area. Another fun way to harvest my tower systems is to put the finished castings tray on the top with a bright light above and then agitate the material every 15-30 minutes for a minute over a few hours. The worms will dive down through the holes into the active tray.

[@KristinGasser]

... what if we're in about 750 m altitude on the appennin mountains in Tuscany? Guess I missed the webinar? 😯

[@hugelpook]

Can you recommend a good book about worm farms?

[@martysgarden]

You can pop over to my channel if your interested. My channel is all about worm farming. We have a wonderful community called Worm Wranglers. 😀

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Yes. Charles Darwins WORMS.

[@hugelpook]

@@TheWeedyGarden I meant a book about how to build and manage a worm farm.