Why use Cardboard in your Worm Farms?

[@martysgarden]

Do you want to learn how to get up and running fast with minimal fuss? Then check this out kzbin.info/door/nPkv-JUX4Pqn_LYbykzAtwjoin

[@peterlongobardi5708]

Marty, any chance you could do a episode on growing and breeding monster scrub worms.

[@martysgarden]

@@peterlongobardi5708 I don’t know anything about them sorry

[@peterlongobardi5708]

@martysgarden ok thank you Marty It seems its a closely guarded secret . I cant find anything about how to breed them Ive another question you might be able to answer. I understand there are 3 types of compost worms available in australia. The common tiger worm, which I have 2 farms of. But im told there is also the Indian blue, and red wrigglers. Do you know if these other 2 breeds are as easy to breed as the tiger worm ?? Is the set up the same ?? And would you happen to know if any suppliers of these 2 breeds, where they are not sold mixed with tiger worms ?? Im hoping to set up a couple of farms of each, as my axolotls don't like the bitter slime coat of the tiger worms

[@PlantObsessed]

That is a good idea. I was always annoyed with egg crate because they don't do through the shredder. Cheers from the middle of Illinois USA

[@martysgarden]

Thanks for your input, never thought about the shredder. 😀

[@arthurthomasware5004]

Very useful information and simply explained.

[@martysgarden]

Glad you think so!, thanks Dad😀

[@matty332010]

Thanks again Marty. I have been mirroring everything you do and I have had great luck so far.

[@martysgarden]

Great news Matt, so happy it's working out for you and stoked your getting the results. 😎

[@pcmultimedia1]

I find it best using a micro shredder for all the cardboard I have , this cuts it down to tiny particles , so the surface area of a sheet of cardboard is multiplied many thousands of times , a bit like biochar. Now I make my own worm chow , the worms go crazy for it , they can eat it in just two days !. I have found the best way is to get a plastic bag put in a bunch of the micro shredded cardboard , now wet it down shake it in the bag , then the important bit add the worm chow and mix it in . We now have aireated food with many surfaces for the worms . My worm chow is wheatabix, porridge oats , wheat flour , sugar , and some crushed biocher with egg shell dust. I've just built my third flow though bin . I have an unlimited amount of horse, cow and chicken manure . The flow through bin. I find the best , my first bin was built on a frame 3 years ago. It's 8feet x 4 feet , it's not flow through just a big box. I fitted 8 plastic drain pipe sections vertically , 2,2, and 2 this make sure that any part of the bin is no more than 6 inches from an air source . With this bin they do very well I use it as my breader bin to stock the other bins . I can send designs and images of these bins if interested .

[@martysgarden]

Hi Will thanks for sharing this, very helpful and will surely help those that read it. Please keep in touch, we need more like you in the community to help spread the word and share their knowledge.😎

[@pcmultimedia1]

Sure no problem , I have been worm farming for a few years now , I designed and built another two very large worm bins . One has a grid 1 inch and a sliding knife to pull down the castings , it runs on a track pulled by two wire cables. The other on is simpler same size , 8foot x 4foot but has rods spaced and inch apart front to back , the method to recover the casting is simple I just use a rake the fits between the bars. On the bottom of each bin I use a heavy plastic sheet in a half loop, it can be lowered and formed into a tight loop , I made a pulling tool then the pull the castings out one side, this sheet method is better than putting a few bins underneath and costs pennies. With cardboard we need the particles to be super small, the smaller the better , the bacteria then coats the surface with the food for the worms to digest the food.

[@pcmultimedia1]

I also make my own biochar, it's super easy , the casting are then combined with 10% of biochar. Super for the garden. Also use bokashi from food waist , the worms go mad for or it once its adjusted with some Dolomite to take the acidity down.

[@martysgarden]

Thanks for sharing, biochar is awesome!

[@pcmultimedia1]

Marty, I notice you also do big piles of manure and cover with a canvas . A farmer local to me was doing that but the trouble was it all went anaerobic. The problem with that method is there is no air getting to to compost , when you turn the compost this helps introduce air . But I have found by inserting a few plastic drain pipe sections drilled out with holes two feet throughout the pile will stop it going anaerobic.

[@martysgarden]

@@pcmultimedia1 actually it’s shade cloth plenty of air flow

[@martysgarden]

It’s actually not just manure it’s my own blend of compost. I am a qualified horticultural and majored in organics

[@pcmultimedia1]

@@martysgarden yes for sure , if you turn it over as well it will be fine.

[@billymay6461]

I was watching a video and the guy said about having mites and they will usually be up the top, so what you do, scrape the top layer off the bin and put down some paper and make a blanket. I think that pizza box would make a great blanket for this. I think it smothers them and the worms eat through it and by the time they do, the mites have been smothered

[@martysgarden]

Let me know if you try that Billy, I am interested to know how it works! 😀😎

[@billymay6461]

@@martysgarden I don’t actually have a mite problem, I just saw this as maybe a way that can help with mites. It wasn’t full proof, but it’s meant to help. Maybe I’ll bring some mites in and check it out.

[@odonnellsaussiehomestead8257]

I'm using egg cartons as a blanket in my worm farm now ,Marty 😎👍

[@martysgarden]

Nice one, keep us updated on their performance! 😎

[@WormsvsTHEWORLD]

That's a great idea. I never thought of using egg cartons like that.

[@martysgarden]

Your welcome, check out my other vlogs and videos to see it in action. The Hungry Bin was were it all first started!😎

[@shannontogo6538]

Marty you've just given me an idea! I will put some card board in a bucket,blend some fruit scraps and poor it in and let the cardboard soak it up and then rip it up and add that to my bedding. Will you use coconut coir as bedding as well?

[@martysgarden]

Yes, that's the key, soak it in some form or nitrogen it does wonders! 😎

[@marlenen6130]

I just mixed up 2 wheelbarrows of bedding to have it aging to add as needed. My worms fly through the material. I like to put some letche in the mix and material that didn’t finish composting in harvest bins. The ability to have bacteria thriving in the bedding means the worms can plow through it fast. I put in coffee and coco coir, azomite, humachar, pulverized eggshell, fungi start, handful of fresh cut grass and dried leaves. The coco and coffee keep the paper/cardboard from matting up. I use shredded and also ripped cardboard. Lots of different shapes keep great aeration. Store for weeks or months!

[@martysgarden]

@@marlenen6130 way cool, question are you in the Philippines Marlene, if so what part if you don't mind me asking?

[@shannontogo6538]

@@marlenen6130 great! Some of my worms have died from the dreaded 'string of Pearl's disease'😑which I've read is protein poisoning or bad ph balance..they say you need a ph balance of around 7. I was going to buy a ph thermometer though I dont know if it can accurately measure the ph bedding as I'm not using soil?...so i bought a compost conditioner which is supposed to balance out the ph levels..hopefully that can stop the worms from dying out🤞

[@TheMarkvq]

I love your vids. Short and packed with value information.

[@martysgarden]

I appreciate that, thanks!😎

[@TheRahsoft]

the corrugated cardbox. Ive read that they love it because of the animal protein used to make the glue to hold it all together. Im doing the egg tray method you are showing above with the tray spritzed with water, food scraps add into each egg shaped area, topped up with coffee gronds, spritzed again and then topped up with corrugated cardboard. its look like a good method so long as you keep it moist( which is how the cardboard helps)....

[@martysgarden]

All the crew here using that method are getting great results, it just takes a little time to get started then it goes crazy. Works really well in the warmer season. 😀

[@northeastworms]

Nice video, very informative

[@martysgarden]

Glad you liked it, thanks😀NW

[@deewormsvermicomposting]

Another wonderful video, with lots of useful information. Thanks for sharing, Marty!

[@martysgarden]

Thanks Dee, 😎😀

[@ontherocksinthesoilmichael6739]

It seems in the states that egg carton cardboard is always left after everything else has been broken down. I don't know why. It does eventually get consumed. I actually use my flow through as the seconds (what's left after sifting) bin. I feed like normal just add all the bits and bobs and cacoons that get sifted out. That's where it usually gets eaten.

[@martysgarden]

Thanks Michael, that's interesting about the egg cardboard in the US. Have you tried soaking it in nitrogen as well?

[@ontherocksinthesoilmichael6739]

@@martysgarden I actually precompost all my cardboard and paper with coffee grounds, alfalfa meal, kelp meal and worm tea for at least a week before feeding/using in my bins.

[@marlenen6130]

@@ontherocksinthesoilmichael6739 me too! Pre-composting gives such fast and fun results now. I can harvest so much more frequently, even if it’s just half the bin. The bins don’t get all muddy anymore.

[@ontherocksinthesoilmichael6739]

@@marlenen6130 exactly I can perfect the moisture before using in my bins and my bins harvest in 2 to 3 months depends on population of worms. And honestly my 4 species mix systems are the most productive. Now five I guess since I've introduced Louisiana Swamp Worms to the mix :) .

[@ausfoodgarden]

Great information as always Marty. I'm so glad you got me into asking the local cafe for egg cartons as well as the coffee grounds I already picked up. My worms really seem to like that multi-layered card at the top of the farms. I've always used a mix of shredded card and paper as part or all of my bedding especially indoors. Big 👍 to you.

[@martysgarden]

Awesome Gerry, stoked you have a good source now, It's a win, win if your already picking up coffee grounds!😀😎

[@gardentours]

I realized that they love avocado 🥑 peels. I seems that they breed in them. I always find many tiny worms 🐛 🐛🐛in them. 🥑🐛🤗

[@martysgarden]

Yes they do love them

[@paulquinn9734]

Thanks for the tips👍

[@martysgarden]

No problem 👍

[@kitrobbo1696]

Hi Marty have you started seeds in pure worm castings if so was it a success cheers Kit

[@martysgarden]

Hi Kit, I have a video can you grow in 100% worm castings. Starting seeds in 100% worm castings really isn't recommended. Around 10 to 20% works great. In the worm Wranglers members area level 2 I have my full seed raising course using worm castings if that helps kzbin.info/door/nPkv-JUX4Pqn_LYbykzAtwjoin Cheers Marty

[@pcmultimedia1]

With egg cartons , I wet them down the put them in a mixer , this reduces them to pulp. Ideal then to add to the worm bin .

[@martysgarden]

Good idea if you have a mixer😀 my way is a bit slow, but I enjoy the process.

[@kitrobbo1696]

Thanks Marty I will try 20% in coco coir will let you know how they grow cheers Kit

[@martysgarden]

Cheers Kit, I look forward to it!😎

[@gardenkings8537]

great idea :) I have one question is the cardboard boxes we get at the supermarket okay to use??? i have a feeling that the coloured ink or the print is plastic??? Hope this makes sense?? Sydney, Australia.

[@martysgarden]

Hi Scott, I stay away from coloured printed boxed materials. You can however compost it then feed it the worms later. For me, though it just goes into the recycle bin. Cheers, Marty😀 ps: I am at North Haven NSW,,always great to see another Aussie in here!

[@gardenkings8537]

@@martysgarden Thanks for such a great answer!!! Just about to start a worm farm, You have inspired us!-We live in the shire :)

[@sandraperez7331]

Marty, thank you for your encouraging, informative videos! I’m a beginner. I have a bucket with holes dug in the garden, a worm tower and a diy plastic tub. Concern is I don’t get a lot of castings. I would like to be adding them to my vegetable garden. Question: Is it because they need more paper, ie carbon? Can I use dried magnolia leaves?? Question: I also have used a machine shredder for newspaper and cardboard. Is that a good idea? When it’s wet it can look like paper mache.

[@martysgarden]

Yes, that's okay Sandra, it generally takes about 3 months for a tray, bin or farm to fill with worm casts. Maybe look into to doing my Worm Wrangler course: Starting A Worm Farm A Beginners Guide, which also has a gardening course for using castings as well. kzbin.info/door/nPkv-JUX4Pqn_LYbykzAtwjoin it's all inside KZbin and comes in easy quick consumable videos. Have a nice day Marty😀

[@terencemoore554]

Hey Marty I love the videos you’ve been making, they help heaps! I just wanted to ask about worms that end up in the drainage container and the bottom and die. Do you remove the dead worms or leave them in the tea?

[@martysgarden]

Best to remove them Terence, maybe place a brick in the bottom so they can crawl back up. There is a section in the members for the course Starting A Worm Farm A Beginners Guide on that and a lot more. kzbin.info/door/nPkv-JUX4Pqn_LYbykzAtwjoin. Happy Worm Farming😀

[@terencemoore554]

@@martysgarden thanks for the advice Marty! I've been slowly convincing my friends to also start farms so i'll send them your way!

[@roijeanbellew9531]

I am waiting on a delivery of red worms! I'm excited about starting this for my garden. Been wanting to raise worms for a long time. I'm in Alabama USA! I'm gonna rey a cardboard box covered with a trash bag. Ive shredded some cardboard packing paper I nabbed outside a sporting goods store, (A lot of it) Quesrion is, So I soak this cardboard paper that I've already shred? Also, in your video your putting a egg crate in bin, will that and the pizza box be the cover?

[@martysgarden]

Yes. soaking the cardboard first is the best way. If you are using cardboard as a bedding I would recommend a wet towel or some type of heavy cloth as a blanket. This will help keep the farm moist as cardboard can dry out fast

[@ward1compost]

Can you use beer cardboard? Like Heineken, Coors, etc. cardboard boxes in worm farms/ compost pile?

[@martysgarden]

Yes, but generally we stay away from glossy printed cardboard and paper

[@ward1compost]

@martysgarden Can I cut out the printed lettering or will it still be the same?

[@brianoliver5640]

Hey bro, what about egg cartons that have printing on them, they okay?

[@martysgarden]

Yes, most of that printing is with dyes and soy ink 😀

[@brianoliver5640]

Thanks bro 👍🌈

[@cherylhowker1792]

I have a compost tumbler with 2 sides…. There’s food scraps fruit and veg… also sawdust as the carbon… should I put worms in there?? Will they breed in there? Atm I’m just trying to breed them up as I have a garden your sort of size and I’d love to put them in the straw bale raised beds and help the garden as well as using the castings. I looked at buying more and they have gone to stupid money now. For 250gs worms they £20 and in your money it’s about double that if I remember rightly. As I say silly money. So I need to encourage what I have to breed and grow… and I just don’t know how. When I harvested recently there was only small worms- a lot but not 1000 and only 25 big worms so I just don’t know what to do atm. It may be they in the 2nd teir of the farm as only did the top tray…. And wanted to move some out into a bucket farm- hoping that be a another project for me. Well I did that and filled the 5gallon one with the casting that were basically done. I know some small worms still in there so have left them in the bucket farm and hoping they munch through any remaining stuff and finish it off over the next couple of months- I’m not feeding it. So any remaining worms should be ok. In another bucket I put some new coco coir and then worms and castings I found. Hoping they will eat their way through that- in a 4L bucket think it’s 3G gallons… aprox Then the remaining stuff that was food etc I had fed the top tray I put into the bottom tray with new coir too. So will see in a month or so what happens. I’m expecting the remaining worms in the maze to go throw both trays and eat what they want from both, that’s my thinking. If you have any ideas then I’m up for it. I have purchased taps to put in the buckets and we have a drill bit that cuts the right sizes holes lol. As got it for another job. They are like micro brews taps. And the buckets the same. So all food grade and safe for the worms. Any advice appreciated- can send via the group page if you don’t wanna give out secrets here lol 😂 thanks mate hope you enjoying your weekend. I’m watching these to pass the time while we get more rain. Think we had more rain this year in summer then I remember for a while. And last year was a heatwave.

[@martysgarden]

Yes, if it doesnt get too hot they live in there

[@cherylhowker1792]

@@martysgarden it’s not hot I think that’s maybe why it’s not breaking down like I expected it too…

[@dalecahill4662]

Where is best place to buy red wiggles to start worm farm

[@martysgarden]

Worm biz in Australia

[@reuben3868]

👍

[@martysgarden]

Thanks

[@pinballwizard6906]

✌️😎