![]() The best stocking density for vermicomposting worms to process food is approximately 1 lb per square foot of surface area. Worm Towers Lack Surface Area Which Is the Key Metric for Vermicomposting ![]() And in the process, it will heat up, attract pests, stink to high hell, and may earn you a picketing from the local chapter of the Composting Worm Union for horrible work conditions. It will turn into a PVC pipe filled with rotting food. This is a problem because a PVC worm tower stuffed with food waste will not turn into black gold. So you can’t expect them to eat your food waste, leave the worm tube, and do their business next to the heirloom tomatoes.Īnd the larger Canadian Nightcrawlers that do like to burrow in soil don’t swarm food in the manner necessary to process any significant amount of it. In other words, these are the oddball worms that don’t like dirt. Both of these worms live near the surface in loosely-packed material like leaves. Red Wigglers and European Nightcrawlers, the two most prevalent compost worms in temperate climates, aren’t burrowers. The Case Against Worm Towers Worm Towers Are Inserted Into Soil and Composting Worms Aren’t Soil Dwellers Composting worms will not be able to work through compact soil Just toss in your food waste and watch the garden take off.Įxcited by videos like this, I was initially very excited about worm towers, even to the point of researching the costs of manufacturing them with recycled plastics.īut I asked a Philadelphia-area composting and horticulture expert about it and got a little tough-love and mocking in return.Īfter listening to his arguments, I’m convinced this idea has serious flaws. The theory holds that the composting worms will enter the worm tower, eat the food waste, depart the worm tower, and deposit worm castings around the garden, aerating the soil in the process.Īt first blush, it is a fascinating concept and probably attractive to gardeners like my wife, who don’t care to handle worms. This supposedly allows worms to go and come as they wish, much like an Amsterdam hostel, minus the patchouli smell. In other words, this type of system could potentially work really well in areas that experience extreme temperatures (although it would likely be better adapted for a hot summer than a really cold winter).A worm tower is normally a 4-inch PVC pipe with holes drilled in the bottom 12-18 inches, which serves as the below-grade portion. The soil 2-3 feet down should be a lot cooler/warmer (depending on time of year) than ambient temperatures. If your tube is white, or at least light colored, and you’ve added some extra air holes, I suspect it would be totally fine in the sun – especially if it is buried fairly deep. I think one of the really great things about a system like this is the fact that it is buried down in the ground. This way there is no risk of rain pouring in, but it should provide a lot of extra air flow inside the system. That being said, my suggestion would actually be to drill a set of holes in the sides of the tube just above ground level. In all honesty, I don’t think you would need holes in the lid.įor one thing, the lid shown in the video doesn’t really look like it’s providing an air-tight seal anyway, plus there seems to be a decent volume of air sitting in the tube above the composting mass – air that will be refreshed every time the lid is removed. Rather than using a simple tube (which I actually think is a really cool idea), I’ve been planning to bury a plastic garbage can (with lots of holes drilled in the sides and bottom) and use it in a similar manner. What really interesting is that this concept actually closely parallels an idea I’ve had in the back of my mind for an easy-to-make outdoor vermicomposting system. The lower zone has holes which allow the worms (and other organisms to move in and out), and a make-shift lid placed over top to (presumably) keep out rain. Here is a link to an excellent video on YouTube, which explains this concept very well.īasically, the Worm Tower is a very simple vermicomposting system that consists of a plastic tube buried partially in the ground. We should probably start by making sure everyone knows what a ‘Worm Tower’ is. My question is this: does the lid need holes for air or will they do fine in the ground? Also, does this need to be out of the sun as does a worm bin? I figure since they burrow down under ground they will be cool enough. The bottom half has many holes and I feed the tube (pipe/bucket) and have a cover on it to keep out critters. ![]() I have made a worm tower, where you bury half of the pipe/bucket in the ground.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |