HOME |
Building a worm pit |
Problem solving
Firstly, I'd like to thank David Stephen for allowing me to use the following information about an 'earthworm pit composting system' on the Backyard Organic Gardening web site.
David, who was ABC television's Gardening Australia, Gardener of the Year 2000, has long been recognised as one of Tasmania's most respected organic gardening gurus, specialising in worms and organically grown vegetables.
The information provided in this section of Backyard Organic Gardening was written by David , and has previously been published in Gardening Australia's the Organic Gardener magazine.
In recent years, employing fast breeding, specialized earthworms has become a widely accepted way of converting household wastes into plant friendly food known as vermicast.
Nutrients in vermicast are readily available to plants due to an explosion of essential microorganisms. The availability is over 80 percent compared with only 10 percent for aged manure scraped off the stable floor or from under a shearing shed.
So, make no mistake, using worm poo is worth the effort if you are to have the best flowers, veggies and trees in town!
The D.I.Y. system described here should not be compared with the three chambered worm farms sold commercially. These portable 'farms' may be useful for urban gardeners with little space or only a balcony garden, or to teach the family the rudiments of vermiculture. But in my opinion, where space permits, they are only preparatory to building a more practical, full size earthworm bed. You can call it a worm bed, worm pit, worm box or even 'wormery', but all are more appropriate names than 'worm farm', which suggests to me an income-generating livestock breeding enterprise.
Captive worms are fussy. We must understand their biology and essential needs to manage them successfully. Compost worms require moist, warm, aerobic, dark, non acidic conditions, free from predators such as mice, birds and centipedes. Old baths and rusted water tanks are excellent enclosures for making vermicast.