Re: Worm Tube for the SFG

boffer 10/12/2011, 4:08 pm

I'm taking your word on the price being good! I just ordered 2000 to distribute among my TTs.

I've been watching for several years to see how the earthworms fare that are put in the TTs via my compost. They are surviving the temperature swings OK so I'm going to load up the boxes with wigglers.

**Josh** 10/12/2011, 6:36 pm

I read that 1000 worms equal about 1 lb. I sold mine at the garden show (I did a class about composting with red wigglers) for 20.00 a lb. and I sold completely out and people had me take down their information to call them when I had more to sell.

I did a year long record keeping of how many worms I started off with (I hand counted them), how much shredded newspaper I used, how much food waste they ate, how many pounds of worm compost they made and how many pounds of worms I had from them reproducing. They reproduce fast. I'll look for that info and post it if anyone is interested.

**RoOsTeR** 10/12/2011, 9:01 pm

I'm for sure interested.

Luci Dawson 10/13/2011, 8:22 am

I'd be interested in your info, too, Josh.

ishootaction 10/13/2011, 12:19 pm

boffer wrote:I'm taking your word on the price being good! I just ordered 2000 to distribute among my TTs.

Who's word boffer? I thought that guy was reasonable and I like free shipping and I like his indoor compost pail. I really don't know if there are better deals out there. This is just what I decided to go with. I want to put some in one of my TT and some in a bin.

Truth be known you probably weren't even talking to me. I guess I still think the world centers around me. Either way......

Happy Gardening I love you

ishootaction 10/13/2011, 1:37 pm

Wow Josh what an amazing kid. Did you see you have almost 9000 views on your worm tube tutorial?

AWESOME!!!

You must have great parents. Just sayin....

Happy Gardening I love you

**RoOsTeR** 10/13/2011, 2:14 pm

Yep, very refreshing seeing a young-un making good use of himself and time!

Watch his guitar vids. Pretty good stuff there too!

As far as the worm price? Looks reasonable to me. Better than what I found locally.

boffer 10/13/2011, 5:37 pm

So I went to start making worm tubes, only to find that my stash of pvc pipe was depleted. Time to improvise. Plastic coffee cans and cottage cheese containers. I cut off the bottom of the top cottage cheese container, turned it over, and stuck a nut and bolt in the middle for a handle. There is enough slope for it to fit in snugly. We'll see. I think I should have spray painted the coffee can!

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Dscn1211

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Dscn1211

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Dscn1212

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Dscn1213

**Josh** 10/13/2011, 7:06 pm

That's a great idea boffer! I was thinking about those plastic flower pots you get when you buy a plant, but your idea is better, that way if someone doesn't have a drill bit for the holes, they can just cut the holes in the plastic containers.

My worm results were for 10 months.

I started off with 500 red wiggler worms, (I hand counted them.)

I measured the newspapers in 12 inch X 12 inch size squares, and in the 10 months time, they used up 2,016-12 inch X 12 inch squares. (you can use any kind of paper except the shinny coated kind)

I weighed all the food scraps,that I gave them.
They ate 63 lbs of scraps in the 10 months.

I measured the worm compost in gallon containers.
They made 27 gallons of worm compost in the 10 months.

1 pound of worms equal about 1000 red wiggler worms.
I kept 1/2 pound and sold all the the others.
In the 10 months, I had 10 lbs of red wiggler worms to sell.

boffer 10/13/2011, 7:13 pm

Josh wrote:That's a great idea boffer! I was thinking about those plastic flower pots you get when you buy a plant...

I tried the flower pots first! Mine were too thin. I couldn't drill them, and I couldn't get decent holes with a knife or scissors. I used a paddle drill bit; they can be found for a couple dollars these days.

My only concern about my 'tubes' was the height. But you didn't ever talk about that so I'm trying it.

**Josh** 10/13/2011, 7:23 pm

Those pvc pipes come already cut in that length, I think about 3 feet and the 6 inches in the SFG.
They were that tall for the traditional gardens, but I don't fill mine up to the top, I think that is to much food at one time. The only thing I found good about them being that tall, is that it helps keep the critters out, and in a TT you really don't have to worry about that as much since they are up higher.

MoneyMan94 10/13/2011, 10:25 pm

This is a great topic, lots of good information.

I have a thought I would like to throw out there. If the goal is to get the worms to go through the garden and drop its casings then what if there were 2 tubes in the garden and one was filled this week and the other next week and so on.

My thought is "Would this cause the wormss to move from tube to tube" hence dropping the casings along the way?

I would appreciate any ideas you have.

Rob

ishootaction 10/14/2011, 1:27 am

@ MoneyMan94 I think I am going to relocate my tubes from the 4 in the middle of my SFG to 1 on each corner. I can't see in the tubes right now. This would help that problem. I will rotate feeding and use your idea of making them travel. Thanks seems like a much better idea.

Happy Gardening I love you

boffer 10/15/2011, 6:51 pm

Josh wrote:... I was thinking about those plastic flower pots you get when you buy a plant...

I had mentioned that my flower pots were too thin to cut and drill. Since the worm tube master thought they should work good, I went and looked again at the pile of old pots. Hey! Some pots are thicker than others. The thicker pots work great! They're 6 inch diameter at the top and 7 inches tall. I've got 14 made; that should be enough for now I hope. Worms will arrive this week.

**RoOsTeR** 10/15/2011, 8:44 pm

I am waiting anxiuosly for you guys to get your worms before I put in my order.
plus I have an order in for some ducks that is taking a chunck of change out of me wallet lol!

wouldn't mind seeing pics of your worm pots boffer

ishootaction 10/16/2011, 1:10 am

Here is a picture of my worm tubes. The thought is one in each corner feeding one them a week or two later feeding another etc. Causing them to migrate across my box. This makes since to me. We will see how it goes. Plus I can now see down in the tubes.

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 4_worm10

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 4_worm10

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Worm_t10

Happy Gardening I love you

MoneyMan94 10/16/2011, 7:28 am

ishootaction wrote:Here is a picture of my worm tubes. The thought is one in each corner feeding one them a week or two later feeding another etc. Causing them to migrate across my box. This makes since to me. We will see how it goes. Plus I can now see down in the tubes.

I will be putting these in my boxes in the spring so I would like to know how this works out for you, please let us know.

**RoOsTeR** 10/16/2011, 8:54 am

Looks good shooter. Keep us posted.when do your worms arrive?

ishootaction 10/16/2011, 11:18 am

[quote="ishootaction"]The thought is one in each corner feeding one them a week or two later feeding another etc.]

Ok yeah that made since. I was in a hurry. Let me try that again.
1. I put a 2in tube in each corner.
2. The thought is to feed them one at a time alternating corners. I think this will make them have to migrate across my box to feed. Thus dropping castings as they go.
I get my worms Thursday.
I think that makes better since. What a Face

**Josh** 10/16/2011, 11:39 am

[quote="ishootaction"]

ishootaction wrote:The thought is one in each corner feeding one them a week or two later feeding another etc.]

Ok yeah that made since. I was in a hurry. Let me try that again.
1. I put a 2in tube in each corner.
2. The thought is to feed them one at a time alternating corners. I think this will make them have to migrate across my box to feed. Thus dropping castings as they go.
I get my worms Thursday.
I think that makes better since.

I think that is an excellent idea! worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 311672

In my worm bin (that I keep in the shed), I feed the worms in one corner of the bin, and the worms will move over to that corner, so I can get the castings and it will have very few if any worms in it since they moved over to the food.
Since they move to where the food is, your idea of feeding in a different tube will keep them moving around in your SFG! (how comes I didn't think of that) worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 601593

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 601593

ishootaction 10/20/2011, 12:56 pm

Got my worms yesterday. Put some shredded paper down the tube then I blended some kitchen scraps then added about 500 worms in 2 of my tubes. Plan is to leave alone for a few days. Then feed the other tubes.

Josh those tubes were pretty warm yesterday. I hope they will be alright.

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Worm_t11

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 Worm_t11

**Josh** 10/20/2011, 7:41 pm

I'm sure the worms will be ok, I wouldn't worry. They will go out into the garden if it gets to hot in the tube, and then come back later when it's not so hot, like in the evening or at night. add some water to the tube every couple days to make sure it stays wet in there while the temp is hot out, don't worry about putting to much water in there, it can drain out into the garden.
worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 692681

worm tube - Worm Tube for the SFG - Page 6 692681

ishootaction 10/22/2011, 2:12 am

I put food and worms in opposing corners. Then today I went out and picked the dead or damaged leaves from my SFG and put them in the oppisite corners. The result was tonight I go out and look and in one of the tubes I put the leaves out of my SFG there was a worm munching away. Unbelievable This is all happening in 95* to a 100* I can't believe it is going to work. Thanks Josh for your imput. I would have never thought to do this. Very cool..... thanks

**Josh** 10/22/2011, 3:16 pm

When I first made my worm tube, I would go out at night and look at it with night vision binoculars so I could see what they were doing Very Happy

yolos 12/17/2011, 10:07 pm

Red Wigglers or Night Crawlers ???

I just got through reading this whole thread and also researching this topic on the internet. I am confused about the type of worm to order.

The Red Wigglers (Eisensia Foetida) are compost worms and stay near the food source. The European Night Crawlers (Eisenia Hortensis) will feed in the tower and then at night go out up to 60' in one night.

So wouldn't you want to use Night Crawlers instead of Red Wigglers so they will go out into the garden to leave their castings? For those of you who have already made a tower and stocked it with worms, what type did you use and how are they working?:?:

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