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Post by Alan on Aug 28, 2008 21:51:48 GMT -5
Here is a very good set of videos for those interested. I am gathering materials to build a system very similar to this for use this fall and will be giving it a go. I'll be taking it one step further though by then feeding the remaining compost to the red worms for further breakdown and nutrient capabilities. Today I busied myself with cleaning out the wormhouse and rethinking my worm system. I ridded myself of the tables and the plastic bins and instead built raised beds on the floor using concrete blocks, filling them with the worms and bedding and allowing room for more work and whellbarrow movement. I'll be building this new composting system onto the outside back wall of the "worm house" for ease of access. I encourage anybody that is serious about compost to check out these videos. Part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=87xGvXkpNmo&feature=relatedPart 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-hHuM3UZ6A&feature=relatedPart 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd99ltcE5UI&feature=relatedPart 4: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jciyN96S5UQI seriously learned more from this one set of videos about composting than I have in four years of reading about it. Enough to set me into action if that says anything. -Alan |
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Post by hoosierheightsfarm on Aug 31, 2008 0:12:07 GMT -5
Alan, did you think to (and is there room to) use the front end loader of the tractor to ease the labor of putting new in the worm beds??
Don't know exactly how you have things set up.
Patrick
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Post by Alan on Sept 1, 2008 21:50:40 GMT -5
No, unfortunately the greenhouse that I made into the wormhouse is too small for the front end loader and tractor and has just a standard house door on it. But that's ok, I can move the material from behind the house to the door with the front end loader and of course from the wormbeds to the loader to the gardens, so it all works out in the end. I'll try to get some photos of the system up on the net before too long, just have a few other things to get done to the system before it is ready.
-Alan
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Post by Alan on Sept 9, 2008 21:28:18 GMT -5
I broke down and built nine bins out of palletts and constructed the first compost heap yesterday, it was already warming up quite nicely today. I think this will work out pretty well. I've been checking out the humanure handbook (I know, herasy too americans) a lot lately to and my have to put even that to good use at some point in the near future.
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Post by Alan on Sept 28, 2008 21:37:39 GMT -5
This system is really working out well for me. I definetly encourage everyone to build a bin sometime and give it a go, it really isn't that hard and breaks down quickly producing some great humous. I'll be cleaning out the neighbors cow barn next weekend and I'll be using that and chicken manure from our coops along with rotting straw and some other "brown" material to create several more piles which upon completion will be fed to the worms for refinement, then we will feed what is left into the chicken coop so the chickens can pick out remaining insect and seed pests.
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Post by Alan on Oct 7, 2008 12:22:26 GMT -5
The fist pile is now officially "finished" and is curing at the moment. Some really nice black "soil-like" material and a ton of local red worms and night crawlers already inhabiting the material. I can't wait to see the results once it is fed into and finished by the worms!
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