3 months in - pretty wormy in there.

Ah ha. Definitely not a slug egg (this time).

Thar be Worms! (and a slug).

Who said you can’t start an outdoor worm bin from scratch in the middle of February?

Heating Up!

It’s 30 odd Fahrenheit outside, but the new aerobin is pushing 70. I also found a bunch of very lethargic worms on the underside of some leaf litter in my open pile, so I added them to the bin. Hopefully they warm up and get busy!

Slugs and snails and puppy dog tails

Ah crap. According to the internet, which is never wrong, these;

aren’t actually worm cocoons. They’re slug eggs. Awesome, I’ve just inoculated the new bin with about a trillion of them 🙄. Now this;

on the other hand, is a Peruvian Llama Manure Worm, and I found they and about a half dozen or so of their brethren in various states of juvenility; from transparent thread to that ⬆️ guy (gal). I found them in the same compost pile as the slug eggs, and relocated them and a bunch more unsorted compost into the bin, where I’m sure they’ll thrive. Though I think that’s a slug on their back :/ 

Episode IV: A New Hope

After a tortuous week of watching UPS wind its way from the land of Texas, my new 400L insulated flow through has arrived (that’s 106 gallons for those in Myanmar, Liberia and The United States). Assembled on a fancy new pad of red brick paving stones, and standing 1.2 meters tall (look it up), the new oasis is a sight to behold.
 I chopped up some dried out Jerusalem Artichoke stems to make a mesh base to keep the drainage holes clear. Next up some finished (not sifted) compost from an open air pile. And look; worm cocoons.

Topped with a layer of dried out leaf litter, interspersed with a weeks worth of kitchen scraps, shaken, (not stirred) and a couple shovels of melting snow (free water); I expect the pile should heat up shortly after the snow percolates into the leaf litter. Hopefully it will get warm enough to hatch the cocoons, which are almost certainly the descendants of that ancient race of Peruvian Llama Manure Worms reborn.

 

The Great Worm Cull of 2012

Wormtastrophe! My flow through had to endure a brief sojourn in the garage. During that time it was untended for 3-4 weeks. The peruvian llama manure worms were not pleased. Evidently enraged by their sudden relegation from the privy chamber, they intended to leave en masse. Alas, the journey toward the promised land was too much for most. Those that attempted it faired badly. The dried remains of the intrepid explorers litter the garage floor, leaving a pungent odor of soured molasses. Fortunately, all is not lost. Those worms that decided to remain have again been elevated to the inner sanctum. They are clearly the genetic superiors of the original herd and have thus been treated to fresh bedding and a fine meal of vegetables from the royal garden.