From werner@zzyx.UCSC.EDU Fri Apr 8 11:41:15 1994 Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 14:03:07 -0700 From: Mat Werner To: sanet-mg@oes.orst.edu Subject: Cuban vermiculture Hello, Anyone who is interested in reading my article on Cuban vermiculture, how about sending me your address and I'll snail mail a copy to you. (Or attempt to instruct me on the use of Crosstalk software to send a WOrd file over email.) Matt Werner UCSC Agroecology Program Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 13:32:52 -0700 From: Mat Werner I want to second the explanation that the term hybrid attached to earthworms is pure hype. The species to use for vermiculture, vermicomposting is Eisenia foetida, aka the red worm. Anyone who perpetuates the hybrid myth is causing troubles for others. I recently visited Cuba and the Cubans went to great lengths in the 80's to track down and obtain living specimens of the supposed "California Red Hybrid". It wasn't until after they got a shipment from Spain (via Italy, originally from CA) that they realized the worms were none other than E. foetida. I am currently working on a book on the general subject of earthworm biology and ecology, and practical applications. Matt Werner UCSC Agroecology Program Santa Cruz, CA 95064 From richard.hill@24stex.com Tue Oct 4 20:43:17 EDT 1994 Article: 6088 of sci.bio.ecology Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!swiss.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!zombie.ncsc.mil!paladin.american.edu!auvm!24stex.com!richard.hill Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU Newsgroups: sci.bio.ecology X-: Organization: 24th Street Exchange X-: X-Mailer: TBBS/PIMP v3.13 Approved-By: di5 Message-ID: <9410031453.0KXJC00@24stex.com> Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 23:55:00 EDT Sender: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" From: richard.hill@24stex.com Subject: EARTHWORM STUDIES Lines: 14 Hello. Recently there was a post related to earthworm studies. I've deleted the post, but wonder if the following citation would be of help? there are about 60 citations. Wood, Hulton B. and Samuel W. James. 1993. Native and introduced earthworms >from selected chaparral, woodland, and riparian zones in southern California. Gen Tech Rep PSW-GTR-142. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Dept of Agriculture; 20p. Richard.Hill@24stex.com ------------ End Forwarded Message ------------- From MAILER-DAEMON@umailsrv1.umd.edu Tue Oct 4 20:45:56 EDT 1994 Article: 5987 of sci.bio.ecology Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!news.duke.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!paladin.american.edu!auvm!umailsrv1.umd.edu!MAILER-DAEMON Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU Newsgroups: sci.bio.ecology Approved-By: di5 Message-ID: <9409281510.AB09681@umailsrv1.UMD.EDU> Date: Wed, 28 Sep 1994 11:19:00 EDT Sender: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" From: Mail Delivery Subsystem Subject: Re: earthworms Lines: 37 One of the main workers in this field is Dr. Geoff Baker at the Div. of Entomology in Adelaide his full address is: Dr. Geoff Baker, Div. of Entomology, P.M.B. 2 Glen Osmond 5064 South Australia, Australia Phone 61-83038469 FAX 61-83038549 He doesn't have e-mail though I am putting the pressure on. One method of getting earthworm free space that he uses is by usin a core (PVC, around 400 cm diameter) tube during the dry season when worms go deep and aestivate, by placing mesh at the bottom of the core tube at this time it stops the reentry of any earthworms and voila! Hope this helps, he is a font of knowledge on the subject. James Dr. James Coupland Tel. (33) 67593103 CSIRO Biological Control Unit Campus International de Baillarguet Tel. (33) 67593100 Switchboard Montferrier sur Lez, Fax (33) 67599040 34982 France ------------ End Forwarded Message ------------- ------------ End Forwarded Message ------------- Tue 20 Jul 93 16:43 By: Tom Ezell Re: Worm Composting How to Create Vermicompost To create your own vermicompost system you must hove the proper container, bedding, type of worm, and organic waste. The following instructions will give you some guidelines for the production of a vermicompost system, 1.) Containers. Make sure homemade containers have not been made from pressure treated wood and have never stored any kind of chemicals. Exterior grade plywood is probably best for durability. Aeration holes should be placed on the sides of the box, and a lid of some sort should be used to keep insects and animals out of the bin. The average 1-foot high, 2-feet deep and 3-feet wide (1'h x 2'd x 3'w) box will handle about 6 lbs. of garbage per week. 2.) Bedding. Cellulose-based bedding is recommended because it provides moisture retention and aeration. As the worms search for food they tunnel through and consume bedding, replacing it with worm castings. The perfect bedding mixture for the bin size above is 10 lbs. of shredded newspaper, a gallon of garden soil, and 4 gallons of water (which makes this environment about 75% moisture). 3.) Type of Worm. The required worm for vermicompost is the redworm (also known as red wigglers or manure worms). These worms ore ideal for composting because they are able to consume the equivalent of their own weight each day, can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, and reproduce well in the environment provided for them in a vermicompost bin. For the bin dimensions and amount of bedding described above, the recommended number of worms to start with is opproximately 1,200 to 2,400 (2 lbs) redworms. 4.) Food Supply. The redworm will consume almost all normal kitchen scraps. However it is important to avoid putting meat scraps, bones, and dairy products in the bin as they could produce strong odors and attract animals. When just beginning your vermicompost practices, it is suggested that you start off slowly, giving the worms between 2 or 3 lbs. of garbage per week. 5.) Location of Bin. Worm bins should be located where access to them is convenient and temperatures are relatively moderate. Bins may be placed in basements. patios, porches, utility rooms, or even kitchens. Information Sources for Vermicomposting: Appelhof, Mary. 'Worms do the Work', Organic Gardening. January 1992, pp. 58-63, Appelhof, Mary, _ Worms in My Garbage_ , Flower Press, 1982. Robert Kourik, "As the Worm Turns", _Garbage_, January-February 1992, pp. 48-51 Ordering Information for Vermicompost Systems and Supplies Flowerfield Enterprises 10332 Shaver Rood Kalamazoo, Ml 49002 (616) 327-0108 Smith and Hawken 25 Corte Modera Mill Volley, CA 94941 (410) 383-2000 Gardeners Supply Co. 128 lntervale Rood Burlington VT 05401 (800) 955-3370 * SLMR 2.1a * Math and Alcohol don't mix. Please don't drink & derive. * Origin: Environment Arkansas! Little Rock 501-570-2868 (1:3821/16) Article 31745 of rec.gardens: Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: More vermicomposting ques From: jim.mcnelly@granite.mn.org (Jim Mcnelly) Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!corpgate!news.utdallas.edu!chpc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!umn.edu!uum1!gcbbgw!gcbb!jim.mcnelly Distribution: world Message-ID: <36.617.2817.0N429D25@granite.mn.org> Date: Thu, 5 May 94 00:15:00 +0600 Organization: Granite City Connection St. Cloud MN 612-654-8372 Lines: 64 Subject: More vermicomposting questions April writes in May: T>1) I seem to have received a mixture of nightcrawlers and redworms, > instead of all redworms as promised by the company. Will this > make a huge difference? I know that they like different kinds > of substrate, but what if I offered them a mixture? (I'm not in the > mood to sort 500 worms now or ever) I know the feeling April. One of my mottos is to never count chickens, hatched or not. T>2) How much room do I need to provide per worm? (Say, worms/square inch) Since redworms and nightcrawlers do not live in the same habitat, you need to place the mixture in an environment where the nightcrawlers (lumbricus terrestris) can burrow in the native soil below. Most nightcrawlers, if they are so old and large that you can tell them from redworms, will be unable to excavate a new burrow. They typically grow a burrow from childhood and live in it all their life, shaving a little off the sides periodically as they mature. For an adult worm to create a new tunnel network when they are fat and lazy is asking a lot. But it can be done if your soil is soft, there is a good mulch layer above the soil that is kept undisturbed, and you provide plenty of moisture. Placing your mixture into an old compost mixed with peat and or shredded corrugated is a good mix. Then place a two inch layer of wet, fresh, horse manure (make sure not recently de-wormed!) and the red worms will come up to the top and the nightcrawlers will stay below to burrow. T>3) How fresh should the veggies be that I feed to them? If you are using redworms to cure compost, a process called vermistabilization, you should compost your table scraps first and feed the compost to the worms in thin layers when the compost is hot and active. If you are looking to have the worms *do it all*, a process called vermicomposting, then you can add fresh table scraps right to the worm beds. You need at least two parts bedding to one part table scraps, making sure to bury the scraps thoroughly. You can have upwards of 3,500 worms per cubic foot with a maximum of 7,000. The minimum is around 500. Do not feed the worms any more than they can eat in any given area in more than two weeks. Stated otherwise, it takes a pound of worms to eat a pound of daily feed. Bear in mind that you will also have to remove a pound per day of old worm castings too. This can be done either on a continuous basis from the bottom of the worm bed or periodically using a batch technique. I assume that you have Mary Appelhof's book, "Worms Eat My Garbage"..... Most of these answers are in her book. Lots of luck. It sounds like you are on your way to a successful earthworm culture. Mr Compost~~~ Jim~ McNelly ReSourceNet and GardenNet 612-654-8372, 656-0678 v.32bis jim.mcnelly@granite.mn.org --- * May 4th - Let me see.... Now how does that twit filter work? Article 19797 of rec.gardens: Newsgroups: rec.gardens Path: samba.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!darwin.sura.net!howland.reston.ans.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!caen!usenet.coe.montana.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!steele!ohsu.edu!nuferv From: nuferv@ohsu.edu (Virginia (aka Marsie) Nufer, Portland, Oregon, USA) Subject: Re: Worms (was Re: Bamboo) Message-ID: Sender: news@ohsu.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: 137.53.56.80 Organization: Oregon Health Sciences University References: Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 21:45:54 GMT Lines: 34 In article ward@cs.uiuc.edu (Christ Ward) writes: >den0@lehigh.edu (Dean E. Nelson) writes: >>We visted some friends yesterday who had a stand of bamboo. They asked if >>we wanted some, and so we took some home. My question is, what kind of soil >>does bamboo like? It is tolerant of poor soil? Also, does it like sun, >>shade, or some of both? And, does it need a lot of water? >I know nothing of bamboo, except that it grows indoors in potting soil >(no direct sun light) at my SO's work. >>Right now I have it sitting in a pile of worm castings until I >>decide where to put it. We live about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, and >>our soil is pretty poor except where I've been adding a lot of compost, >>manure, and worm castings (I raise worms and have a good bit). >This is what I'm interested in. How do you grow worms? Is there a FAQ >on this? Thanks for any info. >ward Ward, I don't know if there is a FAQ on this, but a good reference is _Worms Eat My Garbage_ by Mary Appelhoff, Flower Press, 1982. Places I know of to get the (red)worms themselves include: Vermicast Products, Richard Matson, Portland, Oregon (503) 226-0816; Smith Worms, (800) 252-5133 (Georgia); and The Worm Concern, (805) 496-2872 (California) -Marsie Nufer (nuferv@ohsu.edu) Article 19797 of rec.gardens: Newsgroups: rec.gardens Path: samba.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!darwin.sura.net!howland.reston.ans.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!caen!usenet.coe.montana.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!steele!ohsu.edu!nuferv From: nuferv@ohsu.edu (Virginia (aka Marsie) Nufer, Portland, Oregon, USA) Subject: Re: Worms (was Re: Bamboo) Message-ID: Sender: news@ohsu.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: 137.53.56.80 Organization: Oregon Health Sciences University References: Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 21:45:54 GMT Lines: 34 In article ward@cs.uiuc.edu (Christ Ward) writes: >den0@lehigh.edu (Dean E. Nelson) writes: >>We visted some friends yesterday who had a stand of bamboo. They asked if >>we wanted some, and so we took some home. My question is, what kind of soil >>does bamboo like? It is tolerant of poor soil? Also, does it like sun, >>shade, or some of both? And, does it need a lot of water? >I know nothing of bamboo, except that it grows indoors in potting soil >(no direct sun light) at my SO's work. >>Right now I have it sitting in a pile of worm castings until I >>decide where to put it. We live about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, and >>our soil is pretty poor except where I've been adding a lot of compost, >>manure, and worm castings (I raise worms and have a good bit). >This is what I'm interested in. How do you grow worms? Is there a FAQ >on this? Thanks for any info. >ward Ward, I don't know if there is a FAQ on this, but a good reference is _Worms Eat My Garbage_ by Mary Appelhoff, Flower Press, 1982. Places I know of to get the (red)worms themselves include: Vermicast Products, Richard Matson, Portland, Oregon (503) 226-0816; Smith Worms, (800) 252-5133 (Georgia); and The Worm Concern, (805) 496-2872 (California) -Marsie Nufer (nuferv@ohsu.edu) Article 27293 of rec.gardens: Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!udel!news.intercon.com!panix!not-for-mail From: fishman@panix.com (Harvey Fishman) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Re: vermiculture Date: 2 Mar 1994 20:06:38 -0500 Organization: Flatulent Flatlands Flea Flickers Lines: 44 Message-ID: <2l3d6u$scq@panix.com> References: <9402222303.AA29709@im8> NNTP-Posting-Host: panix.com In <9402222303.AA29709@im8> dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) says > In article: <1994Feb22.022710.27757@k12.ucs.umass.edu> > jkenney@k12.ucs.umass.edu (Jeff Kenney (Great Falls MS)) asks: > >I have several students interested in investigating vermiculture. I have > >ordered the book "Worms Eat My Garbage", but would like some advise. Where > >can I purchase red worms for this purpose? Would they have them at a bait > >shop? Thanks for any help......Jeff > > I was looking for the same information. Bait shops charge an arm and a > leg for worms, too much for amounts used in vermiculture. I checked out > the ads in the back of Organic Gardening and Fine Gardening magazines and > found a couple of places in the south which mail order worms in quantity > at more reasonable prices. I decided to wait for warmer weather to > order, so my worms won't die in shipment. Now that it's starting to > warm up, I've misplaced the addresses so I suppose I'll have to go down > to the library and look them up again. > > Good luck on your search. > > If anyone can recommend some worm farms as better than others, I'm sure > some of us would like to hear about it. Speaking without much knowledge of the subject, I note that on page 38 of the Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. 1994 Catalogue, there is an offering of Red Hybrid Worms. The price is $19.95 for a pack of 500 ($18.95 for 2 or more) or $43.95 for a pack of 2000 ($41.85 for 2 or more). I do not know if these are the worms that you seek; they are advertised as "The natural way to aerate your garden soil!" Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. 415 North Burnett Shenandoah, Iowa 51602 Harvey -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harvey Fishman | There is no greater failure than fishman@panix.com | that of making an enemy. 718-258-7276 | Article 26942 of rec.gardens: Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!corpgate!news.utdallas.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!news.mentorg.com!hpbab33.mentorg.com!rreid!rreid From: rreid@rreid.mentorg.com (Richard Reid) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Re: vermiculture Date: 23 Feb 1994 17:04:31 GMT Organization: mentor Lines: 21 Sender: rreid@rreid (Richard Reid) Distribution: world Message-ID: <2kg2av$8vt@hpbab.wv.mentorg.com> References: <9402222303.AA29709@im8> NNTP-Posting-Host: rreid.wv.mentorg.com I started a Worm Box last August and just did my second turn in replacing the bedding. I got the worms by calling the local Recycling Organization-- who in turn gave me the name of a local worm grower. We then set up a rondavous. I know he will also ship em, or so he said. Richard Matson VermaCast Products 103 N.W. Pittock AVE Portland, Oregon 97210 (503) 226 - 0816 As I remember they where about 12 dollars per pound. -- Rick Reid rreid@wv.mentorg.com -- Mentor Graphics Corporation "I belong to no organized party. I'm a democrat." - Will Rogers Article 27434 of rec.gardens: Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!corpgate!news.utdallas.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!nntp-server.caltech.edu!news.claremont.edu!kaiwan.com!wetware!spunky.RedBrick.COM!psinntp!psinntp!iat.holonet.net!oeonline!oeonline.com From: gkiewicz@oeonline.com (Pat & George Kiewicz) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Re: vermiculture Message-ID: <46@oeonline.UUCP> Date: 3 Mar 94 15:14:23 GMT References: <9402222303.AA29709@im8> <2l3d6u$scq@panix.com> Sender: coconet@oeonline.UUCP Lines: 54 [various people ask about sources of worms for vermiculture] > Speaking without much knowledge of the subject, I note that on page 38 of > the Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. 1994 Catalogue, there is an offering > of Red Hybrid Worms. The price is $19.95 for a pack of 500 ($18.95 for 2 > or more) or $43.95 for a pack of 2000 ($41.85 for 2 or more). I do not > know if these are the worms that you seek; they are advertised as "The > natural way to aerate your garden soil!" > > Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. > 415 North Burnett > Shenandoah, Iowa 51602 > > Harvey > > -- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Harvey Fishman | There is no greater failure than > fishman@panix.com | that of making an enemy. > 718-258-7276 | > > > A couple of other sources I can mention: Gardener's Supply 128 Intervale Rd. Burlington VT 05401 TEL 1-800-444-6417 'Red Wiggler's' item #2-232 2 pounds $24.95 + S/H This is the company which supplied MY worms. They are shipped to you directly from the 'grower'. 2# should be 2,000+ worms. The worms were young and thus easily adjusted to their new home after shipment. My husband ordered an entire kit (worms, bin, and Ms. Appelhof's book) as a birthday present for me -- and it was just what I wanted!!! Redworms can also be bought through Gardens Alive! (500/$19.95 1,000/$27.95 + S/H) Henry Fields beats them on the S/H charges. I've also read that worms can be purchased from Ms. Appelhof's Flowerfield Enterprise, but I have no idea of the going rate. TEL (616)327-0108. Hope this information proves useful. I *love* my worm-bin. -- //Pat Kiewicz\\ gkiewicz@oeonline.com "Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn." -- Garrison Keillor Article 13541 of rec.gardens: Path: samba!concert!gatech!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!nntp-server.caltech.edu!kelly From: kelly@cco.caltech.edu (Kelly F.) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Re: worm composting Date: 10 Feb 1993 18:55:33 GMT Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Lines: 38 Message-ID: <1lbj35INNsdm@gap.caltech.edu> References: <1CE00001.psqtv5@tbomb.ice.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: sandman.caltech.edu In article <1CE00001.psqtv5@tbomb.ice.com> time@ice.com (Tim Endres) writes: >Also can anyone tell me how many worms one needs to eat a gallon >pail of kitchen scraps a day and how much space they need? >Karen >karen@ice.com The following is advice from the book Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof... To determine what size of worm bin is best for your household, you need to figure how many pounds of garbage you produce per day. So go ahead and weigh out how much you have at the end of the week, and divide by 7. So if I have 7 pounds of garbage at the end of the week, that is about a pound of garbage per day, average. Mary recommends a ratio of 2:1 for worms:average-garbage-produced-per-day, so if about 1 pound of garbage is produced per day, you'll need 2 pounds of worms. She says there are about 2000 bedrun size redworms in a pound. (Bedrun worms are worms of all sizes, while 'breeders' are large worms that are handpicked for fishing purposes. Mary recommends the bedruns since they are cheaper (don't need to be handpicked) and reproduce and ship as well as the breeders in the long run. She doesn't feel a bin gets started any quicker if you chose the breeder size worms.) [That 2:1 ratio means the *total* worms you'll need, not the amount of worms you'll need to add per day :) ] Since redworms are surface feeders you'll want a bin with a large surface area, for the pound of garbage produced per day, a large bin with about 7 square feet is recommended, or one with dimensions of about 1' deep by 2' wide by 3' long. Most commercial bins I have seen advertised are about 24"x20"x12", which just means you'd need two of them for a large household with lots of trash. I like using multiple smaller bins, since they are lighter, easier to move when/if full, and if I accidentally overfeed one, not all my bins are ruined. Kelly kelly@cco.caltech.edu : >Where can I get the little red worms >that are supposed to be so good for >indoor composting? I tried some >live bait shops in town and found >nothing. The January 1992 issue of Organic Gardening has an article on worms and composting, "Compost Indoors! Worms Do the Work". It gives instructions on building a worm box (although one is available from Gardener's Supply). It also tells how to get the box started and what kind of worms to use. The correct type are redworms (aka red wiggles or manure worms). The are small compared to most earthworms. Their temperature range is 40 to 90 degrees, whereas, earthworms prefer temperature around 55 degrees. Earth- worms also require burrows to breed. A worm box is too warm and too small for them...and they tend to escape whenever possible. Red worms stay put. The article is written by Mary Appelhof, author of "Worms Eat My Garbage". The book is $10.95 including shipping and handling and is available from: Flower Press, 10332 Shaver Road Kalamazzo Mi 49002 The list of companies carry supplies: Cape Cod Worm Farm 30 Center Ave Buzzards Bay. Ma 02532 Carter Fishworm Farm Plains Georgia 31780 Early Bird Ecology RR1 Smithville, Ont canada L0R 2A0 Gardener's Supply 128 Intervale Road Burlington, Vt 05401 Redworms, C/o Ron Clausen 2111 N. Century Blvd McDavid Fl 32568 Snooks Worm Farm Box 14 Harold Fl 32563 I notice that the Burpee Gardens 1992 catalog has an add for "Red Hybrid Earthworms". It says they range from 1/4 to 3" long. Are these redworms? Will hybrid worms breed true to type? (Maybe I shouldn't use the term breed, given the way worms reproduce.) How do they make a hybrid? I assume the idea is to get the worms to reproduce in your compost pile, as they only send 500 for $19.95! I one reply I got on worms so far: >For 2000 bedrun (various sizes where 'breeder' are the larger size. >According to the book 'worms eat my garbage' the bedrun are recommended since >they are cheaper, breed just as well, and may survive shipping better) >redworms, it was 21.00, and with tax that is 22.31 (back in June) >Are bedrun a variety of redworm or something else? >Which variety eats the most? (Oooh you pig worm!) One response indicated that redworms do well in 40 to 90 deg. F. earthworms don't do as well. They also like to escape. What can we say about bedruns? (Or again are they a specific variety of redworm, doing as well with temperatures and housing conditions.) >I notice that the Burpee Gardens 1992 catalog has an add for >"Red Hybrid Earthworms". It says they range from 1/4 to 3" >long. Are these redworms? Will hybrid worms breed true to >type? (Maybe I shouldn't use the term breed, given the way >worms reproduce.) How do they make a hybrid? I assume the >idea is to get the worms to reproduce in your compost pile, >as they only send 500 for $19.95! >Are bedrun a variety of redworm or something else? There are two different sizes' of worms, in a sense. The 'Breeders' are hand selected to be a certain size, usually around the maximum three inches. The idea is these are the ones you buy if you want to start breeding worms. Because they hand select these, they cost more (5 or 10 bucks or so, per 1000) than 'Bedrun' worms. Bedrun means 'mixed sizes, randomly selected'. So if you saw an ad saying '2000 bedrun Redworms, 19.95 and 2000 'breeder' redworms , for 25.00' you'd know the difference and why one costs more than the other. In the book "Worms Eat My Garbage", the author says that bedrun worms are fine to buy, since she feels they might survive shipping better, and adapt more quickly, and she doesn't feel there is any significant reason to spend the extra money on a 'breeder' worms ... >Which variety eats the most? You want the compost worms, red wigglers, redworms, the 'tiny' worms, not anything called 'earthworms'. >What can we say about bedruns? (Or again are they a specific >variety of redworm, doing as well with temperatures and >housing conditions.) Bedrun just describes the size range of the worm you'll be getting. Its a mixed size range. Someone who was interested in ordering lots of worms for *fishing* would be interested in this since he'd want big worms for his hooks and would probably only order breeders. That's why they have the two different size choices... >I have some large pickle or planter crocks about two feet high >and 18" wide. I thought of raising worms in these in my basement. >Is a ceramic crock a good container, or just a waste? Well, it doesn't 'breathe', its sealed, right? I would say you'd want something wider, and not quite as 'deep'. It might work, might not, i really don't know, but if you're serious and have some scrap wood lying around, then go for making the worm boxes described in the January issue of Organic Gardening, or the '1-2-3' worm box (which is just a box that is one foot deep, two feet wide and three feet long, for best results, use a finely screened lid to keep out fruitflies which become a nuisance after time...the box has about 9, 1" drain holes on the bottom. This should be sufficiant size to hold 2000 worms...) The book "Worms Eat My Garbage" is a great reference and a must read for anyone seriously into worm-composting....! According to several of the books I read on raising worms, the "Hybrid" designation is pure hype. No one has been able to prove a true hybrid exists. The differences are usually tracked down to superior feed and conditions rather than any difference in breeding. For composting, you don't need to get into raising the biggest fattest worms, anyway. You just want enough worms to eat enough garbage. I started with worms dug from under a horse manure pit for free, and have had nothing but good results, even when I added them to my outside compost bins (after they cooled a bit). : : Article 12661 (50 more) in rec.gardens: From: kelly@cco.caltech.edu (Kelly F.) Subject: Re: Worms and Home Composting in Winter Date: 31 Dec 92 05:45:05 GMT In article <1htjioINN4pu@access.usask.ca> goldie@herald.usask.ca (Hugh Goldie) writes: >I recently saw part of a Canadian news program from Winnipeg, about indoor >composting with red worms. I would be very thankful if someone could e-mail >or post some details about this, particularly where to get worms and how to >get started. It is -37 degrees centigrade in Saskabush right now and my >outdoor compost heap is probably working rather slowly... :-). Organic Gardening magazine had an article on this topic in the January 92 issue, by Mary Appelhof who wrote the book "Worms Eat My Garbage". The issue has plans for a *very* nice wormbin that fits well on a porch and doubles as a bench. It also included the following sources: Worms Eat My Garbage (book) for $10.50 (includ shipping) from: Flower Press 10332 Shaver Road Kalamazoo, MI 49002 Mary Appelhof also sells vermicomposting supplies including redworms and her latest worm composting system (a plastic rectangular container designed for indoor use, called 'The Worms Eat My Garbage Worm-a-way' made of recycled plastic manufactured by We recycle Corp. of Milton, Ont. Its manufacture provides employment for developmentally disabled individuals.) Write to: Flowerfield Enterprises 10332 Shaver Road Kalamazoo, MI 49002 (616) 327-0108 Also listed were: Cape Cod Worm Farm 30 Center Ave. Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 Carter Fishworm Farm Plains, GA 31780 Early Bird Ecology RR1 Smithville, ONT Canada L0R 2A0 (Not sure what they sell, but i would guess worms, and the plastic bin, perhaps the book.) Gardener's Supply 128 Intervale Rd Burlington, VT 05401 Free catalog, they sell the plastic bin, book and worms, and all three as a deal i believe. Redworms c/o Ron Clausen 2111 N. Century Blvd McDavid, FL 32568 Snooks Worm Farm Box 14 Harold, FL 32563 May I also add: Rainbow Worm Farm 24700 County Road No. 95 Davis, CA 95616 (916) 758-9906 I paid 21.00 (plus tax so it came to 22.31) for about two pounds of bedrun redworms, and they are very nice people. You *won't* get a 'flyer{ from them saying 'raising earthworms are so easy, even your wife could do it' as i got some certain farms located in places like georgia...:-) I've had bins (1'x 2'x 3' in size, 2 of them, made out of scrap wood with drainage holes,) outside for almost two years now, and i *love* them. I've had no problems with rats or flies or anything, they smell like dirt, not rotting stuff, and its just magic how my foodstuffs are turned into wonderful rich compost. I followed the directions in Mary's book, its a great book, and so is the OG article, and if your library has it, its free. I haven't tried her bin, nor seen one in person, so i can't comment on that. Kelly kelly@cco.caltech.edu : Article 17804 of rec.gardens: Newsgroups: rec.gardens Path: samba.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!ames!ncar!noao!stsci!yen From: yen@stsci.edu (Felix Yen) Subject: re: red earthworms Message-ID: <1993May28.170217.1939@stsci.edu> Sender: news@stsci.edu Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute Distribution: na Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 17:02:17 GMT Lines: 39 David C. Adams (dadams@cray.com) writes: > Gardens Alive offers 500 red earthworms for $19.95. I think this is a > pretty steep price. It seems that I have seen a better price somewhere. > Does anyone know? Bountiful Gardens is charging a "mere" $15.00 for 500. But before you order from them or anyone else, make sure you're getting the right species of worm for your application. "Red earthworms" are probably Lumbricus rubellus which are fairly easy to buy and nice for composting, but they won't do well in your garden unless your soil is quite rich. Another common variety is the night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris) which also has some nice properties, e.g. they are deep burrowers and don't require as much food, but they aren't as active as other species and they're migratory. Thinking that my garden is a virtual worm prison, it being surrounded by concrete slabs and brick/stone walls, I implanted some Canadian night crawlers in the shady corner. One year later, while removing part of a brick path about 2 feet underground (I was digging a pit for assorted plant refuse), a large worm crawled out from beneath a brick. He/she was either one of the original Canadians (African night crawlers simply will not do at all) or one of his/her offspring. In any case, it clearly was not doing my plants much good hanging out underneath a layer of bricks. The best worms for garden use are common field worms (Allolobophora caliginosa) even if they're slow reproducers, and swamp worms (Pheretima) but both are hard to buy. I have yet to find a Pheretima dealer, but did manage to transplant a few earlier this year. (Live, damn it!) Your best bet might be buying castings or cocoons/eggs of an appropriate species. Last year, Gardener's Supply sold night crawler cocoons (I don't get their catalogue anymore) and Bountiful Gardens sells castings, but their catalogue does not indicate what species of worms/castings they are selling. The curious may call them at (707) 459 6410. Felix yen@stsci.edu From ittomw@ucdavis.edu Fri Aug 26 22:03:10 EDT 1994 Article: 42128 of rec.gardens Newsgroups: rec.gardens Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!Tom.Wilcox From: ittomw@ucdavis.edu (Tom Wilcox) Subject: Re: worms Message-ID: X-Posted-From: InterNews 1.0@rocky.ucdavis.edu. Sender: -Not-Authenticated-[7719] Organization: University of California, Davis References: <32vv7j$nov@news.umbc.edu> Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 17:57:20 GMT Xdisclaimer: No attempt was made to authenticate the sender's name. Lines: 23 In article <32vv7j$nov@news.umbc.edu> bolognes@umbc.edu (Ms. Cynthia Bolognese; (BIOL; GRAD)) writes: > Hi, I'm looking for sources of 'red wrigglers' for vermicomposting. > Can anyone give me some addresses? Thanks in advance! Cindy, I just bought some worms from a farm nearby. Here is their address: Rainbow Worm Farm 24700 County Road 95 Davis, Calif. 95616 916-758-9906 916-756-0414 This is a company that supplies worms to major gardening catalogs. They are really friendly and will answer any questions you might have. We made a worm box last week from a plastic bin (storage locker) from Walmart. It is similar to the worm boxes in gardening catalogs, but much less expensive. A wooden box would be even less. Hope this helps . . . enjoy your worms!