Tag Archives: texas red worms

DIY Raised Worm Bed.

28 Apr

Here’s another example of a raised bed for worms.  It’s next to the house and gets full shade.  It’s next to a spicket for easy access to water and/or drip irrigation.  I used some landscaping blocks to construct the borders and filled it with compost. After adding a Tx Jumper Starter, I cut a piece of old carpet to cover.  The cover acts as a permanent mulch blanket to keep in moisture and protects the worms.  I like carpet or an old rug because they last a long time, and I believe the weight gives the worms a sense of security that promotes surfacing and feeding.

wormbed

 

Within a few months of setting this up, the worms started to really take off.  I continue to keep moist, and fed with compost.  The worms do the rest.  It’s always fun to pull back the carpet and see a bunch of happy worms (Texas Jumpers).

happyworms

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Spring Fever Festival Sat. March 29, 2014 in Boerne, TX

28 Mar

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Michael’s Rabbit Hutch Worm Bed

23 Jul

Thanks to Michael in Cypress, TX for sharing the pictures of his rabbit hutch and worm bed design.  Great work and thanks for sending.

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State Master Gardener Composter Specialist Training June 12

3 Jun

Vermiculture/Worm Composting Presentation is scheduled from 3-4PM on Wed 12 June 2013 at the San Antonio Botanical Garden (Education Bldg or Auld House depending on room availability-TBD)

Kyle Harrell from TexasRedWorms.com will be presenting from 3-4PM focusing on setting up a simple worm bin, along with the benefits/challenges of vermicomposting in Texas.

Red Worms, Castings, and Eggs

14 Apr

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Spring is here and the worms are hungry.  Cocoons, and baby worms are appearing by the minute.  Here are a couple of pics from this week’s castings harvest.

April 13 cocoons

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Flow Through Worm Bin 2

27 Feb

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In production since last week this TexasRedWorm Flow Through 2 has been a work in progress for several years.  I have been looking at examples of flow through bins homemade and commercially available for some time.  This latest design is the latest version predated by several prototypes.   This latest evolution has been a success thus far.   I ended up purchasing the metal racks from Costco for about $137.  Easy to assemble and very sturdy, these were a great buy at a good price.  I spent about $70 on hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, washers, 20′ of .25″ cable, and cable clamps).  Key to a long lasting box built around the metal rack, were cypress 2×6’s from TexasDozer.com cut from my dad’s saw mill.  Cypress will not rot and in it’s natural state (no chemicals used to preserve the wood)  and will not leach out anything harmful to the worms or castings.

photo 5The cutting diamond bar was fabricated out of scrap and square tubing for the guides.  This will be pulled with winches mounted to both sides of the rack to cut and harvest castings from the bin.

photo 1Two mason tubs purchased at Lowe’s for around $13 each rest on the bottom rack just below the flow through bin to catch castings.  The bottom of the bin was lined with newspaper and worms and compost were added.  We will let the worms go to work for several weeks feeding compost as needed.  Over the next few weeks the newspaper will break down and the bin will be ready to harvest.  For the initial harvest, remove by hand the newspaper from under the screen.  Use the winch from one side to move the cutting bar across the bottom of the bin one time.

Winter Rain Adds Needed Moisture to Compost Piles and Worm Beds

9 Jan

Early this week we welcomed 2.5 inches of rain providing some badly needed moisture to my compost piles and inground worm beds.  The micro organisms that break down organic waste in compost piles need food, air, and water.  In South Texas the missing component of that equation is usually H2O, and with a steady shower over the last couple of days we are back in business.  I get asked often “why is my compost not breaking down?” and the answer is usually a lack of water.  Keep your piles mixed to increase Oxygen, keep them watered if lacking in rain, and add Nitrogen bearing organic matter like grass clippings and manure to reactivate a pile.  Use these winter months to get ready for spring planting and keep those compost piles fed, turned, and moist.

Baby Alabama Jumpers

My Jumpers love this time of year and can be at their peak performance.  Cooler temperatures and added moisture stimulate hatching of eggs and adults feeding and breeding in top layers of compost that at other times of the year maybe too hot or dry.

Worms do their part to create lush lawns and landscapes

19 Sep

Check out this recent MySa.com article on the wonderful work going on in the King William historic district along the San Antonio Riverwalk at Villa Finale historic site and museum by head groundskeeper Orlando Cortinas.  Worms do their part to keep Villa Finale lawns lush by Rose Mary Brudge.

Join TexasRedWorms and Villa Finale today for A Beginner’s Guide to Vermicomposting

15 Sep

9/15 – A Beginner’s Guide to Vermicomposting (10:30am-12:00pm)

122 Madison
San Antonio, TX 78204
(210) 223-9800

Vermicomposting is the natural process by which red worms process waste and convert it into an efficient natural fertilizer.  In this program, Kyle Harrell of Texas Red Worms will show participants how they can take kitchen waste to create a wonderful fertilizer that will enrich their garden soils and plants, all with the help of worms!  All paid participants will receive a sample of Villa Finale’s compost and a few red worms to get them started at home.  Comfortable dress is recommended.  Space is limited – please call Villa Finale Visitor Services to make your reservation.

For more information on Kyle’s work, visit www.Texasredworms.com

$15.00 members
$25.00 non-members

Grow bigger healthier vegetables w/ worm castings

11 May

Last Spring was the first time my parents used worm castings exclusively to fertilize their garden.  My mom and dad claimed their best tomato crop they can remember. We used a handful of castings with each tomato seedling, and the results were terrific.  Even in one of the driest and hottest years on record, the taste, yield, and size of the tomatoes were outstanding.

Worm castings or earthworm manure is the best all natural fertilizer you can get.  Beyond Potassium and Nitrogen, worm castings are alive with beneficial microbes.  Beneficial bacteria, nematodes, and other tiny beneficials that will add life to plants and soil.  You can maximize your castings harvest by brewing compost tea.   You will need an aquarium pump, water, castings, and some unsulfured molasses to amplify the effects.  Worm castings are the only manure that can be directly absorbed by plants roots.  They are perfectly pH balanced and won’t burn up plants like other high in Nitrogen manures.