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10:19 am
August 1, 2012
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@Camaroon123 thanks for all your help in starting off vermicomposting . I had to peep in this morning to see if the worms you gave were happy.Could not find them in the compost they came in so gently lifted some shredded paper & cardboard and found one there , I suppose the others too have migrated to the bedding.
How often should I check on them in these initial stages.
Could you post a pic of the composting using regular pots since the worms cannot take all the veg waste might as well start composting in pots. So far I was just dumping it at the base of coconut trees .
@jay any idea if daily dump composting bins are available only in Bangalore or are they available in Chennai too.
11:47 am
Thanks for the seeds. Initially It is difficult not to look and see if they are ok :-). The difficulty with plastic containers is that the moisture content and heat does not get regulated on its own and have to monitor frequently. In case of earthen ones the temperature and moisture are regulated on their own. My current setup has a water feeding system and is isolated to prevent ants from going in.
My suggestion is that if there are no problems with organic stuff out in the open (like rats and other vermin) then I recommend just introducing some worms in the open near the area. It will not only improve the soil quality but also keep the worms happy. The bin setup can be used to preserve the worm culture and introduce them to open when there are sufficient numbers. The open way of generating compost is better than closed bin system.
Following are some pictures.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1.....directlink
The regular one are simply two pots with some holes, stacked on top of each other.
12:53 pm
June 22, 2012
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@Usha, The Daily Dump compost bins are available in Chennai also. You may contact Navneeth Raghavan: 9840082607. He is residing in Haddows Road. They have these bins in different shapes.
Since I do not have any open space or garden area, I resorted to this. I have not introduced any worms into my composting bin, but I add only goat and cow droppings in regular intervals. I collect kitchen waste from my home and from my uncle who stays near me. So, in two days, I add atleast one kilo of kitchen waste into this and stir the contents once a while.
While adding, the contents might be smell bad, but once the decomposition starts, there is absolutely no smell. When I stir the contents, I could get the smell of sweet moist earth!
For me, this investment is fine - as long as I am able to reduce my kitchen waste and could produce compost at home.
@Camaroon: Thanks for the pictures. The plants are looking very healthy. I shall also post the pictures of my compost bin shortly.
2:52 pm
August 1, 2012
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@jay thanks will contact Navneeth and see. I am not sure how good my plastic container composting will be, so really want to get earthenware ones.
@camaroon thanks for the pic that looks simple and doable, if daily dump turns out too expensive will resort to this.
4:40 pm
June 22, 2012
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@Usha: Composting in plastic containers may not be good. what is required is aerobic conditions, with free movement of air - even when the bin is closed. Plastic containers may / may not have this kind of provision. The Daily Dump compost bins are little expensive. But the same kind of earthen pots / containers would cost in similar lines, if you were to purchase them outside. But you may want to check.
5:40 pm
August 1, 2012
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August 1, 2012
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@jay thanks for that no. of Navneet bought the terracota one yesterday its visually so much more better than my plastic container composting. wish I could something in terracorta for my vermicompost the ones navneet has can be used only for the composting I think .
Only after coming back did it strike me that if he gives just the base bin and the top bins cover I could use it for the worms must find out
@ camaroon the worms I got from you are still alive when I last peeped in. Do I feed them kitchen waste every day? I putting a little bit on alternate day most of it goes into the compost not for the worms hope I am not staving them.
7:08 pm
June 22, 2012
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Good Usha. Please share your experience in composting. In addition to this, this also reduces the waste that we generate everyday, at home.
The designs of DailyDump are modular and if you present your requirements to Navneeth, I am sure he should have some solutions.
Good Luck!
~Jay
10:06 pm
It is easy to overfeed and make the environment unsuitable for worms. The decomposition gives out gases and temperature which could kill the worms or drive them away. This is especially true in a plastic containers. If there is sufficient bedding material then they can survive even without any food for months. Generally feeding can be started if the previous leftovers have been converted to compost. Once their numbers have increased then the quantity can be increased.
11:49 am
August 1, 2012
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August 1, 2012
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Jay said:
Good Usha. Please share your experience in composting. In addition to this, this also reduces the waste that we generate everyday, at home.
The designs of DailyDump are modular and if you present your requirements to Navneeth, I am sure he should have some solutions.
Good Luck!
~Jay
The terracota daily dump is far superior to the plastic bin experiment .the plastic bin I got some holes made in the bottom too add a bit of waste to that too wet it more often so that it drips into the container at the bottom which collects the drips so I have my version of compost tea in that now:)
1:19 pm
ushasoman said:
The terracota daily dump is far superior to the plastic bin experiment .the plastic bin I got some holes made in the bottom too add a bit of waste to that too wet it more often so that it drips into the container at the bottom which collects the drips so I have my version of compost tea in that now:)
Mud based ones definitely better as they have natural pores which help maintain moisture and temperature. Shredded news paper can increase acidity and need to be mindful of the ink that is used in the print. Cardboard is always better.Even with the daily dump setup the decomposition has to be aerobic. Once too much garbage is dumped in it, it will become smelly and all kinds of things will emerge from them. If there is sufficient quantity of worms and proper setup, vermicomposting is much quicker than regular composting.
Highly commendable effort from all of you to reduce the waste going to the landfill and making some compost for your gardens in the process.
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