I mentioned the other day that my neighbour gave me her worm farm when she went back to Tassie. The worm farm is this style…
http://www.wormaffair.com.au/index_files/Page2064.htm

How hilarious, when I googled it, a chat between Lucky and Longy on GExpress popped up, so I KNOW you two have the same! LOL!
Anyway, my neighbour had trays/baskets in it like so…

Pics were taken at my place, I’ve since moved it because it wasn’t getting enough winter sun. Now it’s in a lovely sunny spot near the back door under the eaves so shouldn’t get too much rain. The wall it’s against faces north-east so it gets lots of winter sun but will be shaded on summer afternoons.

I’m guessing she had the trays because they were renting and moved six months ago, so if you had it set up as per instructions, you’d have to empty it to move it, either that or she moved it around the garden depending on the weather.
My thoughts are that it would be more effective and perhaps a nicer environment for the worms if I got rid of the baskets and set it up as per the instructions, but then it would have to stay where it is. I wouldn’t have the option of moving it around the garden depending on the season, but that’s ok, I may just have to put a shadecloth structure up in summer to protect it from the late morning sun.

What do you all reckon?

hortfurball said:

I mentioned the other day that my neighbour gave me her worm farm when she went back to Tassie. The worm farm is this style…
http://www.wormaffair.com.au/index_files/Page2064.htm

How hilarious, when I googled it, a chat between Lucky and Longy on GExpress popped up, so I KNOW you two have the same! LOL!
Anyway, my neighbour had trays/baskets in it like so…

Pics were taken at my place, I’ve since moved it because it wasn’t getting enough winter sun. Now it’s in a lovely sunny spot near the back door under the eaves so shouldn’t get too much rain. The wall it’s against faces north-east so it gets lots of winter sun but will be shaded on summer afternoons.

I’m guessing she had the trays because they were renting and moved six months ago, so if you had it set up as per instructions, you’d have to empty it to move it, either that or she moved it around the garden depending on the weather.
My thoughts are that it would be more effective and perhaps a nicer environment for the worms if I got rid of the baskets and set it up as per the instructions, but then it would have to stay where it is. I wouldn’t have the option of moving it around the garden depending on the season, but that’s ok, I may just have to put a shadecloth structure up in summer to protect it from the late morning sun.

What do you all reckon?

I love this style as I found in the summer heat, the colour stayed cooler than the black ones I also have.

Worms became sex maniacs in this farm and put rabbits to shame…… bred like there is no tomorrow.

Bonus…….. now I have moved mine with the elf’s help and not removed any castings or worms……

Lucky1 said:

What do you all reckon?

I love this style as I found in the summer heat, the colour stayed cooler than the black ones I also have.

Worms became sex maniacs in this farm and put rabbits to shame…… bred like there is no tomorrow.

Bonus…….. now I have moved mine with the elf’s help and not removed any castings or worms……

Sorry I waffled a bit, there was a question in all that, believe it or not! LOL!

Shall I a) keep it as is with the baskets
or b) change it and set it up as per instructions?

hortfurball said:

Lucky1 said:

What do you all reckon?

I love this style as I found in the summer heat, the colour stayed cooler than the black ones I also have.

Worms became sex maniacs in this farm and put rabbits to shame…… bred like there is no tomorrow.

Bonus…….. now I have moved mine with the elf’s help and not removed any castings or worms……

Sorry I waffled a bit, there was a question in all that, believe it or not! LOL!

Shall I a) keep it as is with the baskets
or b) change it and set it up as per instructions?

I’d go with a proper setup to get the best value out of the system:)

hortfurball said:

Lucky1 said:

What do you all reckon?

I love this style as I found in the summer heat, the colour stayed cooler than the black ones I also have.

Worms became sex maniacs in this farm and put rabbits to shame…… bred like there is no tomorrow.

Bonus…….. now I have moved mine with the elf’s help and not removed any castings or worms……

Sorry I waffled a bit, there was a question in all that, believe it or not! LOL!

Shall I a) keep it as is with the baskets
or b) change it and set it up as per instructions?

Horty I had this style of worm farm for the first one, and casts kept blocking the liquid collector bit, I had nothing but trouble. I imagine that your friend used the baskets for probably the same reason. Best listen to Lucky :)

Lucky1 said:

hortfurball said:

Sorry I waffled a bit, there was a question in all that, believe it or not! LOL!

Shall I a) keep it as is with the baskets
or b) change it and set it up as per instructions?

I’d go with a proper setup to get the best value out of the system:)

Thanks Lucky. :) That’s what I was thinking, but I know you guys talk about trays…and this system doesn’t have any so I wasn’t sure what would be best.

Horty I had this style of worm farm for the first one, and casts kept blocking the liquid collector bit, I had nothing but trouble. I imagine that your friend used the baskets for probably the same reason.
Best listen to Lucky :)
—————————————————————————-
Oh thanks HP…LOL

I found the same problem and I put some extra fine mesh over the wider wire and this seemed to have worked well. Mind you I always give the farms a service every 18 months or there abouts and a good clean out.

Lucky1 said:

Horty I had this style of worm farm for the first one, and casts kept blocking the liquid collector bit, I had nothing but trouble. I imagine that your friend used the baskets for probably the same reason.
Best listen to Lucky :)
—————————————————————————-
Oh thanks HP…LOL

I found the same problem and I put some extra fine mesh over the wider wire and this seemed to have worked well. Mind you I always give the farms a service every 18 months or there abouts and a good clean out.

Thanks both of you. This is exactly why I asked BEFORE I did anything. Now I can get some fine mesh to put over the other before I start adding everything else. Can’t believe it took me over an hour to get the worm farm level in the wrong spot so that I had to move it three days later. (It’s only been here 3 days) It can stay as it is til next weekend when I get a chance to change it over.

hortfurball said:

Lucky1 said:

Horty I had this style of worm farm for the first one, and casts kept blocking the liquid collector bit, I had nothing but trouble. I imagine that your friend used the baskets for probably the same reason.
Best listen to Lucky :)
—————————————————————————-
Oh thanks HP…LOL

I found the same problem and I put some extra fine mesh over the wider wire and this seemed to have worked well. Mind you I always give the farms a service every 18 months or there abouts and a good clean out.

Thanks both of you. This is exactly why I asked BEFORE I did anything. Now I can get some fine mesh to put over the other before I start adding everything else. Can’t believe it took me over an hour to get the worm farm level in the wrong spot so that I had to move it three days later. (It’s only been here 3 days) It can stay as it is til next weekend when I get a chance to change it over.

So much for good intentions to leave it as it was for now and get on with the other stuff. Will have to change one of tomorrow’s jobs to later in the week so I can finish the design that I didn’t do because I was playing with the worm farm…
wormies should be happier and warmer tonight though, insulated by the leaves I threw in and around them. It’s going to be another coldie. I used a cut off bit of shadecloth as a mesh, cut twice the size of the mesh grill so it well and truly covers it.

I’m actually using mine as storage for ready to use compost. The other is on the soil as a mini, slow compost bin.
I found them a bit ordinary as worm farms actually. They seem to drop a lot of stuff out the sides and onto the concrete and seemed to dry out too quickly in Summer,esp with low volumes in them. I prefer the tier type which i am using now.

Longy said:

I’m actually using mine as storage for ready to use compost. The other is on the soil as a mini, slow compost bin.
I found them a bit ordinary as worm farms actually. They seem to drop a lot of stuff out the sides and onto the concrete and seemed to dry out too quickly in Summer,esp with low volumes in them. I prefer the tier type which i am using now.

I wish the tier ones weren’t black…be much kinder to the worms in the warmer/hotter months.

For back reasons, the tray tier farms are kinder when moving.

I had to do a lot of stripping to get my light coloured worm farm…………………. floor stripping in schools that is;P

Lucky1 said:

Longy said:

I’m actually using mine as storage for ready to use compost. The other is on the soil as a mini, slow compost bin.
I found them a bit ordinary as worm farms actually. They seem to drop a lot of stuff out the sides and onto the concrete and seemed to dry out too quickly in Summer,esp with low volumes in them. I prefer the tier type which i am using now.

I wish the tier ones weren’t black…be much kinder to the worms in the warmer/hotter months.

For back reasons, the tray tier farms are kinder when moving.

I had to do a lot of stripping to get my light coloured worm farm…………………. floor stripping in schools that is;P

The black should only be an issue if they’re in the sun, which they shouldn’t be.
If they’re in the shade, colour is going to be fairly irrelevant i’d have thought.
Mine is a dark green stackable one and i have it in a well protected place. Main food ATM is shredded chokoes.

Is floor stripping like horizontal pole dancing?

Longy said:

Is floor stripping like horizontal pole dancing?

No…. …………its not…LOL

What is more important to worms – summer shade or winter sun? Or both equally?
I’m worried now that I have emptied the baskets into the main body of the farm and hence made it more difficult to move, that I should have left the farm where it was, in a nice shady position. The only thing is, it got NO winter sun. Where it is now, it gets a few hours of lovely winter sun but I’m concerned that when summer hits shadecloth just won’t cut the mustard when it gets to 40 degrees.

What happens to worms when they get cold?

hortfurball said:

What is more important to worms – summer shade or winter sun? Or both equally?
I’m worried now that I have emptied the baskets into the main body of the farm and hence made it more difficult to move, that I should have left the farm where it was, in a nice shady position. The only thing is, it got NO winter sun. Where it is now, it gets a few hours of lovely winter sun but I’m concerned that when summer hits shadecloth just won’t cut the mustard when it gets to 40 degrees.

What happens to worms when they get cold?

Hi Horty , when it’s too cold they hang out in the middle of the farm where the composting matter generates heat. Keeping a farm out of sun and rain is more important than keeping them out of the cold, of course as long as you don’t get too far into the minus temps.
When theres frosts I put an insulating blanket on them, the sort of shiney padded material one uses across the car windscreen to keep the hot sun off the dash, cheap from the $2 shop. My worm farms are out on the patio , but it still gets frosts underneath the roof.

http://www.reln.com.au/pdfs/Worm_Factory_Booklet.pdf
For some general worm info (even though this is a tray system) on what to feed , or not, dampness ect.

hortfurball said:

What is more important to worms – summer shade or winter sun? Or both equally?
I’m worried now that I have emptied the baskets into the main body of the farm and hence made it more difficult to move, that I should have left the farm where it was, in a nice shady position. The only thing is, it got NO winter sun. Where it is now, it gets a few hours of lovely winter sun but I’m concerned that when summer hits shadecloth just won’t cut the mustard when it gets to 40 degrees.

What happens to worms when they get cold?

Mine get very little winter sun (they’re in the laundry) and it doesn’t seem to bother them. I’m more worried about summer shade, but then again mine is one of the dark green ones. I think the insulative effect of being in the laundry possibly helps them deal with the lack of warmth in winter.

Mine don’t get any sun Summer or Winter.
They are out of the wind, in the shade. Well protected.
The Summer shade is quite heavy where they are.
They’re actually behind these compost bays, under the lean to roof.
The silky Oak gives good Summer shade to the whole area.

Happy Potter said:

Hi Horty , when it’s too cold they hang out in the middle of the farm where the composting matter generates heat. Keeping a farm out of sun and rain is more important than keeping them out of the cold, of course as long as you don’t get too far into the minus temps.
When theres frosts I put an insulating blanket on them, the sort of shiney padded material one uses across the car windscreen to keep the hot sun off the dash, cheap from the $2 shop. My worm farms are out on the patio , but it still gets frosts underneath the roof.

http://www.reln.com.au/pdfs/Worm_Factory_Booklet.pdf
For some general worm info (even though this is a tray system) on what to feed , or not, dampness ect.

Thanks HP. I don’t get frosts here but it will get down to about 4 degrees C on the coldest nights. I suppose this means that 40 degree days will be much more of an issue for them than cold winter nights. Rats! May have to move them again…have made it rather difficult for myself now. :(

Longy said:

Mine don’t get any sun Summer or Winter.
They are out of the wind, in the shade. Well protected.
The Summer shade is quite heavy where they are.
They’re actually behind these compost bays, under the lean to roof.
The silky Oak gives good Summer shade to the whole area.

Thanks Longy.
Nice compost bays! :)

Looks like I made more work for myself. :( Sometimes I should slow down and not be so gung-ho.