Worm Tower?

moles? you'd think that with all the worms i put in trenches in the gardens that any moles would eventually find them and go up and down those trenches and clear out the worms? so far it hasn't ever happened and i don't know why. i've had moles go through gardens and run right across a trench without turning sideways and following the trench. surprises me that they can't smell them in all the worm compost i'm putting in there.
 
Okay, I think I have a plan.

Scrap the worm tower idea. We have a spot on the North side of Garden #2 that had been a small cinder block raised bed for growing potatoes, maybe 4x4 foot. It had weed fabric underneath allegedly to prevent quack grass, which extended for strawberries grown in a terraced cinder block thing. The whole experiment didn't work very well. The quack grass did not respect the fabric at all and then was a major pain to weed.

Anyway, this area has been sitting unused and we planned to clean it up this year. If you've ever seen soil after it has been under that fabric for several years, it looks sterile. This would be a perfect spot for in-ground vermicomposting! I'm excited. Since it will take a while to clean that up, I've already started collecting kitchen scraps in a repurposed animal feed container so there will be plenty to throw in there when it's ready. I also have 2 large piles of dried shredded leaves (although the piles include some prickly bits from the Sequoia which need to be sorted out. :mad:)

I hope this post is coherent. I'm bone tired and can't think very well.

eta: oh yeah.. I'm thinking trench (possibly lined with cinder blocks, not sure) and maybe purchase some composting worms to get a jump start... unless there is some reason that is a bad idea?
 
digitS' said:
Worms don't pee.

You only said that to make us flinch, involuntarily.

And, worm poo is a top quality plant nutrient for which people will pay $20, $30, $50 per bag.

Steve :hide
Click to expand...
I flinched, involuntarily!! :oops:
I guess it was the thought of me, gloveLESS, running my fingers through the soil contaminated by worm pee!
 
All of my composting is semi-underground these days, Meadow. I'm willing to cover with garden soil late in the year so it could probably said to be completely under ground when I do.

It is mostly not covered because I'm limited for locations in very recent years. There is no composting in the large distant garden since it is at the mercy of the tractor guy tilling it. At home, i practice stealth composting with composting going on beneath the wood decks outside both the greenhouse and chicken house. Small areas and our lifestyle generating a good amount of kitchen scraps so I'm left struggling to find room for them and making use of the locations as winter thawing permits them to be turned up.

The surrounding soil is very rocky so as to allow good drainage. Western Washington rain and a lack of drainage might be a problem for you. It may be a good idea if you have that location covered to shed some rain and if it isn't in a low spot in your yard.

It is a good time to be making these decisions. The Full Worm Moon will occur just after midnight tomorrow night.

;) Steve
 
I had to laugh at the notion of stealth composting!

digitS' said:
The surrounding soil is very rocky so as to allow good drainage. Western Washington rain and a lack of drainage might be a problem for you. It may be a good idea if you have that location covered to shed some rain and if it isn't in a low spot in your yard.
Click to expand...
Yes! I do think a cover will be in order, not only for the rain but also to deter critters since this won't be a hot bed. We used to have rats (long ago when we had chickens, ducks and geese) so I'm sure they are around somewhere. No need to ring the dinner bell. 😉

That's another benefit of this particular spot that I forgot to mention. It's accessible even when the ground is wet, which is not the case for most of the garden.
 
digitS' said:
Next, @flowerbug will be telling us that ..

. birds pee.

And, I will have to give up my habit of climbing into the bird bath on hot days!
Click to expand...

some of them are much worse than peeing in that they'll clean out the nest of the chicks poos and then come find a freshly rinsed out birdbath and barf that all up into the birdbath. :( i love almost all birdies, but these ones can be irksome.

killdeer, robins and grackles are back.
 
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