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Post by noblesseoblige on Feb 17, 2005 16:04:40 GMT -5
don't laugh, the people here that know me know, that I am not to dialed in with domestic goddess issues.
My question is, Superman, my DH, makes 2 cappuccinos every morning and then he makes coffee - this means we have a lot of coffee grounds. He asked me last autumn to put them in the garden.
Being the obedient little woman that I am, I did not argue and have put them dilligently in the flower beds and in the herb beds. Alas, I would actually enjoy knowing why I am doing this.
I ask Superman of course, all he said, he read a long time ago, it was good....huhhh!
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Post by KarenN on Feb 17, 2005 16:14:12 GMT -5
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 17, 2005 20:28:46 GMT -5
my coffee grounds and tea bags go in my worm beds in the house! I raise red wigglers.... composting worms. They are very quiet pets!
chris
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Post by noblesseoblige on Feb 17, 2005 20:46:14 GMT -5
are they allowed inside the house in inclement weather? Are they house broken?
What are you doing with them? Oh I know, you take them to Cabelos and sell them to Bubba!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by noblesseoblige on Feb 17, 2005 20:49:06 GMT -5
Ian is your little gardener? See that proofs that one is born with a green thumb!
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 17, 2005 20:55:11 GMT -5
haha! ;D
These worms aren't big enough to be fish bait... they are pretty small.
I got started with them three years ago when i brought home a baggy full from a recycling and composting convention.
I threw them into a 10 gallon tupperware container. Put a little dirt in the bottom, shredded up newspaper on top of them, poked some holes in the lid and started feeding them the scrapings from our plates, banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds and other goodies.
From that little baggie, I have now two tupperware containers full of worms and worm dirt!
They eat the newspaper, great way to recycle newspapers. They eat just about every kind of food garbage except citrus rinds and onions. They aren't too fond of potato peelings either.
They don't smell bad. They don't make noise. they don't jump fences. they just quietly eat garbage and make good dirt!
i put the worm dirt on my house plants.
I also take my worms to area schools and give talks about composting with worms!
chris
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Post by noblesseoblige on Feb 17, 2005 21:49:37 GMT -5
that is interesting, I never thought of using them for the soil...
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 17, 2005 21:51:19 GMT -5
Oh, worm dirt is fabulous for plants!!!!
chris
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Post by linda on Feb 17, 2005 21:54:33 GMT -5
Chris, I thought about raising worms for compost. I really looked into it. Then I realized that I already have lots of red worms doing my composting outside in my gardens already. We put newspapers over our gardens and then grass clippings. We now just take the edible garbage (that the neighbor's dogs aren't likely to dig up) outside and slip it under the newspapers.
How much better do you think I could do if I made some of those worms a plastic house inside? I was ...this... close to doing it last year. Should I take the leap?
Linda
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 17, 2005 22:07:42 GMT -5
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Post by linda on Feb 17, 2005 22:28:31 GMT -5
So did you make the fancy two-layer worm house? How simple can I go?
Linda
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 17, 2005 23:49:06 GMT -5
Mines very simple...
A tupperware big box type container. A light layer of dirt on the bottom, a layer of shredded newspaper (I just tear mine, no fancing shredding, just get it as small as possible), then the worms, more newspaper and food!
I used a nail and hammer to make air holes in the top and sides...
Pretty simple! The worms are thriving.
chris
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Post by linda on Feb 18, 2005 0:05:23 GMT -5
How often do you add water and how moist do you keep it? Do you have a drain hole for excess moisture?
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Post by Sheryl on Feb 18, 2005 1:30:07 GMT -5
Sooo.... you could never tell by looking at my yard these days, but I used to be into the whole flower gardening thing. Coffee grounds add acid. In the pacific NW we have pretty acidic soil already, but all those Rhodies and azeleas planted near the foundation love acid (the concrete tends to make the soil more alkaline). I used to pitch coffee grounds around the base of my Rhodies and they loved it.
In other parts of the country, you may have more alkaline soil so the acid may help other plants too; most plants prefer a neutral PH.
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Post by Chrisnstar on Feb 18, 2005 8:56:38 GMT -5
Linda, I almost never water them. Usually the bedding is too moist and I add newspaper to soak up the moisture.
You want their bedding damp, but not wet. sometimes if it gets too wet, I also just lift up the lid to the box and let a lot of air get in there for a day or two.
chris
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