Posted by:
FroggieB
at Tue Jul 1 15:59:18 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FroggieB ]
you don't have to use the ground nightcrawlers food to feed them. In fact, if you do you have to leave it on the soil surface or it can kill your crawlers as per the instructions. Also, using the ground food your bin won't be producing heat as it the decaying materials, bacteria, etc that produces the heat.
So, what do you feed them? Any non-meat leftovers. Don't use meat or fat, but bone is ok, it will just take a long time for it to break down. Egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds are wonderful as are leftovers from salads, your dinner veggies, old fruit, etc. I don’t let my hubby throw anything out. If his bananas get too dark I chop them up. If the apples start getting soft I give them first to my roaches, mealworms and rats but the remainder gets chopped and tossed in the worm bin. Use citrus peels, old potatoes, fruit & veggie peels & seeds, tomato sauce, leftover pasta excluding any cheese, rice, cereal (no milk), hair trimmings, brushing from dog/cat brush, sliced corn cobs, anything non-fatty. If you just toss these on top of the soil they will mold. So make sure you alternate ends of the bin. Dig a hole, put in your scraps, sprinkle with just a little bit of powdered garden lime to keep it sweet (keeps down the odor) and cover with soil. Next feeding repeat the same with the other end of the bin.
I would think you would be able to chase the cricks to the end you aren’t working on, or they’ll just run to the other end  If there are a lot of scraps in the soil wait a while before adding more. After a while you will get to know how fast your worms will go through the chow producing wonderful heat & life giving compost and nutrient filled castings.
Good luck and let us know how your experiment goes 
Marcia
[ Hide Replies ]
|
Feeding earthworms........ - FroggieB, Tue Jul 1 15:59:18 2003