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Eggshells - 2008/06/03 10:50How do you all prep your eggshells for your worms? I know everyone talks about "crushing" them, but how fine do you crush them? Wouldn't they have to be almost a dust for the worms to use them? They seem to take forever to break down. Also, has anyone used a blender on the eggshells long enough to say whether this hurts the blender or not?
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 13:14 This is how my worms like them crushed..or not.
Post edited by: redhen, at: 2008/06/03 13:14Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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jasdip
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 25
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 13:29Wow, awesome shot RedHen. I often see a couple worms nestled in my half-shells but not a herd.
Mama, I dry mine out on the counter, or in the oven after using, then put them in a plastic bag and crush very finely using a rolling pin or a can of food, whichever is handiest at the time. It can get pretty fine this way.
SherrySouthwestern Ont. Canada
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Wormbinning Mama
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 41
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 13:41Susan-- my worms like to snuggle up in them too, but the eggshells never seem to disapear. They just get broken into smaller pieces and then I have to get them out if I want "pretty" compost, which I do occasionally when I give it away.
Sherry-- are your pieces small enough that you don't see them again in the finished stuff?
I really don't mind the shells in the finished compost when I use it myself, but when I want a more finished look, I don't like the shells in there.
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WistarWorms
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 129
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 16:03Like Sherry, I usually rinse and dry mine before crushing them. I dry them either by placing them in a hot oven after I finish cooking something or stick them over the back burner where the oven vents it's heat. I then coursely crush the shells and then use a small electric food chopper to reduce them to a powder. I can then mix the egg powder in with my food scraps or sprinkle it lightly over the entire bin.We Are WORM - Resistance Is Futile! Buddy Richmond, VA
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Wormbinning Mama
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 41
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 18:37I never rinse mine. I just toss them in a little bucket in the garage and by the time I get to them to crush them, they are dry. Then I put them in a towel and crush with a mallet or wooden block. But there are still pieces that are big enough that they do not become any smaller in the bin. Which makes me wonder if the worms are using them much at all (other than as a hammock). I just don't see how they are digesting any of the shell itself. I realize the shells are still going to be good as a soil amendment, but are CASTINGS the better for it?
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 21:45Wormbinning Mama...I really put that photo up for fun. I have one with worms in a Jolly Rancher wrapper too. I do just give the dry shells a crunch with my hand. I ,like you do not care about the shells in my compost that I am using, (most plants love the addition). If I am going to sell VC, I sift it first. That takes any big, noticeable pieces of anything out leaving very finished looking compostSusan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Wormbinning Mama
User A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 41
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 21:55I saw the jolly rancher one. I would NEVER feed my guys that high fructose corn syrup junk.
Actually, just after I saw that pic, I noticed some dried crystalized fruit-- that sugary stuff-- in the cabinet that no one here was eating and thought, hmmmm.... if they like the jolly ranchers, surely this won't kill 'em. I can't even remember where I put them in the bin.... Guess I'll find them sooner or later if they arent' eaten.
Did the worms really eat the jolly rancher? I thought sugar was a no-no in the bin. i loved that picture!
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gnosnhoj
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 544
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/03 23:10I put our freshly cracked eggshells in an open cardboard box (soon to be shredded) on the kitchen island. Weekends, I hand crunch 'em and sprinkle in the bins. At harvest, if a bit makes it through my 1/4" screen with a little pokin', fine. If not, back in the bin. I'm not selling any vc, and if somebody asks about my giveaways, I tell 'em what those little chunks are. If the worms get through 'em or not, they're still doing good things for the soil they end up in. Susan, I loved that Jolly Rancher pic - I used to be addicted to those dang things .
I realize the shells are still going to be good as a soil amendment, but are CASTINGS the better for it? I read recently from a reputable poster at TGF that castings are coated with calcium to bind them together. That comes from lotsa veggies, http://www.citracal.com/Calcium/Foods/Vegetables.aspx but I imagine the l'il fellas can get a bunch from eggshells too.Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing. Gary Hopkinsville, KY
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redhen
User A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 684
Re:Eggshells - 2008/06/04 10:59
These Peeps were very old and like rocks. Once they softened up they were gone in days. At the end of the school year I clean out the cabinets, old Halloween candy, Christmas candy, Easter candy and various snacks that no one will eat and feed it to the worm bins. Those Jolly Ranchers had gotten too warm and were very sticky, so I just threw them in wrappers and all. I found the wrappers full of worms. One thing I tell all my clients, is to have some fun with their worms. Be 8yrs old and try stuff out just to see what happens.Susan Quinby-Honer redhen@nc.rr.com Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.
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Guess I'll find them sooner or later if they arent' eaten.
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