Worm Digest - Re:Stinky Food Preparation

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WilhelmGGW
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 34

Stinky Food Preparation - 2008/08/27 18:00 I have a bowl in the kitchen to which I add "worm food" as it becomes available. I stir it each time I add more, and it never develops a foul odor.

If I fill the bowl before my worm herd is ready for more food, I sometimes freeze the bowl contents for later. A few times, I've just set aside the bowl contents (without freezing) and continued stirring it daily. I've thought this would be good for the food to continue decomposing a bit before feed to the worms.

But each time I've done this, my set-aside, staged food bowl gets to stinking really bad, before my herd is ready to be fed. The old food is not too wet. It's getting plenty of air. But it gets to smelling really foul!

Am I doing something wrong? Should I freeze everything when my kitchen bowl is full, without letting any go on decomposing by itself for a bit? Would it hurt if I put this stinky stuff in my bin when the worms are ready for more food? Maybe there's a way I can let food continuing decomposing till I'm ready for it, but not have it take on such bad odor? Thanks so much for help you can give me.

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redhen

User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 684

Re:Stinky Food Preparation - 2008/08/27 22:55 You do not say how many worms you have in your bin.
My thought is you need more worms, to handle the organic scraps your household is generating. Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
Starve the Landfill...Feed the Earth.

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WilhelmGGW
User

A Juvenile Earthworm

Posts: 34

Re:Stinky Food Preparation - 2008/08/28 18:05 In a bin that has 1.7 square feet of surface area, I put 1 lb of worms when I started six weeks ago. I thought their numbers would grow, up to the average food I might be adding. Of course, I may be adding too little food. I don't know.

My worm population seems to be active enough, but of course I don't know whether any problems -- like underfeeding or a problem I had with heat -- have killed off any. Wow, this vermicomposting has not been easy for me!

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wellsworms

User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 511

Re:Stinky Food Preparation - 2008/08/29 09:53

imho try adding a lot of your stinky mix to only one side of your bin so as to give them a cool side to excape into. you will see results very soon. you could also put your added food in an onion bag so it can be removed easily.

FEED IT TO THE WORMS
WELLS,vermont
jerry walker 2008

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gnosnhoj

User

A Protected Species Earthworm

Posts: 544

Re:Stinky Food Preparation - 2008/09/04 21:29 IMHO, do not add more chow to your bin(s) than your herd is getting through on a regular basis. Best rule of thumb I've ever used: if it doesn't look like what I put in there anymore and the herd is all over that area I can feed again in another part of the bin.
Freeze, hot-compost or share any excess kitchen leavings. Excess anything will kill a herd quicker than neglect.
Patience is a virtue. If you practice it, your herd should grow. Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY

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