Vermiculture

Charl Pienaar(MScAgric MBA earthwormaholic)

charlpagnrgcoza

and

Dora du PlessisDora du Plessis

(Centre for Agricultural Management)duplesdmsciufsacza

2007

copy 2007 UFS Centre for Agricultural Management

All rights reserved

Centre for Agricultural Management

Department of Agricultural Economics

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

University of the Free State

PO Box 339

Bloemfontein

Suid-Afrika

9300

Tel 051 401-2557 3759

Fax 051 401-2557 3743

Email duplesdmsciufsacza (Secretary)

nellwtsciufsacza (Dr Nell Director)

Web wwwufsaczaagriman

copy 2007 UFS Centre for Agricultural Management

All rights reserved

Centre for Agricultural Management

Department of Agricultural Economics

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

University of the Free State

PO Box 339

Bloemfontein

Suid-Afrika

9300

Tel 051 401-2557 3759

Fax 051 401-2557 3743

Email duplesdmsciufsacza (Secretary)

nellwtsciufsacza (Dr Nell Director)

Web wwwufsaczaagriman

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 DEFINITIONS 1

3 BENEFITS 2

4 WORM FARMING 3

41 The worms 4

42 Establishing the worm farm 5

421 Windrows 5

422 Worm bins 6

423 Tyre stacks 7

43 Maintaining your worm farm 7

431 A hospitable living environment (ldquobeddingrdquo) 8

432 A food source 8

433 Adequate moisture 10

434 Adequate aeration 10

435 Protection from temperature extremes 10

436 When the worm bin smells 11

44 Harvesting super vermicompost 11

441 Using a sieve 11

442 The ldquodivide and sortrdquo method 11

443 The ldquolighted pilerdquo method 11

5 USES FOR SUPER VERMICOMPOST 12

51 As growth medium 13

52 In the home garden 13

53 In the vegetable garden 13

54 For conventional farming purposes 14

55 Making super vermicompost worm tea 14

56 Building up your soil to invite beneficial insects 16

6 VERMICOMPOSTING IN TYRE STACKS 18

61 Housing earthworms in tyre stacks 18

62 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack 20

63 Harvesting the tyre stack 21

7 WORMING TOWARDS LEISA AND ORGANIC FARMING TECHNIQUES 22

8 SOME VERMICOMPOSTING STORIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD 24

SOURCES 26

Vermiculture

Page 1 of 27

1 Introduction

The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of Mans inventions but

long before he existed the land was hellip regularly ploughed and still continues to be

ploughed by earthworms It may be (doubtful) whether there are many other

animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these

lowly organized creatures

ndash Charles Darwin (1881)

Except w here m entioned and quoted th is docum ent w as adapted from tw o articles on

vermiculture by Mr Charl Pienaar from Supertill cc in the Paarl which appeared in Go Farming

(Volumes 1(3)22-23 and 1(4)20-21) as well as from a short course presented by Mr Pienaar at the

M U CPP com m unity food garden project of the University of the Free State in Mangaung

Bloemfontein

This document will provide you the African-farmergardener-who-cares-for-the-environment with

knowledge tools and skills on how to employ earthworms and their buddies as your little workers

and thereby to farm more profitably and skilfully

2 Definitions

Earthworms are divided into two groups (International Ag-Sieve)

bull The first group the humus formers dwell on the surface and feed on nearly 90 fresh

organic matter and 10 soil They are generally red in colour It is these worms that are

used for vermicompost

bull The second group the humus feeders are deep burrowing worms that are useful in

making the soil porous and mixing and distributing humus through the soil (Dont use

these worms from your garden soil ndash they will not live in a worm composting bin)

Vermiculture is the process of using worms to decompose organic food waste turning the

waste into a nutrient-rich material capable of supplying necessary nutrients to help sustain

plant growth (wwwwormpoopcom) The goal is to continually increase the number of worms

so that you can have a sustainable harvest The worms can either be used to expand a

vermicomposting operation or sold to customers (Glen Munroe sa1)

Vermiculture

Page 1 of 27

1 Introduction

The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of Mans inventions but

long before he existed the land was hellip regularly ploughed and still continues to be

ploughed by earthworms It may be (doubtful) whether there are many other

animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these

lowly organized creatures

ndash Charles Darwin (1881)

Except w here m entioned and quoted th is docum ent w as adapted from tw o articles on

vermiculture by Mr Charl Pienaar from Supertill cc in the Paarl which appeared in Go Farming

(Volumes 1(3)22-23 and 1(4)20-21) as well as from a short course presented by Mr Pienaar at the

M U CPP com m unity food garden project of the University of the Free State in Mangaung

Bloemfontein

This document will provide you the African-farmergardener-who-cares-for-the-environment with

knowledge tools and skills on how to employ earthworms and their buddies as your little workers

and thereby to farm more profitably and skilfully

2 Definitions

Earthworms are divided into two groups (International Ag-Sieve)

bull The first group the humus formers dwell on the surface and feed on nearly 90 fresh

organic matter and 10 soil They are generally red in colour It is these worms that are

used for vermicompost

bull The second group the humus feeders are deep burrowing worms that are useful in

making the soil porous and mixing and distributing humus through the soil (Dont use

these worms from your garden soil ndash they will not live in a worm composting bin)

Vermiculture is the process of using worms to decompose organic food waste turning the

waste into a nutrient-rich material capable of supplying necessary nutrients to help sustain

plant growth (wwwwormpoopcom) The goal is to continually increase the number of worms

so that you can have a sustainable harvest The worms can either be used to expand a

vermicomposting operation or sold to customers (Glen Munroe sa1)

Vermiculture

Page 2 of 27

ldquoVermicompost (also called worm compost vermicast worm castings worm humus or worm

manure) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by some species of earthworm

Verm icom post is a nutrient-rich natural fertilizer and soil conditioner The process of

p r o d u c in g v e rm ico m p o st is ca l le d v e rm ico m p o st in g rdquo ( h t t p e n w ik ip e d ia o r g

wikiVermicompost)

A worm farm is a container in which people keep earthworms Organic matter especially fruit

and vegetable scraps are added weekly to the container for the earthworms to eat They then

excrete a substance called castings which is a rich fertiliser containing five times more nitrogen

than topsoil as w ell as high amounts of potassium and pho sphate W orm farm s use

earthworms that thrive in the dark warm food-rich moist environment of the worm farm The

best earthworm to use is called the red wriggler The population in a well maintained worm

farm doubles every two to three monthsrdquo (Seed 200637)

3 Benefits

Vermicompost has lots of benefits of which only some are mentioned here (wwwwormfarmcom

wwwwormpoopcom Weisenhorn wwwsustlandumnedu wwwhappydranchcom)

bull Vermicompost is the highest grade of organic fertiliser available

bull Research has shown that vermicompost contains five times the available nitrogen seven times

the available phosphorous three times the exchangeable magnesium e leven times the

available potash and 15 times the calcium found in topsoil

bull Vermicompost is a nutritious and

environmentally friendly alternative

to chemical fertilisers

bull V e r m i c o m p o s t a d d s b e n e f i c i a l

organisms nutrients and minerals to

the soil that sustain healthy plant life

and vital plant growth

bull Micro-organisms in the vermicompost help break down organic matter and convert nutrients

into a more available food form for plants

bull Plants grow stronger and have deeper root systems for better drought tolerance and disease

resistance

bull Vermicompost mixed with soil provides a natural organic fertiliser and a very good source of

nutrients for plants that dramatically improves the structure and fertility of soil

bull Vermicompost added to compost tea is proving to be worth its weight in gold

ldquoUsing the rich 100 organic vermicompost which

you recycle on site on your organic farms or organic

gardens gives your crops the best fertilizer on the

planetrdquo

wwwhappydranchcom

Vermiculture

Page 3 of 27

bull Worm castings can be sold to other farmers and gardeners or can be used as a component of

potting soil mixtures

4 Worm Farming

Earthworms are arguably the most important animals on planet Earth ndash they are responsible for

making soils suitable for plants to grow in ndash and we all know how important plants are for all

forms of life on earth

Even in ancient Egypt the importance of earthworms was recognised ndash Queen Cleopatra (69-30 BC)

recognised the earthworms contribution to the Egyptian agriculture by declaring this animal

sacred

Unfortunately in modern times through the excessive application of chemical fertilisers the

majority of agricultural lands have become sterilised

(dead) because most of the good bugs (earthworms and

beneficial micro-organisms) have been killed by all the

chemicals However this seriously bad situation in

modern agriculture can be reversed by natures own

little workers hum ble earthw orm s and their even

smaller helpers the beneficial micro-organisms

Traditional farming methods in Africa are intrinsically

organic recycling of animal and plant wastes through natural composting methods thereby

putting clean organic matter back into the soils and by not killing natures little workers through

the modern temptation of easy (but expensive) application of chemical fertilisers

Research done by the University of Georgia show ed that ldquo

tomato plants grown in the earthworm castings grew on average

126 from their original height Plants grown in red soil grew

on average 32 and plants grow n in potting m ix grew on

average 45 from their original heightsrdquo

wwwwormfarmingsecretscom

ldquo E a r t h w o r m s s h o u l d b e c o m e t h e

farmers little workers They will even

bring along their ow n m uch sm aller

little helpersrdquo

ndash Charl Pienaar

Vermiculture

Page 4 of 27

41 The worms

There are reportedly more than 4 000 different species of

earthworms worldwide but the species that is most suitable

for our purpose is called the Red Wriggler (Eisenia fetida)

They are also called ldquocompost wormrdquo ldquomanure wormrdquo

ldquoredwormrdquo and ldquored wrigglerrdquo

These small red earthworms are very hard working (they can

eat through their own body weight in 24 hours) they breed

and multiply very actively and they are well adapted to a

range of temperatures and food sources

ldquoIn fact it seems they dont actually eat it ndash they consume it sure enough but what they derive their

nourishment from is all the micro-organisms that are really eating it [organic matter] And yet ndash mystery

ndash their casts contain eight times as many micro-organisms as their feed And these are the micro-organisms

that best favour healthy plant growth And the casts dont contain any disease pathogens ndash pathogenic

bacteria are reliably killed in the worms gut This is one of the great benefits of vermicompostingrdquo

(wwwjourneytoforeverorg)

According to Seed (200637) one need at least 2 000 worms

as a starter stock These worms will breed and multiply to

about 8 000 worms in six months

The Red Wrigglers do not occur naturally in Africa and

your starter stock of this hard-working type of earthworm

should be ordered from a reliable supplier There are

va rio u s su p p lie rs around Som e se ll th ese p re cio u s

earthworms for fish bait

You should only be required to purchase the first batch

thereafter they will multiply very actively unless you dont look after them properly or some

disaster strikes Adult worms produce about three cocoons a week and each cocoon will contain

at least three baby worms and sometimes ten or more (wwwwormpoopcom)

The red wrigglers hate light After 20 minutes exposed to sunlight they will become confused In

30 minutes they will stop breathing and by 35 minutes exposure they die Worms should therefore

be covered at all times (wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg)

Earthworms breath through their skin w hich needs to remain moist to facilitate respiration

Earthworms can live for months completely submerged in water but they will die of they dry out

(Sherman 2003)

httpenwikipediaorgwikiEisenia_foe

tida

Starter stock (two hand-fulls)

Vermiculture

Page 5 of 27

The worms should be harvested every three months or separated from the castings

42 Establishing the worm farm

Your little workers should have proper housing for them to work at their best Expensive containers

are available in the market but w e will only discuss the follow ing groups of worm farming

methods

421 Windrow systems

Windrow systems on concrete or on the ground require the

least capita l inves tm en t but the y are s low an d labo ur

in ten s ive T h is is norm ally used for large-sca le verm i-

composting Bedding is put in long rows with organic matter

on top of it New food are put aside the previous ones because

worms will move towards the fresh foodstuff Castings can

then be removed on one side of the bed while new food are always put on a new row

httpwwwwaterkeeperorg

httpenwikipediaorgwikiVermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 6 of 27

422 Worm bins

For indoor composting you can use plastic storage bins or make one

yourself from wood Plastic bins are light and easy to move They will

hold moisture You will however need to drill holes into them to allow

air for the worms and to drain into a collection tray Plastic bins require

more drainage than wooden ones because they are non-absorbent

The size of the bin depends on how much food waste your household

produces A general rule of thumb is that you will need a square of about

30 cm surface area for each 500 g of waste your household produces

(httpredworms-greenearthcom)

Worm bins can be grouped into three categories (wwwanswerscomtopicvermicompost)

Oslash Non-continuous (an undivided container) A layer of bedding material is placed in the bin

to line the bottom Worms are added on the bedding and a layer of organic matter above the

bedding Another layer is added on top of the organic matter This type of bin is often used and

small and easy to build but harvesting is more difficult

Ugrave Continuous vertical flow ( a series of trays stacked vertically) This type of tray is available

commercially The bottom tray is filled first but is not harvested when it is full Instead a thick

layer of bedding is added on top and the tray above is used for adding organic matter When

worms finish eating the bottom tray they will move to the one above The bottom tray can be

emptied when most of the worms have migrated to the top tray These bins are easier to

harvest

Uacute Continuous horizontal flow (a series of trays lined horizontally) This method also relies on

earthworms to migrate towards a food source This bin is longer than the non-continuous bins

but divided in half usually by a large gauge screen One half is used until it becomes full then

the other half is filled with bedding and organic matter The worms will migrate to the side

with the food and the castings can then be collected This is therefore easier to harvest

Examples of worm bins

Drainage holes in plastic

bin

wwwtimetorecyclecomwwwwormwomancom wwwallthingsorganiccom

Vermiculture

Page 7 of 27

423 Tyre stacks

From experiments by Mr Charl Pienaar over the past five years the best most practical and least

expensive type of housing for your little workers is a tyre stack built from used bakkie or tractor

tyres Your local tyre dealer in town will be too happy to give these to you for free ndash this also helps

to solve a big problem in terms of the disposal of these items (This will be discussed in more detail

in Section 6)

43 Maintaining your worm farm

Your compost worms will need five basic things to survive and be happy a hospitable living

environm ent a food source adequ ate m oisture adequ ate aeration and protection from

temperature extremes (Munroe sa5-11) If you manage your composting system well keeping

these five things in mind you will be successful in the end

Hester with a worm tyre stack

ldquoGrowing worms is part science part green thumb You

need the knowledge but you also need to do it to learn how

to do it wellrdquo

Munroe (sa13)

Vermiculture

Page 8 of 27

431 A hospitable living environment (ldquobeddingrdquo)

ldquoBedding is the living medium for the worms but also a food source It is material high in carbon

a n d m a d e t o m i m i c d r i e d l e a v e s o n t h e f o r e s t f l o o r t h e w o r m s n a t u r a l h a b i t a t rdquo

(wwwanswerscomtopicvermicompost) The selection of bedding material is a key to successful

vermicomposting Bedding should be moist like that of a wrung out sponge When you squeeze

it hard a drop or two of water should drop out

Good bedding mixtures are therefore an essential element in meeting the needs of the worms

Shredded newspaper or cardboard makes an excellent bedding This can be combined with straw

or hay composted sheep cattle horse or abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) Poultry manure is not

recommended as it is too high in nitrogen and minerals

In hot climates the bins should be placed in the shade or away from direct midday sun Worms are

likely to die if conventional hot composting takes place Only thin layers of uncomposted material

should be added and temperature need to be monitored continuously If the bedding dries out mist

it with water from a spray bottle (wwwredworms-greenearthcom)

432 A food source

Compost worms are big eaters They are able to consume in excess of their body weight each day

although the general rule-of-thumb is that they will eat half of their body weight per day (Munroe

sa7) Their food consists primarily of decomposing organic matter where carbon sources (such

as dried leaves shredded paper cardboard etc) are mixed with nitrogen sources (such as food

scraps grass clippings manure etc) (wwwvermicocom)

Wait at least a day or two after placing the worms on the bedding before

adding the first food A good practice is to first test the suitability of food

for earthworms especially when manure or compost will be used Place

the m ateria l in a sm all conta iner add enough w ater to m oisten it

thoroughly and place a few worms on top Observe their behaviour over

the next few hours If the worms crawl out or die then you will know

that the material is not suitable and should not be fed to the w orm s

(Pienaar 2007)

Add more food when you see the worms beginning to work and when

they have eaten the first layer of food you can add another layer about 25 cm thick If you add too

much food you risk creating anaerobic conditions After you have added a layer of food always

add another layer of bedding material at about 25 cm thick (wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg)

There are two methods of adding food to the bin (wwwanswerscom topicvermicompost)

Testing suitability of food

Vermiculture

Page 8 of 27

431 A hospitable living environment (ldquobeddingrdquo)

ldquoBedding is the living medium for the worms but also a food source It is material high in carbon

a n d m a d e t o m i m i c d r i e d l e a v e s o n t h e f o r e s t f l o o r t h e w o r m s n a t u r a l h a b i t a t rdquo

(wwwanswerscomtopicvermicompost) The selection of bedding material is a key to successful

vermicomposting Bedding should be moist like that of a wrung out sponge When you squeeze

it hard a drop or two of water should drop out

Good bedding mixtures are therefore an essential element in meeting the needs of the worms

Shredded newspaper or cardboard makes an excellent bedding This can be combined with straw

or hay composted sheep cattle horse or abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) Poultry manure is not

recommended as it is too high in nitrogen and minerals

In hot climates the bins should be placed in the shade or away from direct midday sun Worms are

likely to die if conventional hot composting takes place Only thin layers of uncomposted material

should be added and temperature need to be monitored continuously If the bedding dries out mist

it with water from a spray bottle (wwwredworms-greenearthcom)

432 A food source

Compost worms are big eaters They are able to consume in excess of their body weight each day

although the general rule-of-thumb is that they will eat half of their body weight per day (Munroe

sa7) Their food consists primarily of decomposing organic matter where carbon sources (such

as dried leaves shredded paper cardboard etc) are mixed with nitrogen sources (such as food

scraps grass clippings manure etc) (wwwvermicocom)

Wait at least a day or two after placing the worms on the bedding before

adding the first food A good practice is to first test the suitability of food

for earthworms especially when manure or compost will be used Place

the m ateria l in a sm all conta iner add enough w ater to m oisten it

thoroughly and place a few worms on top Observe their behaviour over

the next few hours If the worms crawl out or die then you will know

that the material is not suitable and should not be fed to the w orm s

(Pienaar 2007)

Add more food when you see the worms beginning to work and when

they have eaten the first layer of food you can add another layer about 25 cm thick If you add too

much food you risk creating anaerobic conditions After you have added a layer of food always

add another layer of bedding material at about 25 cm thick (wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg)

There are two methods of adding food to the bin (wwwanswerscom topicvermicompost)

Testing suitability of food

Vermiculture

Page 9 of 27

Oslash Top feeding Organic matter is placed directly on top of the existing layer of bedding in a bin

and then covered with another layer of bedding This is repeated every time the bin is fed

Ugrave Pocket feeding A top layer of bedding is maintained and food is buried beneath The location

of the food is changed each time and often the bed is fed in more than one location As bedding

runs low more is added Add fruit and vegetable scraps each week Chop up food before

adding and try to feed the worms a mixture of materials Add less food in the first week and

gradually increase the amount over six months It is best to feed your worms weekly If

uneaten food remains then you know you have overfed the worms After feeding the worms

each week cover the food scraps with some compost or soil to avoid attracting fruit flies (Seed

200638)

If you regularly check the areas where you added the food you can soon see what foods your

worms like or dislike

Worms will eat almost any type of vegetable and fruit scraps partly decomposed compost

shredded newspaper small amounts of grass clippings leaves and even damp cardboard pieces

Add crushed eggshells as the worms need the calcium in the shells

The worms further love potato peelings carrots and carrot tops lettuce cabbage celery apple

peelings banana peels orange rinds grapefruit and

watermelon rinds They also like cornmeal oatmeal

coffee grounds with the filter and tea bags

Keep a plastic tub in your refrigerator to hold food

scraps so they will still be nice and fresh when you

feed the w orms Do not let them rot and become

smelly

Do not add onions or garlic or too much acidic food

like citrus pineapples and tomato strong spices and

acid (sour) food such as large amounts of vinegar and

sa lt A v o id m a te r ia ls co n ta m in a ted w ith to x ic

chemicals for example sawdust from treated wood

Do not feed them meat scraps bones oily food and dairy products such as cheese and butter as

these will attract ldquobadrdquo bugs and cause odours Never feed them cat or dog poop

The compost worms are low-maintenance and you can skip two or three weeks without feeding

t h e m b u t a n y l o n g e r t h a n t h a t a n d y o u w i l l h a v e a b i g b o x o f d e a d w o r m s

(wwwseasonsindiacom)

Vegetable and fruit scraps

Vermiculture

Page 10 of 27

433 Adequate moisture

Earthworms breathe through their skins (they do not have lungs) and for that they require

m ois tu re (w ater) A dd w ater every few days or w hen

necessary to prevent the worm farm from drying out You

may need to add more water during hot windy weather It

is important to keep the worm farm moist as the worms may

die if it dries out However the worm farm should not be

soggy either Remember there is also moisture in the food

scraps (Seed 200638)

You should also cover the top of the tyre stack with a suitable material to prevent evaporation of

moisture and to keep unwanted visitors out

434 Adequate aeration

Worms are oxygen-breathers and operate best when ventilation is good and the bedding is relative

porous and well aerated They cannot survive anaerobic conditions which occur when there is an

absence of oxygen Your worm farm will then start having a bad odour If that is the case then you

have added too much food and the worms are finding it difficult to aerate the compost by their

regular movement through it

To rectify the problem you will need to stir the bedding to aerate it add dry shredded newspaper

cover the container and add no more food until the smell has gone To prevent acid conditions you

can sprinkle crushed egg shells into the worm food when building the tyre stack

435 Protection from temperature extremes

Large quantities of fresh uncomposted organic matter will naturally start composting excessive

heat will build up which may kill your little workers

Earthworms like to work in the dark (is that why they multiply so quickly) and very hot or cold

temperatures should be avoided

Remember

The bedding material should feel

like a wrung-out sponge

ldquo M oistu re con ten t o f less th an 5 0 is d an g erou s W ith th e

exception of extreme heat or cold nothing will kill worms faster

than a lack of adequate moisturerdquo

Munroe (sa10)

Vermiculture

Page 11 of 27

436 When the worm bin smells

A healthy worm bin should smell like garden soil A foul odour indicates that something is wrong

The following checklist should help you to prevent or solve odour problems (httpredworms-

greenearthcom)

bull Put plenty of air hols in the bin to ensure that the worms have adequate air to breathe

bull Feed only a vegetarian diet

bull Bury food wastes completely under the bedding

bull Insure adequate drainage for the bin

bull Do not overfeed

44 Harvesting vermicompost

Depending on the original quantity and quality of w orm food the living conditions and the

number of earthworms you started off with the little workers should be finished with their job

three to six months after you started them off in a tyre stack Your little workers would have turned

the organic matter into rich and dark super vermicompost (the so-called ldquoBlack Goldrdquo) ndash filled with

beneficial micro-organisms and concentrated plant foods

Now we need to become a little more technical since it is not so easy to separate the earthworms

from the rich ldquoblack goldrdquo vermicompost that they produced We do not want to hurt or damage

the little ones since who will do the work then Also check for cocoons of young worms They look

like yellowish jelly beans

Hester busy harvesting vermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 10 of 27

433 Adequate moisture

Earthworms breathe through their skins (they do not have lungs) and for that they require

m ois tu re (w ater) A dd w ater every few days or w hen

necessary to prevent the worm farm from drying out You

may need to add more water during hot windy weather It

is important to keep the worm farm moist as the worms may

die if it dries out However the worm farm should not be

soggy either Remember there is also moisture in the food

scraps (Seed 200638)

You should also cover the top of the tyre stack with a suitable material to prevent evaporation of

moisture and to keep unwanted visitors out

434 Adequate aeration

Worms are oxygen-breathers and operate best when ventilation is good and the bedding is relative

porous and well aerated They cannot survive anaerobic conditions which occur when there is an

absence of oxygen Your worm farm will then start having a bad odour If that is the case then you

have added too much food and the worms are finding it difficult to aerate the compost by their

regular movement through it

To rectify the problem you will need to stir the bedding to aerate it add dry shredded newspaper

cover the container and add no more food until the smell has gone To prevent acid conditions you

can sprinkle crushed egg shells into the worm food when building the tyre stack

435 Protection from temperature extremes

Large quantities of fresh uncomposted organic matter will naturally start composting excessive

heat will build up which may kill your little workers

Earthworms like to work in the dark (is that why they multiply so quickly) and very hot or cold

temperatures should be avoided

Remember

The bedding material should feel

like a wrung-out sponge

ldquo M oistu re con ten t o f less th an 5 0 is d an g erou s W ith th e

exception of extreme heat or cold nothing will kill worms faster

than a lack of adequate moisturerdquo

Munroe (sa10)

Vermiculture

Page 11 of 27

436 When the worm bin smells

A healthy worm bin should smell like garden soil A foul odour indicates that something is wrong

The following checklist should help you to prevent or solve odour problems (httpredworms-

greenearthcom)

bull Put plenty of air hols in the bin to ensure that the worms have adequate air to breathe

bull Feed only a vegetarian diet

bull Bury food wastes completely under the bedding

bull Insure adequate drainage for the bin

bull Do not overfeed

44 Harvesting vermicompost

Depending on the original quantity and quality of w orm food the living conditions and the

number of earthworms you started off with the little workers should be finished with their job

three to six months after you started them off in a tyre stack Your little workers would have turned

the organic matter into rich and dark super vermicompost (the so-called ldquoBlack Goldrdquo) ndash filled with

beneficial micro-organisms and concentrated plant foods

Now we need to become a little more technical since it is not so easy to separate the earthworms

from the rich ldquoblack goldrdquo vermicompost that they produced We do not want to hurt or damage

the little ones since who will do the work then Also check for cocoons of young worms They look

like yellowish jelly beans

Hester busy harvesting vermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 11 of 27

436 When the worm bin smells

A healthy worm bin should smell like garden soil A foul odour indicates that something is wrong

The following checklist should help you to prevent or solve odour problems (httpredworms-

greenearthcom)

bull Put plenty of air hols in the bin to ensure that the worms have adequate air to breathe

bull Feed only a vegetarian diet

bull Bury food wastes completely under the bedding

bull Insure adequate drainage for the bin

bull Do not overfeed

44 Harvesting vermicompost

Depending on the original quantity and quality of w orm food the living conditions and the

number of earthworms you started off with the little workers should be finished with their job

three to six months after you started them off in a tyre stack Your little workers would have turned

the organic matter into rich and dark super vermicompost (the so-called ldquoBlack Goldrdquo) ndash filled with

beneficial micro-organisms and concentrated plant foods

Now we need to become a little more technical since it is not so easy to separate the earthworms

from the rich ldquoblack goldrdquo vermicompost that they produced We do not want to hurt or damage

the little ones since who will do the work then Also check for cocoons of young worms They look

like yellowish jelly beans

Hester busy harvesting vermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 12 of 27

441 Using a sieve

Some farmers use a circular sieve to do the trick They load the harvested vermicompost on a

trailer and use gravity to make the compost (and worms) roll down into a circular sieve which is

then being turned by hand The fine compost will fall through the sieve to be collected while the

larger worms and rough clumps of compost would roll through to be collected at the bottom For

this procedure the moisture content of the compost should be just right not too wet and not too

dry

This technique however is a bit too complicated although for large volumes of compost it may

be the best way

442 The ldquodivide and sortrdquo method

This method is used when worms are kept in plastic bins Move all the old bedding to one side of

the bin Add fresh bedding like newspaper to the

other side and bury the new food scraps only to

the new bedding

Within a week or two most of the worms will have

moved (migrated) from the old bedding into the

new bedding Now you can harvest the worm

castings

443 The ldquolighted pilerdquo method

Lay a large strong plastic sheet on the floor Dump the contents of the worm farm onto the plastic

sheet and divide it in piles Shine a light on the top of each pile Since worms are sensitive to light

they will go down into the pile to avoid the light You will need to remove a little bit of the castings

at a time until all you have left is just a pile of worms

5 Uses for Vermicompost

Vermicompost is the highest grade of organic fertiliser available It can be used as growth medium

in the home garden vegetable garden as compost tea and to improve the quality of the soil

A great trick for doing this is to p lace

w a te rm e lon r in d in th e b in w ith th e

new bedding Worms love watermelon

rind they cant get enough of it and will

greedily rush towards it

wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg

Vermiculture

Page 13 of 27

51 As growth medium

A good idea is to mix super vermicompost half-half with river sand This mixture can then be used

as growth medium for seedlings This mixture gives very good results because it drains very well

yet provides the plants with excellent nutrition from the super vermicompost (Pienaar 2007)

52 In the home garden

The super vermicompost can also be applied as top dressing directly to pot plants and to the

garden on plants such as lavender roses hedges etc Use it sparingly but it will not burn plants

if you use too much (Pienaar 2007)

Mixing it with good topsoil compost vermiculite or perlite in equal amounts creates a good potting

soil (wwwwormdigestorg)

A s p o t t in g m ix o n e th ird v e r m ic o m p o s t c a n b e m ix e d w ith tw o -th ird s p o t t in g s o i l

(httpredworms-greenearthcom) As top dressing apply at a rate of two tablespoons every 30 days

after establishing new pot plants In already established pot plants use four tablespoons for the

first application of vermicompost and then follow up with two tablespoons every 30 days

thereafter (wwwwormwisecom)

53 In the vegetable garden

When transplanting seedlings such as cabbage green pepper tomatoes etc up to one cup of

vermicompost can be put in the hole where the seedling will be planted which is then covered with

a layer of ordinary soil and then planting the seedling on top (Pienaar 2007)

When sowing seeds in furrows make the furrow a little deeper and wider than normal sprinkle

some vermicompost onto the rows cover with about 3-5 cm of soil and then sow the seeds at its

normal depth (Pienaar 2007)

The initial application w ould probably not provide enough nutrition to see the vegetable

crop through and in that case apply vermicompost as a top dressing at the following rates

(httpwormwisecom)

bull In the case of cabbage green pepper tomatoes (etc) a topdressing at the rate of one cup per

plant should be worked into the soil in a diameter around the plant every 30 days

bull In the case of vegetables planted in furrows such as beetroot carrots onions etc apply at a

rate of one cup for every 30 cm of row alongside the row every 30 days

Vermiculture

Page 14 of 27

A liquid application (worm tea) will also give very good results when applying to the soil and to

the plant leaves once or twice a month (See 55)

54 For conventional farming purposes

Obviously for commercial farming purposes a small composting operation like the tyre stack or

compost bins would not be sufficient For soils really poor in organic content an application of 40

to 50 tons of fertiliser per hectare may be needed in the first year of converting to organic (non-

chemical fertiliser) farming methods For this volume of compost a conventional commercial

composting works would be required

You will need a large wood chipper automate compost turner big volumes of garden refuse clay

and animal manure Conventional compost and super vermicompost can be combined for use for

commercial farming operations

55 Making super vermicompost worm tea

Super vermicompost can also be applied in liquid form the so-called ldquoworm teardquo Various recipes

are available on the internet for making liquid fertiliser from super vermicompost The recipe can

be very simple for small operations to large commercial brewing operations

A simple recipe is as follows

bull Take a fairly large drum (44 gallons) and cut open the top

Otherwise use a dirt bin with a lid

bull Add a small tap to the bottom of the drum from where the tea

can be drained

bull Clean the drum properly and fill nearly to the top with clean

good quality water

bull Add about five kilograms of fresh super vermicompost You

can also first place it in a bag made of cheese cloth an old

nylon stocking or old pillowcaseDrum for making

compost tea

Vermiculture

Page 15 of 27

bull Use a small air pump which could typically be purchased from a pet shop and is

normally used to aerate indoor fish tanks

bull Put the outlet of the pump into the water and allow to bubble

air through the worm tea for about 24 hours

bull In this time the beneficial microbes (the good bugs) increase at

a very fast rate in the water

bull After this time the colour of the water would be a rich dark

brown like strong black tea

bull A small quantity of dishwashing liquid can be added to make

the liquid stick to the leaves better

bull Remember to filter the worm tea through a cheese cloth before putting into the sprayer

otherwise the nozzle will keep on blocking

This worm tea can be applied in liquid form around your plants (as fertiliser) or sprayed onto the

plants with a sprayer The inexpensive application of worm tea should be repeated every few

weeks or even more often if disease or insect pressure occurs You can never apply too much

The vermicompost tea contains micro-organisms that will inoculate the soil against harmful

organisms that would feed on plant roots (wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg)

To feed plants well you have to feed the soil they grow in One of the best ways to feed the soil

is to add vermicompost Vermicompost feed the micro-organisms in the soil improve soil structure

and fertility and provide plants with all the nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy

Air pump

ldquoM ix two tablespoons of vermicompost with a litre of w ater

and let it stand for a day shaking it occasionally then sprinkle

under the plants One-litre drinking water bottles make good

sprinklers drill a few small-diameter holes in the lid point and

squeezerdquo

wwwjourneytoforeverorg

Vermiculture

Page 15 of 27

bull Use a small air pump which could typically be purchased from a pet shop and is

normally used to aerate indoor fish tanks

bull Put the outlet of the pump into the water and allow to bubble

air through the worm tea for about 24 hours

bull In this time the beneficial microbes (the good bugs) increase at

a very fast rate in the water

bull After this time the colour of the water would be a rich dark

brown like strong black tea

bull A small quantity of dishwashing liquid can be added to make

the liquid stick to the leaves better

bull Remember to filter the worm tea through a cheese cloth before putting into the sprayer

otherwise the nozzle will keep on blocking

This worm tea can be applied in liquid form around your plants (as fertiliser) or sprayed onto the

plants with a sprayer The inexpensive application of worm tea should be repeated every few

weeks or even more often if disease or insect pressure occurs You can never apply too much

The vermicompost tea contains micro-organisms that will inoculate the soil against harmful

organisms that would feed on plant roots (wwwrecyclingadvocatesorg)

To feed plants well you have to feed the soil they grow in One of the best ways to feed the soil

is to add vermicompost Vermicompost feed the micro-organisms in the soil improve soil structure

and fertility and provide plants with all the nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy

Air pump

ldquoM ix two tablespoons of vermicompost with a litre of w ater

and let it stand for a day shaking it occasionally then sprinkle

under the plants One-litre drinking water bottles make good

sprinklers drill a few small-diameter holes in the lid point and

squeezerdquo

wwwjourneytoforeverorg

Vermiculture

Page 16 of 27

The theory about fighting off the ldquobad bugsrdquo with worm tea is that

you assure that the ldquogood bugsrdquo are present in high numbers which

would help them to chase the ldquobad bugsrdquo away

The good bugs are the beneficial or friendly insects They help control

the insects that damage vegetable crops One must learn to recognise

them as your ldquofriendsrdquo in the garden

Good bugs from left Lacewing Praying mantis frog amp gecko

Furthermore a strong healthy well-fed plant will have improved resistance to fight off the ldquobad

bugsrdquo and diseases by itself (Nell Engelbrecht amp Du Plessis 2007)

56 Building up your soil to invite beneficial insects

To ensure good healthy soil ndash whether you have sandy or clay soil ndash boils down to one important

thing The gardener will have to continuously improve the soil If a gardener does not prepare the

soil properly it will lead to poor growth and he will not harvest good quality vegetables

Adding vermicompost deep into the soil will ensure that there is a balanced supply of air in the

soil Avoid unnecessary stepping on the vegetable beds and never work the soil when it is too wet

This will compact the soil and poor aeration will be the result

Good bugs Ladybird feeding

on aphids

ldquoA real gardener is not a man who cultivates

flowers he is a man who cultivates the soilrdquo

Karel Capek in ldquoThe Gardenerrsquos Yearrdquo

Vermiculture

Page 17 of 27

Maintaining a good soil structure can

bull increase water-holding capacity

bull promote root growth

bull maintain aeration and drainage

bull make cultivation easier

bull help to reduce the risk of erosion and

bull improve fertility

No farmer or gardener will be able to improve the soil com-

p le t e l y i n o n e g r o w in g s e a s o n H is g o a l m u s t b e t o

co n t in u o u s ly im p r o v e th e s o i l b y a d d in g co m p o st o r

vermicompost every time he prepares the bed for a new crop

(Nell Engelbrecht amp Du Plessis 2006)

In soils with high organic content there would naturally be a build-up of beneficial microbes (good

bugs) which will work hard at making nutrients ready to be used by plants And the population

of local earthworms will also increase over time This plays a very important role to produce

accessible food for plants and to aerate the soil

Therefore the farmer-who-cares-for-the-environment should do everything possible to build up

hisher soils and thereby to create and maintain conditions in the soil that would attract and protect

the little workers and their even smaller little friends the micro-organisms

DO work in leaves bark chipped garden refuse and compost into your soil and remember to put

a layer of organic matter (mulch) around the plants to cool down the soil and to maintain moisture

DO NOT turn over the soil often and thereby disturbing the fine balance Be mindful of applying

chemicals that will kill the good bugs and make sure that there is no compaction in the soil that

will prevent roots to penetrate deeply and water reserves to build up in the soil

Soils such as these can be built up with

vermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 18 of 27

6 Vermicomposting in Tyre Stacks

According to Mr Charl Pienaar the best most practical and least expensive type of housing for

earthworms is a tyre stack built from used bakkie or tractor tyres and using ldquopensmisrdquo as food

61 Housing earthworms in tyre stacks

Oslash You can use the used bakkie or tractor tyres as is but we found that cutting open one of the

sides with a strong knife or electric jig saw optimises the inside space and makes harvesting the

super vermicompost that much easier

Ugrave Put a plastic sheet on the ground in a suitable shady spot (under a tree on the south side of

your house against the wall or inside under a roof) and start building the tyre stack on top of

the plastic sheet The plastic sheet is for preventing tree roots from growing into your compost

from the bottom ndash remember all types of plants love super vermicompost

ldquoTo me it is one of Gods finest m iracles to observe how hum ble

earthworms are able to magically convert otherwise useless plant and

animal wastes into rich humus (black gold) for plants to produce

the food that enriches our livesrdquo

ndash Charl Pienaar

Tractor tyreCharl Pienaar cutting open the

side of a tyre

Vermiculture

Page 19 of 27

Uacute Water the inside of each of the tyres well

Ucirc Fill each tyre first with bedding (such as shredded paper) and then a

thick layer of manure

Uuml Water the contents well especially in the round section of the tyre

Yacute Place another layer of shredded paper on top of the layer of manure then place some of the

worms to one side on top of the food in the tyre

THORN Stack the next tyre and continue until you have five or six bakkie tyres stacked and filled with

worm food (no more than two for tractor tyres)

Watering inside of tyreLayer of shredded paper Layer of manure

Placing worms to one sideWater each tyre separately

Vermiculture

Page 20 of 27

szlig Place a sheet of plastic canvass or a layer of newspapers over

the top of the bedding This will hold moisture in and will

help reduce the chance that fruit flies come and lay their eggs

in the food

The tyre stack is now ready to provide a house and shelter for

your new little workers You can of course build as many of these

tyre stacks as you have space and energy for

If your tyre stack dries out the compost will become hard like a

rock their skins will dry out and your little workers will die

Water your tyre stack about once a week by pouring a few cups

of clean water in from the top If water runs out at the bottom

you are over-watering and you should apply less water

52 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack

Your little helpers will feed on a whole range of organic food sources but for agricultural purposes

we found pre-composted abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) and some types of pre-composted animal

manure (ldquokraalmisrdquo) the best

Other types of organic material such as conventional

compost made from leaves chopped scrap wood

animal manure and w ood pulp should also work

well

To test the suitability of different food sources put a

small quantity of moist food in a container (such as an

empty margarine holder) and put a small number of

earthworms on top If they refuse to burrow in after

a few minutes the food is not suitable

Pre-composting of fresh organic material should be

done by placing the organic matter in a drum or container with ventilation holes supplied and

turning the compost every few days by rolling the drum or container a few times

Building tyre stack

Abattoir manure (ldquoPensmisrdquo)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 17 of 27

Maintaining a good soil structure can

bull increase water-holding capacity

bull promote root growth

bull maintain aeration and drainage

bull make cultivation easier

bull help to reduce the risk of erosion and

bull improve fertility

No farmer or gardener will be able to improve the soil com-

p le t e l y i n o n e g r o w in g s e a s o n H is g o a l m u s t b e t o

co n t in u o u s ly im p r o v e th e s o i l b y a d d in g co m p o st o r

vermicompost every time he prepares the bed for a new crop

(Nell Engelbrecht amp Du Plessis 2006)

In soils with high organic content there would naturally be a build-up of beneficial microbes (good

bugs) which will work hard at making nutrients ready to be used by plants And the population

of local earthworms will also increase over time This plays a very important role to produce

accessible food for plants and to aerate the soil

Therefore the farmer-who-cares-for-the-environment should do everything possible to build up

hisher soils and thereby to create and maintain conditions in the soil that would attract and protect

the little workers and their even smaller little friends the micro-organisms

DO work in leaves bark chipped garden refuse and compost into your soil and remember to put

a layer of organic matter (mulch) around the plants to cool down the soil and to maintain moisture

DO NOT turn over the soil often and thereby disturbing the fine balance Be mindful of applying

chemicals that will kill the good bugs and make sure that there is no compaction in the soil that

will prevent roots to penetrate deeply and water reserves to build up in the soil

Soils such as these can be built up with

vermicompost

Vermiculture

Page 18 of 27

6 Vermicomposting in Tyre Stacks

According to Mr Charl Pienaar the best most practical and least expensive type of housing for

earthworms is a tyre stack built from used bakkie or tractor tyres and using ldquopensmisrdquo as food

61 Housing earthworms in tyre stacks

Oslash You can use the used bakkie or tractor tyres as is but we found that cutting open one of the

sides with a strong knife or electric jig saw optimises the inside space and makes harvesting the

super vermicompost that much easier

Ugrave Put a plastic sheet on the ground in a suitable shady spot (under a tree on the south side of

your house against the wall or inside under a roof) and start building the tyre stack on top of

the plastic sheet The plastic sheet is for preventing tree roots from growing into your compost

from the bottom ndash remember all types of plants love super vermicompost

ldquoTo me it is one of Gods finest m iracles to observe how hum ble

earthworms are able to magically convert otherwise useless plant and

animal wastes into rich humus (black gold) for plants to produce

the food that enriches our livesrdquo

ndash Charl Pienaar

Tractor tyreCharl Pienaar cutting open the

side of a tyre

Vermiculture

Page 19 of 27

Uacute Water the inside of each of the tyres well

Ucirc Fill each tyre first with bedding (such as shredded paper) and then a

thick layer of manure

Uuml Water the contents well especially in the round section of the tyre

Yacute Place another layer of shredded paper on top of the layer of manure then place some of the

worms to one side on top of the food in the tyre

THORN Stack the next tyre and continue until you have five or six bakkie tyres stacked and filled with

worm food (no more than two for tractor tyres)

Watering inside of tyreLayer of shredded paper Layer of manure

Placing worms to one sideWater each tyre separately

Vermiculture

Page 20 of 27

szlig Place a sheet of plastic canvass or a layer of newspapers over

the top of the bedding This will hold moisture in and will

help reduce the chance that fruit flies come and lay their eggs

in the food

The tyre stack is now ready to provide a house and shelter for

your new little workers You can of course build as many of these

tyre stacks as you have space and energy for

If your tyre stack dries out the compost will become hard like a

rock their skins will dry out and your little workers will die

Water your tyre stack about once a week by pouring a few cups

of clean water in from the top If water runs out at the bottom

you are over-watering and you should apply less water

52 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack

Your little helpers will feed on a whole range of organic food sources but for agricultural purposes

we found pre-composted abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) and some types of pre-composted animal

manure (ldquokraalmisrdquo) the best

Other types of organic material such as conventional

compost made from leaves chopped scrap wood

animal manure and w ood pulp should also work

well

To test the suitability of different food sources put a

small quantity of moist food in a container (such as an

empty margarine holder) and put a small number of

earthworms on top If they refuse to burrow in after

a few minutes the food is not suitable

Pre-composting of fresh organic material should be

done by placing the organic matter in a drum or container with ventilation holes supplied and

turning the compost every few days by rolling the drum or container a few times

Building tyre stack

Abattoir manure (ldquoPensmisrdquo)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 18 of 27

6 Vermicomposting in Tyre Stacks

According to Mr Charl Pienaar the best most practical and least expensive type of housing for

earthworms is a tyre stack built from used bakkie or tractor tyres and using ldquopensmisrdquo as food

61 Housing earthworms in tyre stacks

Oslash You can use the used bakkie or tractor tyres as is but we found that cutting open one of the

sides with a strong knife or electric jig saw optimises the inside space and makes harvesting the

super vermicompost that much easier

Ugrave Put a plastic sheet on the ground in a suitable shady spot (under a tree on the south side of

your house against the wall or inside under a roof) and start building the tyre stack on top of

the plastic sheet The plastic sheet is for preventing tree roots from growing into your compost

from the bottom ndash remember all types of plants love super vermicompost

ldquoTo me it is one of Gods finest m iracles to observe how hum ble

earthworms are able to magically convert otherwise useless plant and

animal wastes into rich humus (black gold) for plants to produce

the food that enriches our livesrdquo

ndash Charl Pienaar

Tractor tyreCharl Pienaar cutting open the

side of a tyre

Vermiculture

Page 19 of 27

Uacute Water the inside of each of the tyres well

Ucirc Fill each tyre first with bedding (such as shredded paper) and then a

thick layer of manure

Uuml Water the contents well especially in the round section of the tyre

Yacute Place another layer of shredded paper on top of the layer of manure then place some of the

worms to one side on top of the food in the tyre

THORN Stack the next tyre and continue until you have five or six bakkie tyres stacked and filled with

worm food (no more than two for tractor tyres)

Watering inside of tyreLayer of shredded paper Layer of manure

Placing worms to one sideWater each tyre separately

Vermiculture

Page 20 of 27

szlig Place a sheet of plastic canvass or a layer of newspapers over

the top of the bedding This will hold moisture in and will

help reduce the chance that fruit flies come and lay their eggs

in the food

The tyre stack is now ready to provide a house and shelter for

your new little workers You can of course build as many of these

tyre stacks as you have space and energy for

If your tyre stack dries out the compost will become hard like a

rock their skins will dry out and your little workers will die

Water your tyre stack about once a week by pouring a few cups

of clean water in from the top If water runs out at the bottom

you are over-watering and you should apply less water

52 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack

Your little helpers will feed on a whole range of organic food sources but for agricultural purposes

we found pre-composted abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) and some types of pre-composted animal

manure (ldquokraalmisrdquo) the best

Other types of organic material such as conventional

compost made from leaves chopped scrap wood

animal manure and w ood pulp should also work

well

To test the suitability of different food sources put a

small quantity of moist food in a container (such as an

empty margarine holder) and put a small number of

earthworms on top If they refuse to burrow in after

a few minutes the food is not suitable

Pre-composting of fresh organic material should be

done by placing the organic matter in a drum or container with ventilation holes supplied and

turning the compost every few days by rolling the drum or container a few times

Building tyre stack

Abattoir manure (ldquoPensmisrdquo)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 19 of 27

Uacute Water the inside of each of the tyres well

Ucirc Fill each tyre first with bedding (such as shredded paper) and then a

thick layer of manure

Uuml Water the contents well especially in the round section of the tyre

Yacute Place another layer of shredded paper on top of the layer of manure then place some of the

worms to one side on top of the food in the tyre

THORN Stack the next tyre and continue until you have five or six bakkie tyres stacked and filled with

worm food (no more than two for tractor tyres)

Watering inside of tyreLayer of shredded paper Layer of manure

Placing worms to one sideWater each tyre separately

Vermiculture

Page 20 of 27

szlig Place a sheet of plastic canvass or a layer of newspapers over

the top of the bedding This will hold moisture in and will

help reduce the chance that fruit flies come and lay their eggs

in the food

The tyre stack is now ready to provide a house and shelter for

your new little workers You can of course build as many of these

tyre stacks as you have space and energy for

If your tyre stack dries out the compost will become hard like a

rock their skins will dry out and your little workers will die

Water your tyre stack about once a week by pouring a few cups

of clean water in from the top If water runs out at the bottom

you are over-watering and you should apply less water

52 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack

Your little helpers will feed on a whole range of organic food sources but for agricultural purposes

we found pre-composted abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) and some types of pre-composted animal

manure (ldquokraalmisrdquo) the best

Other types of organic material such as conventional

compost made from leaves chopped scrap wood

animal manure and w ood pulp should also work

well

To test the suitability of different food sources put a

small quantity of moist food in a container (such as an

empty margarine holder) and put a small number of

earthworms on top If they refuse to burrow in after

a few minutes the food is not suitable

Pre-composting of fresh organic material should be

done by placing the organic matter in a drum or container with ventilation holes supplied and

turning the compost every few days by rolling the drum or container a few times

Building tyre stack

Abattoir manure (ldquoPensmisrdquo)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 20 of 27

szlig Place a sheet of plastic canvass or a layer of newspapers over

the top of the bedding This will hold moisture in and will

help reduce the chance that fruit flies come and lay their eggs

in the food

The tyre stack is now ready to provide a house and shelter for

your new little workers You can of course build as many of these

tyre stacks as you have space and energy for

If your tyre stack dries out the compost will become hard like a

rock their skins will dry out and your little workers will die

Water your tyre stack about once a week by pouring a few cups

of clean water in from the top If water runs out at the bottom

you are over-watering and you should apply less water

52 Feeding the earthworms in the tyre stack

Your little helpers will feed on a whole range of organic food sources but for agricultural purposes

we found pre-composted abattoir manure (ldquopensmisrdquo) and some types of pre-composted animal

manure (ldquokraalmisrdquo) the best

Other types of organic material such as conventional

compost made from leaves chopped scrap wood

animal manure and w ood pulp should also work

well

To test the suitability of different food sources put a

small quantity of moist food in a container (such as an

empty margarine holder) and put a small number of

earthworms on top If they refuse to burrow in after

a few minutes the food is not suitable

Pre-composting of fresh organic material should be

done by placing the organic matter in a drum or container with ventilation holes supplied and

turning the compost every few days by rolling the drum or container a few times

Building tyre stack

Abattoir manure (ldquoPensmisrdquo)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 21 of 27

Or you could start a conventional compost heap and turn the

heap with a fork every few days The micro-organisms will start breaking the organic matter down

heat will build up and oxygen will be used in the process

Within about three weeks the pre-composted matter should be ready to be placed inside the tyre

stacks as described previously

If you have access to ldquooldrdquo organic matter (for instance manure that has been lying in a heap for

a few months) pre-composting should not be necessary

53 Harvesting the tyre stack

The following technique works well and although it is slower it is much easier and less stressful

for the little workers

Oslash Start building a new tyre stack next to the old one and put fresh worm food only in the round

bottom section of the tyre starting with shredded paper then manure (ldquopensmisrdquo)

Ugrave Fill the rest of the tyre with the harvested compost (plus worms) from the old tyre stack and

continue with the next tyre when the bottom one is full And so on until the stack is six tyres

high

Uacute The next step is to disturb the top few layers of vermicompost by stirring with your hands

which causes the worms to take flight downwards

Turning of compost

Conventional compost containers

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 22 of 27

Ucirc The clean compost can then be harvested from the top Continue with the harvesting until you

reach the fresh worm food And there you will find all the worms trapped in the round section

of the tyre ready to be scooped out with the fresh worm food

Uuml The little workers embedded in the fresh organic matter could then be scooped out and used

to populate a new tyre stack that was first filled with fresh worm food And so the cycle is

repeated over and over

7 Worming Towards LEISA and Organic Farming

Techniques

In this part we will explain how to utilise the super vermicompost that your little workers so

willingly and cost-effectively prepared for you We will also provide insights on how to build up

your soil so that the local little workers will be able to continue the good work that their brothers

and sisters in the tyre stacks did for you

LEISA is short for Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture simply meaning that instead of

looking for expensive external farming inputs (chemical fertilisers chem ical w eed killers

insecticides and pest control chemicals) the clever farmer or vegetable gardener should find items

and materials available locally and inexpensively to do the same or better job as the expensive

external inputs

For instance a flock of geese on the farm could do a great job to keep snails and other insects under

control while at the same time providing a renewable source of meat and eggs to feed the farmers

family As they are good for security too

Using a chicken tractor to work the soil for

y o u i s a l s o s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n b e

in co rp o ra te d in a v e g e ta b le g a rd en A

chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage

built from old material It allows the chickens

to scratch and eat off of the ground such

things as grass weeds bugs worms etc

You can drag the chicken tractor around the

garden The chicken manure goes directly

onto th e s o il w here it fe rtilises th e so il

C h ick en tractors are perfect for a sm a ll

number of chickens

A chicken tractor at the experimental site of the Motheo

College in Bloemfontein

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 23 of 27

In the same way super vermicompost produced on the farm or at home from waste material and

making use of the free labour provided by the little helpers could go a long way towards replacing

expensive chemical fertilisers Furthermore vermicompost is good for building up the soils

putting carbon sources and essential microbes (good bugs)

back into the place where they belong the place that

Nature prepared for the over the ages

LEISA is therefore about helping to create a positive

ldquobalance of paymentsrdquo for the farm ing enterprise or

vegetable garden ndash more money should flow in to the

project than would otherwise flow out One important

aspect of this positive balance is to purchase as little as

p o s s ib le e x p en s ive ex te rn a l in p u ts fo r fa rm in g o r

vegetable gardening operations

And super vermicompost produced on the farm fits right into the LEISA philosophy

Organic farming techniques go one step further namely to receive certification (proof) that no

harmful substances were used n the farming operations Good quality compost (also certified as

organic) is an essential input for formal organic farming techniques

However for produce to be certified organic could be very expensive especially for a small-scale

farmer Then your pack house cold chain and transport system also needs to be certified organic

adding more complications

ldquoWhat does organic mean

Organic farming is producing food the natural way Organic farmers aim

to produce good healthy tasty food from balanced healthy soil Organic

farm ers cannot grow GM (genetically modified) crops and cannot use

chem ical fertilizers or additives or spray artificial pesticides O rganic

farmers use crop rotation to improve the fertility of their soil Healthy soil

= healthy plant = healthy humanrdquo

Anonymous (Go Farming 2(2)7)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 24 of 27

Therefore the advice for emerging farmers or vegetable growers is to learn their trade through

LEISA techniques and not to attempt to go all the way to being certified organic without having

the skills and experience to make a success of that The Internet is full of very useful tips on how

to farm better with low external inputs type LEISA and vermiculture in a search engine such as

Google and youll be amazed with the information that comes up

8 Some Vermicomposting Stories from All over

the World

Commercial vermicomposting is just beginning in the USA San Diego in California has employed

worms to convert part of its organic waste stream into useable products The castings are in high

demand In Oregon a research and demonstration project has become a thriving business A large

urban hospital in Ontario has been using worms to process some of its waste stream for several

years (Attra 2007)

We read of the ldquoworm womanrdquo Mary Appelhoff No one in this country has done more for the

self-image of worms than Mary Appelhof the undisputed and nationally recognized

Worm Woman (Green Living Magazine)

Worms eat my garbage Theyve been doing it for twenty-seven years I set up my basement worm

bin with shredded newspaper a bit of soil and a few thousand redworms I bury food waste in it

The worms eat it They also eat the bacteria and protozoa and fungi and other microorganisms

which decompose it They grind and mix and secrete and excrete and eventually the food waste

and bedding turns into worm castings which we use in our garden The whole process is truly on-

site recyclingrdquo

Mary Appelhoff published her first book Worms eat my garbage How to set up and maintain a worm

composting system in 1982 Her newest endeavour is t bring a new voice to the vermicomposting

field by publishing a childrens picture book about vermicomposting Compost by gosh Her website

for worm composting resources can be visited at httpwwwwormwomancom

Other countries have been researching and using commercial vermicompost systems for a decade

or more Cuba for instance started their vermicomposting programme in 1986 with two small

boxes of red worms By 1992 172 vermicompost centres were producing 93 000 tons of worm

humus annually (Gersper et al 1993)

Vermiculture

Page 25 of 27

Currently France Germany Italy Japan Hong Kong India Australia and many countries

in South America have research or commercial vermicomposting projects underway (Attra 2007)

One of the largest commercial producers of vermicompost is Vermitech (Pty) Ltd in Australia

This company is dedicated to the beneficial management of organic waste through the use of very

large scale Vermiculture Their website documents considerable research on the use of their

product on various crops (httpwwwvermitechcomhomehtm)

In the past ten years an organisation in India has prompted over 2 000 farmers and institutions to

switch from conventional chemical fertilisers to that of an organic fertiliser namely vermicompost

Vermiculture has been the prim ary focus at M aharashtra Agricultural Bioteks w hich w as

established in 1985 The organisation currently produces 5 000 tons of vermicompost annually In

1991 to 1992 this group promoted the adoption of vermicompost technology in 13 states in India

The organisation has also created a programme which trains housewives and home gardeners to

produce their ow n vermicompost from household garden waste (Dr Henamgee Jambhekar

wwwfadrmsuru)

The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town added a feature to its list of facilities that is a South African

first A fully-functioning worm farm The hotel has decided to go green by instituting an organic

waste recycling programme where its kitchen waste are turned into worm droppings which

constitute some of the best fertiliser to keep the hotels lawns pot plants and vegetable gardens

flourishing They have thousands of worms housed in plastic crates behind one of the hotels

parking areas They estimate that the farm currently hosts about 33 000 worms (South Africa

Logue)

There are also plans to work on methods to combine conventional composting with super

vermicompost and to put up commercial composting plants at the two new markets for emerging

farmers at Philippi Market Cape Town and Ugu Agricultural Market in Port Shepstone The

conventional compost spiked with super vermicompost will be made available for emerging

farmers near these markets through the subsidised transport linking the markets with the emerging

supply base via a depot system (Charl Pienaar 2007)

Happy Worming

Vermiculture

Page 26 of 27

SOURCES

Anonymous [sa] Organic agriculture What does it all means Go Farming 2(2)6-8

A TTR A (A ppropria te T echnology T ransfer for Rural Areas) 2007 W orms for com posting

(Vermicomposting) National Center for Appropriate Technology

Earthworms as a natural resource httpwwwwormfarmcom

G e r s p e r e t a l 1 9 9 3 C u b a s c o m p o s t in g A g r ic u l t u r e a n d H u m a n V a lu e s X (3 ) 1 6 - 2 3

httpfadrmsururodaleagsievetxtvol7art1html

Ja m b h h e k a r H e m a n g e e V e r m ic u l t u r e in I n d i a I n t e rn a t ion a l A g -S iev e 7 (1 ) A r t 3

(httpwwwfadrmsururodaleagsievetxtvol7art3html)

Journey to Forever Organic Garden Vermicomposting

httpwwwjourneytoforeverorgcompost_wormhtml

Munro G [sa] Manual of on-farm vermicomposting and vermiculture Organic Agriculture Centre of

Canada

Nell W T Engelbrecht G M amp Du Plessis D M 2006 Growing vegetables A comprehensive guide

on how to establish maintain and manage a vegetable garden Centre for Agricultural Management

University of the Free State Bloemfontein

Organic farming and organic gardening using vermicompost httpwwwhappydranchcom92html

Pienaar Charl [sa] Vermiculture Part 1 How to grow super vermicompost Go Farming 1(3)22-

23

Pienaar Charl [sa] Vermiculture Part 2 How to use super vermicompost Go Farming 1(4)20-22

Pienaar Charl 2007 Vermiculture short course presented at MUCPP Mangaung Bloemfontein

Supertill cc Paarl

Recycling advocates Vermicomposting httpwwwrecyclingadvocatesorg

Seasons India Vermicompost

httpwwwseasonsindiacomlifestylegrdnVermicompost_seahtm

Vermiculture

Page 27 of 27

SEED (Schools Environmental Education and Development) 2006 Improving the soil ndash worm

farms (worksheet 53) Growing the living laboratory Permaculture for environmental education in the

NCS Used with permission from Leigh Brown The complete document is available for download

on the SEED website (httpwwwseedorgza)

Setting up a worm bed httpwwwwormpoopcomWormBedWormBedhtm

Sherman Rhonda 2003 Raising earthworms successfully North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Service Publication no EBAE 103-83 North Carolina State University

South Africa Logue Mount Nelson Hotel creates ldquopermaculturerdquo of excellence with worm farm

httpwwwsouthafricaloguecom

Vermiculture Indoor composting

httpredworms-greenearthcomcgi-binshopplpage=indoorhtml

Vermiculture Canada Earthworm castings as plant growth media

httpwwwvermiculturecaarticlesearthworm_castingshtm

Vermiculture composting httpwwwwormpoopcomCompostingCompostinghtm

Vermicompost httpwwwanswerscomtopicvermicompost

Weisenhorn Julie Vermiculture Promote global warming Sustainable urban landscape information

series University of Minnesota httpwwwsustlandumnedu

What kind of earthworms do we recommend httpwwwvermicocomwormshtm

Wikipedia httpenwikipediaorg wikiVermicompost

Worm Digest Young persons guide to vermicomposting

httpwwwwormdigestorgcontentview152

Worm Farm Free worm farming newsletter ndash Vermiculture

httpwwwwormfarmingsecretscom

Worm Research Centre

httpwwwwormresearchcentrecoukvermicompostinghtml

Wormwise How to use WormWisereg Earthworm Castings

httpwormwisecomid=help