How I Make Seed Starting Mix With Worm Castings| Vermicompost Worm Farm
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- Seeds will germinate quicker & seedlings will be stronger when you use worm casting seed starter mix this gardening season! I make organic garden & potting soil out of the vermicompost my red wiggler compost worms produce out of my food scraps, cardboard & paper shreds. Now you can make soil & seed starting with this simple formula!
In this video I'll also show you how I manage my 5,000 compost worms in my 20 gallon fabric pot Outdoor Worm Bin. We show you what I feed them, to include bread, how to let the difference between a pot worm and a baby compost worm, how the temperature is affecting them & you'll see a worm time lapse at the end.
Epigeic worms or composting worms are fascinating natural composters & fertilizers that are in most homesteaders bag of tricks to make free organic fertilizer & soil amendments as well as fishing bait. If you've ever thought about vermicomposting or composting with worms to make organic fertilizer & natural soil amendments with your plant based kitchen scraps or food waste, this is the channel for you. I have 4 worm composing bins which you can watch from start to finished worm castings on the 4 playlists following each worm bin. If you haven't started yet, get started now and vermicompost with me!🪱🪱🪱 Visit my Channel at / vermicompostlearnbydoing
Happy Vermicomposting Everyone!!!🪱🪱🪱
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel!
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade)
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Wrigglebrew Worm Casting Tea amzn.to/46PhV2A
Food Dehydrator amzn.to/3O5Uj2H
Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
Insta 360 ace pro amzn.to/3vgdmR8
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
#Vermicompost #wormfarm #outdoorwormbin #redwigglers #selfsufficiency #homesteading #vermiculture #wormcastings #baitworms #wormbin #compostworms #compost
00:00 | Intro & what to look for
00:39 | Last feeding
01:05 | Digging in
01:34 | Worm close ups
02:00 | How to tell a pot worm from a baby red wiggler
02:47 | How I sift my castings with a VermiHut tray
03:17 | Colder weather affecting my compost worms
04:02 | Making seed starting mix with worm castings
04:23 | Using previously used soil
05:30 | Using all new ingredients
07:22 | Making a hole for food scrap
07:59 | Adding old bread
08:11 | Adding vegetable food scraps
08:48 | Fast vs slow food
09:16 | Adding color
09:37 | Amendments
10:27 | More bedding & temperature talk
11:32 | worm time lapse
12:06 | Executive Producer gets her chance!
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel!
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade)
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Wrigglebrew Worm Casting Tea amzn.to/46PhV2A
Food Dehydrator amzn.to/3O5Uj2H
Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
Insta 360 ace pro amzn.to/3vgdmR8
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
I've gotta begin getting my act together for seed starting too. The tendency to be a procrastinator is almost always evident when it comes to preparing for the garden - which is so strange, because once it is all planted and underway outdoors, I'm all over it. It's just the getting started that I really lallygag with :)
😂🤣😂 So true!! Once things are planted outside I am all over it as well!! We all just need to keep releasing videos to help inspire each other to get going...I know I'm always thinking about what my worms need next after watching your videos!! Thanks for stopping by to watch AV!!🪱🪱🪱
Lol I was just thinking that is the cleanest tarp ever. I have the onion,leeks and super hots started. I have to wait a few weeks for my brassicas. I love that your family saves their scraps for the worms. My son has his own worm bins so no soup for me 👍🏼🪱😀
😂🤣😂"No soup for you!!" My son & daughter in law have a VermiHut but the population hasn't totally ramped up enough to consume all their food scraps...soon though! You're gonna have a great garden with those starts! I'm at the tail end of being able to plant brassicas. Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Ann!!🪱🪱🪱
Been using castings in my potting mix for 3 years now. No longer add bone or blood meal to any of my mixes, just leaf mold, aged compost and castings, 20% is the sweet spot.
Last year I used casting extract for feeding, this year will use foliar treatments of worm tea, a bit more work.
I get a kick out of finding worms when I go to pot up peppers and tomatoes.
Have a nice weekend! Stay Well!!!!
Thank you Brian! That sounds like a great mix!! I've stopped needing to add fertilizers to. I get a kick out of the occasional worm in my seedlings pots as well!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
Good morning, Patrick and Autumn ❤
Great job getting some Castings and mixing your seed starter!
Huge feeding with cold weather coming ❄️🥶❄️
Nice job on keeping Mr. Outie going 👍 🪱👍
❤Peggy❤
Thank you Peggy!! This weather is teasing me and my banana plants...we've only got close to an actual freeze or frost once and we're so close to being past our last frost date!! Fingers crossed we don't get a freeze this year!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
Omg, Autumn’s got me cracking up about those cranberries. This is another brilliant video from you guys. I have some seed starting mix (using Ann’s recipe, happy worm family 🤗) that I’m starting to use tomorrow. Hopefully, no more cold South Florida nights to damage new seedlings.
See you in the next video. 🌿🌸🦋
😂🤣😂Thank you Karen!! We haven't had a freeze so my banana plants are all still alive!! Fingers crossed we don't get a freeze this year! But we seem to always get a cold snap right after I get seedlings in the garden!! Hopefully both our new gardens are spared this year!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
וואו איזה כייף לראות מה אפשר לעשות עם היציקות התולעים.
חזרתי עכשיו מעזה ואני יחזור רק בעוד 7חודשים לבנתיים המשיך לגדל ירקות בגינה 😊.
תודה רבה על כל
כל כך טוב לשמוע ממך שוב!! אני כל כך שמח שחזרת הביתה! אני מקווה שתהיה לך עונת גינון נהדרת השנה. יהיה לך טוב לחזור לגן ולקחת הפסקה מהמשימות הקשות שהיו לך. תודה רבה שצפיתם ידידי!!🪱🪱🪱
Nice Teamwork ! Your Garden will Benefit by all the Efforts 👌 Mother Earth - Gaia is Pleased 🎉
Thank you Cynthia!! I love using my worm castings for my plants & garden and skipping the chemical fertilizers! Thanks so much for watching our video!!🪱🪱🪱
I'm with Autumn, those cranberries needed to be popped! 😂 Happy seed starting! 🪱🥬🍅 I'm sure the worms will be excited for veggies fresh from the garden
😂🤣😂 She really enjoyed popping that one at the end...we have a lot more work to do!! The sound they make is so satisfying!! I love the circle of life the worms and my vegetable garden provide for each other and us! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & comment Amber!!🪱🪱🪱
Try about half a tablespoon of liquid castille soap per gallon during watering to act as a wetting agent.
Excellent tip!! Thanks for passing that along! I’ll give it a try. Thank you for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
Good explanation on the use of the castings. I can't wait to start the majority of my garden.
Thank you Mikko!! There is so much potential this time of year for us Floridians...we just have to not get too excited and plant before we get a frost/freeze....that has happened to me too many times!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
I’m sure that’s a much better mix than what you buy these days. Most commercial mixes are poor quality in my opinion. I still enjoy the time lapse. A VLBD trademark.
I agree, what you can buy is way inferior to what we can make!! Thanks for watching until the end to catch the tine lapse!! I remember a good while ago you mentioning the ending time lapses being a fun thing to look forward to so I've been keeping them going after I sift castings! Thanks for all your support Joe!!🪱🪱🪱
Love the outdoor bin. The wormies are gonna enjoy the variety you are spoiling them with.😅
Thank you Sandy!! They are a bunch of spoiled worms!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Good job, Autumn! I would want to pop the cranberries, too 😄
😂🤣😂Autumn just laughed when I read her your comment! She said "I know they are just so round and juicy...they are asking for it!!" Thanks for the good chuckle and of course thanks for stopping by to watch Heather!!🪱🪱🪱
Yoooooo !! This is my favorite system by miles. Set it, forget it and cheap lol 🤜🤛
Perfect seed starting mixes.
She's a natural!!
Cheers J&C 🌱🤞👍
Yes, for those great reasons!! She may be getting some more opportunities...I have shoulder surgery coming up and won't be able to move my right arm for 6 weeks!! It will either be a one handed situation or The Executive Producer doing all the work while I narrate!! Thanks for stopping by to watch you two!!🪱🪱🪱
@Vermicompost be nice to get it done, I'm sure !!
Haha cranberries gotta love them 😂 The seed starting mix looks good Patrick. Good colorful feeding. We had about 8” of snow and low temps close to single digits and high temps in the low 20s F. I just dug in the compost pile and it was loaded with worms. 😁🪱
That's pretty incredible that your compost pile had all those worms with that cold temperature! It's gonna be a good growing season for both of us I hope!! Thanks so much for watching Rick!!🪱🪱🪱
Squeezing the cranberry was relaxing for the executive producer. 🙂
😂🤣😂 Yes!! It was all she could do to restrain herself during the video!! The pop they make is very satisfying!! Thanks so much for watching for to the end to see that AJ!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost You are welcome. Enjoy your weekend.
You to twin brother!!😁
I would be interested in seeing a comparison video of seedlings started with and without worm castings. My experience has been my worm castings retard the initial growth of my seedlings. Seems to be beneficial to add worm castings after four weeks or so.
I have seen some experiments on other folks videos where they do different percentages of worm castings and a control with no worm castings. There was a significant difference with worm castings from about 5% to 20% then a significant drop off. I started off trying it with about a 50/50 mix and my seedlings got massively water logged to the point I couldn't dry them out. It is amazing how much worm castings retain water. After switching to 20% and below (with 20% being best for me) my germination and seedling growth has been better than before I stared using worm castings...But a new experiment would be fun to try...especially since it will make sure I get my seeds in and help my succession planting!! Thanks for sharing your experience and of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi Patrick and Autumn, good video. I do a seed starting mix very similar, only real difference is I add some vermiculite too.
Not long now and I can start my chilli pepper seeds. Have fun, Mark : )
Thank you Mark! Vermiculite is a great one too! I've used it before and it is good at retaining water as well. Hearing about your chili peppers is a good reminder for me to get my jalapeno peppers in as well!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
That's a big feeding. They will be set for a while.
Absolutely!! I've been checking in on them and surprisingly it hasn't heated up too much, but then again we've been having some cold days!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Steve!!🪱🪱🪱
😮 oops I used what I pulled out of my VermiHut... but since I had last years hanging planter soil as biggest part of the worm bedding with sand added that should help the seedlings 🌱 I'm hoping as a way to revitalize the old soils 🤔⁉️
That's no problem at all!! Just another chance to reset!Vermicompost is one of the best ways you can revitalize your soil for the next season! I have been using the same potting soil for three years with vermicompost added in each time I reuse the pot!Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
❤👍
Thanks for taking the time to watch Tory!!🪱🪱🪱
Great timing as I needed a seed starting mix tutorial about now! And for the viewers, since I was mentioned, not in Wisconsin which is way colder than where we are, but west in the PNW, west of the Cascades. But we did get down to 8F and it stayed in the teens and low 20s for highs for about a week with no snow cover. Very unusual. Took forever to thaw. But the good news is nearly all my eisenia fetida worms survived outside!
I also checked my stored castings couple days ago. They still have not thawed! I can only figure because they have retained so much water, is like a big chunk of ice.
👍🪱🪱🪱
Wow, Ann, please keep us informed about whether you see signs of life in the castings when they thaw!
~ Sandra
Those were some great updates you gave on the freezing weather and how well your worm bins did despite the super cold weather and ice inside! I'm sure your stored castings will do ok too and have some worms in the spring from any cocoons they might have slipped through. Thanks for letting everyone learn from your experiences and of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Pretty amazing huh?🥶
@@NanasWorms Sandra, I rechecked the castings today and there is life! In one, I had earlier put some maple leaves in for possibility of hatching worms. They were all huddled up under those leaves and very much alive. Pretty amazing!
Awww...there's probably more way more than you think now that you know they survived.
~ Sandra
Thanks Patrick always a good content and informative. I ended up ordering another 2,000 worms hoping this time they will be red wigglers or mostly red wagers after the first order was all blues. I'm also ordering another vermihut so I don't mix the two together. I was hoping to keep this small but it seems addictive and I really need more castings for the garden soon.
Yes, worm farming is absolutely addictive!! I have two bins that are a mixes as well. It is very frustrating when you expect one type of worm but get another, but I will say the mixes do extremely well for me. The only thing better than a VermiHut is two VermiHuts!! We just bought one for my son and his wife so I feel like I have two when I go visit them 😂🤣😂 You can never have enough castings!! I give some away to my friends and family and always have at least 3 gallons in storage, but I plan on starting a couple new garden plots so I may be depleting my storage quickly!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost I hear the mixes do well too but I've been struggling with these blue thugs at this altitude of 5000 and very dry and cold climate. I keep bringing them back to the bin and in the vermihut they have already started gathering in the cover. I'm hoping if I separate them I will only have to worry about them and one less Tower to worry about.
Yep, blue worms like more warmer climates than the red wigglers. I have a few videos on the VermiHut lid: ruclips.net/video/KqaBwGM3AFk/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/WCFwG1MWVAY/видео.html some worms like to go up there, but they don't escape, they just like to explore. I used to pick them out of the coco coir mat but eventually I realized there are a few that will always go up there no matter what. Every climate and even every worm bin in every climate is different which makes it fun to find the best way to manage them!!
save some for meeeee!! @@Vermicompost💕
Love the seed starting mix formulas! What are you planting this spring?
Thank you!! I have already started red onions, several types of lettuce and carrots which I just continually succession plant. With this seed starting mix I just made I'm going with my first round of tomatoes and some peppers. How about you? Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
I only have a small balcony to plant here in Taipei, the temperature is fine for cool season plants (January avg. 16.5C = 60F) but it’s in full shade all day being north facing 😂
I have some lettuce seedlings, heard that they could do fine in shaded areas, but they are growing soooo slow and some already became salads for birds . Will also plant some radishes and other leafy brassicas soon!
You mentioned pepper and maybe I could also try to start some peppers again next month - had a miserable failure in last fall probably due to lack of sun, all seedlings gave up growing and have no more than four leaves each.
Btw I have a tiny worm bin only about 3 months old, been feeding it very carefully, and your traveling bin series give me so much references and confidence in keeping my bin! Thank you for providing a great example that a thriving bin doesn’t have to be big and complicated 🪱❤
Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching my videos!! It is tough to grow in North facing sun (or lack of sun) in the Northern Hemisphere. My front yard is North facing and the plants in the front have a tough time even in our mild winters! Stating pepper seeds are a little difficult for me right now because they need a little heat to help them germinate, so I have to remember to bring them inside if we get a cold snap...and they take so long to germinate! That is so great you are balcony farming and have a small worm bin!! My son and his wife live in an apartment and have a worm bin as well about the same age. They even have a couple of tiny banana plants growing😁
Great info on seed starting! Is it strategic to bury all feeding into tight space vs when you spread out over surface more evenly, because it's cold and you want some heat vs when hot and you don't want heat then you spread it out more? Or is it based on that this is the grow bag vs uwb?
Yes & yes! You'll see me spread out the feeding if I'm really worried about heat, but otherwise I throw it in one spot so the worms can come and go to the feeding area as they please with an escape if conditions go bad. In the UWB I've been spreading it out in the warmer months because of heat (it also gets partial sun during the day which doesn't help) but also to try to get more food in per feeding. Putting it in one spot especially with coffee grounds or rice can really heat things up!! But in the winter I see this as a plus. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching & asking a great question!!🪱🪱🪱
Hey Patrick, do you use casting straight from sifting into your seed starting mix or do you age the castings to let the cocoons mature?
~ Sandra
Usually my worm castings go into storage before they are used. My last Urban Worm Bag harvest needs a lot of aging (and help from the worms that came along) in order to let the bits and pieces in it disappear. But I'm not opposed to using it straight from sifting. In fact when I give worm castings away to my friends and family I usually take from the top which hasn't been in storage long. But I do like to bait the worms out of storage and put them back into my two bins that are mixes, the VermiHut & the UWB. Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Sandra!!🪱🪱🪱
Hello hello, could you explain why not to use 100% vermicastings for seed germination? I had problems with unfinished potting mix which started to rot (and affected the seeds...) and so I switch to 100% vermicompost for seed stratifying. No results yet as this is the first time doing this. Thanks. (tree seeds)
Hello there! Great question!! Vermicompost/worm castings retain moisture REALLY well, almost too well for most seed starting mixes above 20%. I have found that If the seeds do germinate, they quickly get water logged and rot...it is almost impossible to dry them out. Of course I found this out because I like to experiment but it might work out for you! The tree seeds probably have a tougher seed coat so the increased moisture might help out. Just be sure not to water them (much) even if the top looks dry! I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost It helps, thank you much! Will keep all this in mind. All the best!
How do you make your own regular soil?
Great question, I think we're gonna do a video of it this spring. I use a mix of peat moss, perlite, regular compost, vermicompost, some regular sandy soil (that's all we have around here in Florida) from nearby and a little bit of organic fertilizer to get things started. I might use azomite instead this year to give it a try. The good thing about it is you can just refresh it with vermicompost within the pots and regular compost & vermicompost within the garden beds. So glad to see there is interest, I'll definitely make a video! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost I love watching your videos about composting and anything to do with gardening or conposting
Thank you!!👍👍👍
Hi Patrick nice big feeding again, i should have enough worm castings for this year's seedling mix and potting on and next year some leaf mould.🙏👌👍💪💩🪱❤️🤠
Awesome!! I would love to have some leaf mould for my garden!! Thanks for dropping by to watch Nick!!🪱🪱🪱