Feed worms in tub #2 and pex pipe on tub #6

It was nice today, though cloudy, so I put the pex pipe on tub #6.  Then I put the plastic back on.  The soil was a good temperature.

Later, I fed the worms in tub #2.  It was a full tub so I took off the top soil and filled a 5-gallon bucket with it.  I saw several worms  near the top.

I then dug a deep hole to bury the food scraps.  I put in a good amount of coffee grounds and then added the scraps.  I found a bit of previous food scraps which I buried in the soil.  I buried the scraps and put the plastic cover back on.

This one had the thermometer in it and though it was cloudy at the time, with not much sunlight today, the temp was.about 62, while the air temp was on the low 50s. 

Feed the worms in tub #1

I was getting nearly a full container of scraps, and we got a good rain last night so I decided to feed the worms in tub #1, since it was the first tub I filled, and water it with some rain water that collected in one of the empty tubs (over 2 inches in the bottom of the tub).  The tub was on the north end of the patio so it caught a lot of rain.

I scraped off some of the top layer of soil and added it to my 5 gallon bucket.  That is to make room in the tub for a good layer of mulch when I plant.  And also to get more soil for the tubs yet to be filled.

I dug a hole in the center to put the coffee grounds and the food scraps, which included the shells of 9 eggs that I boiled a couple days ago.  I saw a lot of worms near the top, large ones, which shows that the soil is warm enough for them to not hover around the bottom as was the case when I emptied the totes, they are moving around in the tub.  I put in a good layer of coffee grounds followed by the food scraps and covered up the hole.  After that, I watered it with the rain water and put the plastic cover back on.

My 5-gallon bucket is now nearly full of soil for the next tub build.  When I get another almost -full container of scraps, I will feed tub #2 and so on.  When I start planting, then I'll put back in the 2-liter bottles with worm holes to put the scraps in so I don't have to dig around the roots.

Plastic tunnel on tub #4

I removed the plastic cover from tub #4 and put in the pex piping to form the tunnel, and then put the plastic over it.  The soil was nice and warm, and quite fine, so I think I will use that one to grow my root plants like carrots, beets, and radishes.  I think I'll divide one tub into thirds and do a spring planting of each, and then do a second fall planting.

Staying on the patio

I had thought to put a row of tubs in front of the patio, but I decided against that because of the tree fiasco.  I didn't want them to say I could, and then to say I can't and have to move those heavy tubs.

I thought I would put 8 on mine, and one on Vicky's and one on Betty's patios.  That would cause some problems watering and taking care of.

Then I resolved to put all 10 tubs, and possible one tote, on my own patio, and just work around the tight spacing.  I have six on the front edge, and then 2 on each back side of the patio.  I also have room for one tote on the southern half of the back of my patio.  Depends whether I do a bucket-irrigation drip-system, a hose-drip system, or 2-liter bottle drip system.  I haven't decided on the watering method yet.

Red tub #7 from tote #2

Today it was a bit warmer so I built tub #7 from tote #2.  I followed the same process as before.  I filled to the 12" from the top point with leaves and shred, with a whole watering container of water added.  I added some of my coffee filters which have coffee stuck to them and a good helping of table scraps.  I added soil content from tote #2 to about the 9" from the top mark and added the rest of my container of food scraps and 3 hefty scoops of coffee grounds.    I finished adding the contents of the tote that weren't frozen, and it left a couple inches at the top to spare.  I counted 24 worms while working, then found 2 more in the tote after the frozen parts thawed out and I transferred it to a 5-gallon bucket.  I'm not filling the totes totally to the top anymore because I'm going to add potting soil and some other stuff to make up the top couple of inches, and then leave room for a good covering of leaves/shred as mulch.  I realized I could have all 10 tubs on my patio and still work around them, although it will be tight and for some things, on the front tubs, I will want to work from the lawn for easier access.  This is the last tote to transfer, so the remaining 3 tubs will have to get soil from some of the other tubs and newly-bought potting soil.

Red Tub worm counts

The goal is to have 40-50 worms for each tub.  Each carton is supposed to have 30 worms, albeit of various sizes.

*Tub #1 - 50 worms

*Tub #2 - 15 worms plus a carton of worms = ~45, peas planted 3-5-20; 2nd planting 3-25-20 and trellis put up

*Tub #3 - 15 worms plus a carton of worms added on 2-22-20 = ~45.  The soil was nice and not cold at all, though it is 57 and cloudy out and has been below freezing at night.  The soil wasn't as wet as a wrung out sponge, so I added some water to the tub before I put the worms in.  8 strawberry "roots" planted on 3-5-20.  3-6-20 after seeing two youtubes where they soak the roots in water before planting, I recovered the roots and soaked, and then replanted. 3-18-20 pulled up strawberries because they were not taking.

*Tub #4 - 14 worms + carton worms on 3-5-20, 3-6-20 planted garlic, beets, radishes, carrots, and onions.

Tub #5 - 14 worms

Tub #6 - 18 worms, lettuce and spinach planted 3-6-20

Tub #7 - 26 worms -- used to fill tub #9

*Tub #8 - 3 from soil from other tubs, carton added on 3-5-20, potatoes planted 3-5-20; freezing temps in the mid-20's on April 2 and 3 burned the plants, only one has sprouted again as of 4-11-20.

Tub #9 -

So my worms have fared well over the winter, in spite of below freezing nights and some very frigid weather.

2-22-20 Nice batch of red worms

Tote #3 to red tub #6

I wanted to get another tub setup before the storm set in.  I got my pex pipe from Ace this morning and got my tub ready.

I filled with shred mix and some leaves.to the 12 inch from the top mark and then added water.  Next came the soil content fro..tote #3 to the 9 inch from the top mark.  I added a thick layer of food scraps comprised of some banana peels, some radish leaves, and some broccoli and cauliflower stalks.  I didn't have any egg.shells to add.  Then I added a lot of tea and coffee grounds I got from Marla from upstairs.  Most.of the tea bags I tore open to expose the tea and I didn't include any coffee filters.

I filling with soil content.  I noticed that food scraps were decomposing.  For example, I found a couple of large banana tops that were put in whole but they easily tore apart into smaller pieces.

I counted 15 worms very nice size.  Then when I finished putting the soil into the tub,.and it went to the 6" from the top mark. I saw 3 more when I sifted through the remaining mix at the bottom of the tote - so 18 worms total.

I put the plastic tent on and was done.  It sits between the two with the flat plastic covers.  It was snowing pretty good before I finished.

Red tub #5 from tote #7

Tote #7 is one of the green, larger totes.  I had quite a bit of shred mix on top of the soil, which I mixed in with my compost after I got the bottom layer of leaves/shred mix put in the tub.

The leaves/shred mix came to 12 inches.  I didn't put food scraps in the middle or on the top like I did with the previous tubs.  I added quite a bit of water to the mix which reduced it an inch or two.  This mix had.some soil mixed in with it.

I filled the tub with soil from the tote to the 9 inch mark and then added the food scraps which included the shells from 9 eggs I boiled earlier, the rest of my quick oats, and 3-4 handfuls of coffee.  I filled more soil until I totally emptied the tote, which filled the tub to the 6 inch mark.  I put the plastic tent over the tub as I won't get the pex pipe until tomorrow.

I counted 14 worms as I filled the tub, nearly all of them above the food so they should find it as they burrow down.

I put tub #5 against the south wall.  The other pic is of tub #4 that I did previously.

Tub #4 from tote #5

I describe how I built tote #5 and said I saw 5 worms when doing so.

Today I built tub #4 from the contents of tote #5.  The soil was very moist, especially the layer of garden soil that I put on the bottom layer of leaves and food scraps.  I counted 14 worms as I worked.

This time I didnt have as many food scraps, but divided them into about thirds.  Also I was running out of quick oats so I just put one handful each time.  I used the rest of my egg shells on the layer in the soil.  I added the leaves in the bottom of the tote into my compost tub.  Also as I was working with the soil, I took out large clumps of compost to put back into the bin.

After I finished I had room so I out the rest of the soil from the 5 gallon bucket.  Then I just made a simple cover for the tub since I won't get my pex pipe until wednesday.

The first layer of leaves/shred mix is to the holes, or 4 inches.  The 2nd layer is up to 12 inches from the top.  And then the last food layer is about 6 inches from the top.  The last measure with the yard stick is how far from the top the tub was filled from the contents of the tote.

Tote #8 into Tub #3

When I did the tote #8 I counted 12 large worms and 4-5 very small ones.  Today I counted only 9 very large worms, but I may not have seen all of them.

The soil content in the tote was frozen all the way through because of the cold weather we have had.  I broke the dirt up as I transferred it to the tub.

As before, I put a layer of leaves/shred mix at the bottom to the top of the holes at 4 inches.  Followed by water and then food scraps and quick oats.  More leaves/shred, leaving only about 12 inches.

I added more food scraps and quick oatmeal and then more soil.

I added the rest of the food scraps, more oatmeal, coffee grounds, and egg shells.



I finished adding the soil but didn't have enough to fill the tub.  The soil left over from previous tub builds was also frozen in the 5 gallon bucket, so I just put on the plastic and left it at that.  The plastic should keep it from freezing in our next cold spell.

I'll buy a carton of worms to add to it to being the worm count up.


P.S.  On Monday, February 17, I emptied the green tote #6 which was being used to hold leaves/shred mix into one of the red tubs.  In the process, I found 3 worms, 1 large worm and 2 small worms - it looked like they were 2nd generation.  I thought there must have been one more large worm, but I couldn't find it.  I added the 3 worms to red tub #3.  I found 9 when transferring from a tote to this #3 tub, and then found 3 more as I sifted through the remains, bringing the total to 12 worms, and with these 3, that brings the total to 15 worms.  I will buy a carton of worms to add to red tub #3, to bring the total over 40 worms.

Seeds purchased for 2020 Garden

Ordered from Guerney's, 2-10-20
Diva Cucumber, a self-pollinating cuke
Perseus Cucumber, ditto
Lil Sweet Cantaloupe

Purchased from Walmart, 2-11-20
Perry Morse brand
Tomato Beefsteak
Bloomsdale, Long standing spinach (doesn't bolt as quickly as others)
Sugar Baby Watermelon - size about 8 pounds

More worms for tub #2

Today at Walmart I bought a carton of big red worms, supposed to have 30 in it.  I added all of them to tub #2 to raise its count of worms from 15 to at least 45.  I didnt count the worms but it looks like I got a good number.

Tub # 2

I worked on tub #2 today.  I took the contents from the tunnel tote #2.

As with the first tub, I put a layer of leaves and shred mix in the bottom. I used a 5 gallon bucket and it nearly filled the bucket without pushing it down.  I watered well and then added the first layer of food scraps which included some grapes and baby spinach.  I added quick oats and coffee grounds.

I added another bucket of leaves mix and the same foods.

Next came the contents of the tote.  I counted the worms as I did the transfer - 12 worms in the tote.  I put quite a bit in before I remembered to put the last food scraps plus some egg shells.

I finished transferring the tote contents and it didn't fill the tub.

I took some of the remaining soil from Tub #1 that I had in the 5 gallon bucket.  In the process I found 3 worms and added them to the tub, bringing the total worms to 15 for this tub.  I'll buy another carton of worms and put all of them into the tub.  I want to have 40-50 worms in each tub
  I then put the plastic tent on.

Filling round tub #1

Today I transferred the contents from the white tote #1, the first tote I started using to tub #1.  The holds 106 quarts, or 26 1/2 gallons.

First I removed the plastic cover and the pex pipe.  I then removed the contents of the tote, filling 2 5-gallon buckets.  I still had content in the tote, so I started working on the tub.

I put a couple inches of combined leaves and shred, up to the holes I drilled.  I then added some water. Next came some food scraps, 3 handfuls of quick oats, and 2 scoops of coffee grounds.

I then put another layer of leaves and shred, adding water again and then food scraps, 3 handfuls of oats, and 2 scoops of coffee grounds.

Next came adding the soil.  After adding a couple inches, I added the rest of the gallon of food scraps, 2 handfuls of oatmeal, 2 scoops of coffee and 2 scoops of egg shells.

In the process of adding the soil I counted an amazing 50 worms, so obviously they have endured the winter well.  I put the rest of the two 5-gallon buckets in and there still was room so I worked on adding the remaining content from the tote.  Most of the worms were near the bottom of the tote.

I filled the tub entirely and still had some soil left in the tote, so I put the rest into a.5-gallon bucket, which I can use building the next tub.

The final step was to put the plastic covering on.  On the next one I will attach the 3/8 " pex to the tub also.

My new plastic tubs

Last night I was looking through facebook and saw these large plastic tubs for sale for $1 each.  I quickly replies that I was interested but it was this morning that I made contact with the seller and I asked for 10, all the same color if possible.  He had me meet him at the Coop in Preston but the buckets are too large to fit in my car.  So he delivered them this afternoon and I put them stacked on the patio.

They are nice, large tubs - about 17 1/2 inches tall and about 21 inches across at the top.  Thay are all red.

Tonight I started getting #1 ready to put the contents of one of the totes in it
  I drilled holes around the tub about 2-4 inches above the bottom - I started out closer to the bottom and then got higher.  The plastic is very thick so it takes awhile to drill through using the 3/8" drill.  I got some done then recharged the drill and then moved higher up.  I put them on the side instead of on the bottom because I saw that in one of the Youtubes, the reasoning being it keeps a little bit of water in the bottom rather than all the excess draining out, so we will see how that works.

I put pex pipe on it to provide a plastic cover and expecting some nights when I have to cover the new plants.  I had a piece of 1/2" and a piece of 3/8" left from my last purchase.  I drilled holes in the rims to put the pex pipe through.  On the 1/2" I secured them to the tub by drilling a hole through the pipe and the bucket and using

a pipe cleaner to secure it.  That will keep the pipe from slipping down.  I secured the two pieces together at the top by drilling a hole through both and securing with a pipe cleaner.

I'm not finished yet - I still have to secure the other 1/2" pipe to the tub, fill the tub with the contents of one of the totes and put the plastic on.

These tubes are a little over 5 feet diameter so the 5x8 sheets of remesh wire will work well as a cage.

Here are the pictures I took.

Keeping track of my totes and buckets

Totes
#1 - clear
#2 - grey
#3 - grey
#4 - grey
#5 - black
#6 - green, being used for leaves, shred, and other dry compost material
#7 - green
#8 - black

5-gallon Buckets
#1
#2

Rebuild Totes #5 & #3

This is the other black 18-gallon tote  and next in line for a winter rebuild.  This is the process I followed, with pictures, after removing the small container I had used as a worm tower, which still had some contents, which I mixed into the other contents of the tote.

First, I emptied the entire contents of the tote into other containers.  I put the layer of leaves on the top into the compost container, and the soil in the 2 5-gallon buckets I have.

Second, I put in a good layer of leaves and watered them down, with the water coming out the holes in the bottom.

Third, I put in 1/2 gallon of food scraps, consisting of banana peels, orange rinds, and a bit of spinach clippings and also 3 handfuls of raw quick oats that I was given and will never use.  I know the worms don't like citrus, but these are for composting and the worms can leave them alone.  I added more water.

Fourth, I put in a layer of the garden soil I purchased a couple weeks ago, breaking up the larger clumps.  It was still quite moist, so I didn't add any water.

Fifth, I added 3 generous scoops of coffee grounds and 2 generous scoops of egg shells as soil additives.

Sixth, I replaced the soil from the container, looking for worms.  I saw 5 nice healthy worms.  There were probably more, but this is what I saw.  The soil filled the tote to the top, leaving room for mulching and drip lines when I plant.  Oh, the final thing I did, is to dig a hole in the middle near the top and put some food scraps in, so the worms will have food there, too, but there is so much composting material in the tote that they will not want for food.  

About 5 p.m. it was still very nice outside so I went out and rebuilt tote #3, another 18-gallon tote, this one grey.  I rebuilt it the same way as #5, except that the level of bedding was comprised of both leaves and shredded materials, and I didn't have as much garden soil to put in this tote.  I emptied the bag, but it wasn't as much  And I didn't dig a hole at the top to put in more food scraps because I used all I had in the bottom layer.  Otherwise, I rebuilt it the same way.  In this tote, I counted 16 nice big worms as I put the soil back into the tote.