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January 13th, 2009 by peter
It All Begins at Sonoma Valley Worm Farm
мебели пловдивSonoma Valley Worm Farm, located in the heart of Sonoma Valley’s beautiful Wine Country, has been selling worms and worm castings for over 35 years. They specialize in providing red worms for composting and worm castings for vineyards, gardeners and compost tea users throughout Northern California and beyond.
Jack Chambers is an airline pilot, a worm farmer, and a good friend of mine. With passion and a sense of clear intention, he has elevated vermi-composting from a hobby to a business and then to an art form. He has invested thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars to refine his composting system to produce the best worm casting possible. Jack is also a leader in the expanding field of compost tea utilization, both as a root drench and as a foliar applicant. To learn more about Sonoma Valley Worm Farm, please visit Jack’s web site:
http://www.sonomavalleyworms.com/_/Sonoma_Valley_Worm_Farm.html
Many people who contact O2Compost are also interested in worm composting. Our aerated compost systems enable the worm farmer to “pre-compost” their manure. Pre-composting is a 10 to 14 day process during which the pile temperature exceeds 131 degrees F for at least 3 days to destroy parasites, pathogens and weed seeds in the mix. The composting process is then interrupted by removing the partially composted material from the bay and feeding it to the worms.
There are many ways to raise worms, including worm boxes and windrows. Jack uses a device that he describes as an “elevated bed reactor” – a long table that measures approximately 5-feet wide, 80-feet long and is 18-inches deep (See photos on Jack’s web site). The base of the reactor consists of a grate with 2-inch x 2-inch mesh. The pre-composted material is added to the top and the finished castings are cut from the bottom using a blade that is drawn from one end of the reactor to the other with a winch. The castings are then dried, screened and placed in 1 cubic yard sacks. Jack’s castings sell for $350 to $400 per cubic yard, with most being used for planting new grape vines and for producing compost tea.
All O2Compost systems are designed to be systematic and easy to use with a minimum amount of time and attention required. But producing high quality compost is just the beginning. The benefits of using your own compost on your pastures or in your garden are many, and the opportunity to generate income through the sale of your compost is outstanding. Contact O2Compost to learn more.
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