Doggy poo worm farm

Doggy poo worm farm can help solve two perennial problems.

The Netherlands is one of the cleanest and neatest countries with a great concern for the environment. The water in their streams and rivers is probably amongst the best in the world; and consequently that from the taps is equally fine. It has no taste.

This page was last updated by Bernard Preston on 9th April, 2023.

But two abiding memories still haunt me; the doggie poo and cigarette-butts lying on the streets.

"A dog is healthy" is the local saying since pooch must have a walk regularly; and thus so must you. The Dutch live in tiny-gardens and apartments, and most pets spend the day inside their homes whilst they are at work.

A stroll in the park is essential; and hence the filth that litters their streets.

Do as I say, not as I do; it is hard on the knees going down on the stones unless you have a cushion. Bernard Preston DC really should know better than collecting doggy-poo in this manner; it could kill his lower back.

All owners are strongly encouraged to take a doggy-bag and trowel along with them on their walks, and many do, but clearly some do not. It becomes very difficult when it is a nationally acceptable sentiment to leave your pet's poo on the pavement; I have no solution.

But having collected the mess what are you going to do with it?

Watch your back, Jack. It would be better to go down on one knee when collecting your doggy-poo, otherwise you will be calling your DC.

One can drop it in the garbage, of course. That is what most folk do. But there is an alternative, whether you already have a worm-farm, or want to create one specifically.

Worms will provide an amazing fertilizer for your vegetables and salads as they break down your kitchen and garden-waste.

The doggy poo worm farm must be quite distinct; a certain amount of waste may get through into the liquid fertiliser before being processed by the creepy-crawlies. Obviously it should not be used to water your lettuces.

Keep the worm-wee specifically for your flowers and fruit trees; it has no foul smell if removed regularly.

It is an entirely environmentally friendly way of dealing with quite a serious problem for the pet owner. And of course there is no reason why the cat-litter and shavings from the hamster cage should not go in there too.

It is really not that different to a septic-tank.

Doggy poo worm farm

A doggy poo worm farm will provide many nutrients for your flowers and fruit trees, but it is not advisable for your salads.

Although we have four canine pets our doggy poo worm farm is kept quite separate from the other six; since they are mainly for our greens, I do not want our fresh veggies contaminated with fecal material.

Start with any container; above is a disused Jacuzzi into which I have fitted a divide. It effectively makes two worm farms; an old bath tub is equally good. Each one has a waste in the bottom for the leachate to escape.

The one above is far too big for a doggy poo worm farm. Rather have much smaller containers like those below. The leachate is collected in the lower bucket.

• Small basic worm farm
  

A worm farm consists of a container which can be really quite large, or tiny. Ours is about a cubic-metre which will consume a massive amount of waste from the kitchen and garden.

The worms love old potato-peels, rotten fruit and lettuce that has gone slimy; and corn cobs, for example. On the whole it is best to use raw material, but they are not adverse to some cooked food; rats may then become a problem however.

Hence the need for a sealing-lid but it must let air in and keep the rain out.

Keep the cooked food that is going to waste for doggy rather than the poo worm farm wherever possible; he will love the rice and left-over boiled cabbage from last night.

A new idea is to create a very small worm farm inside a large flower container; the wee leaches out directly onto the roots of your plants. I would not put doggy-poo in there though.

The beauty of a worm farm is that the vegetable kitchen waste gets covered by layers of compost, horse or cow-manure which then prevent any smell from escaping.

Between layers of kitchen and garden-waste and the next shovelful of compost, one can place newspaper or cardboard; we call it a bulking agent. I prefer to use the husks of our mealies or old cabbage leaves; let's keep it natural and clean. How to grow corn is a joy in the summer but you do need a large garden.

The moles and millipedes sometimes get into our spuds, so any that are damaged go to the worms. New potatoes are a delight, but again you do need a large garden.

Do you know how to plant spuds?

Any fruit and veg that have been attacked by fly and beetle can be tossed to the worms; they will make a meal of those pesky-bugs too.

Newsletter

Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.

Here are the back issues.

The wonder of worm farms

Follow the link above to the wonder of worm farms; it will tell you much more on the subject, how to construct one and what to feed your creepy-crawlies; doggy poo is just a variation on a theme.

The worms multiply at an incredible rate, doubling every month. The extras can either go into your compost-heap; or to feed your chickens if you are lucky enough to have any. Fresh free-range eggs are a delight.

Building a portable-cage for the chooks is not difficult but is a little time consuming; check out one of these chicken tractor designs. As soon as they discover that you have used vermicompost in your garden they will scratch out your precious seedlings.

Choice foods

Choice foods from the garden are dependent on extra fertilizer for optimum production. The liquid manure from your doggy-poo worm farm could go on your fruit trees for example.

Do you grow avocados or have a lemon tree in the front garden for its beauty, scent and fruit? They will just love the worm-wee.

Nutritious choice foods are especially for those who want to escape the horrors of taking medication every day. They will certainly need some form of organic compost; we just favour that from our worm-farms.

Let your food be your medicine. If you have type-one diabetes you have no option, but many drugs are for the diseases of opulence; too many bagels and chocolate cake. Are you eating scrumptious white bread rolls, colas and energy drinks on a daily basis?

• Citrus fruit list.
• Wizzard Worms domestic wormeries.
  

Bernard Preston

Bernard Preston is a semi retired DC with a passion for writing books and protecting the environment; there is only one creature making more dirt on the planet than dogs, and that's us humans. And it is our grandchildren who will have to live in the shit-house we are creating. A human version of our doggy poo worm farm will not help; it is not what we defecate that is causing the problem.

Whilst considering a doggy-poo worm farm, give a thought to what extent you can wean off plastic.

Did you find this page interesting? How about forwarding it to a friendly book or food junkie? Better still, a social media tick would help.

Address:

56 Groenekloof Rd,

Hilton, KZN

South Africa

Website:

https://www.bernard-preston.com

Create a Cyan Zone at your home; one which complements blue areas for longevity with green for protecting Mother Earth.