Worm Factory DS5TT 5-Tray Worm Composter - Terra Cotta
by Cascade Manufacturing Sales, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $90.50 Availability: Usually ships in 6-10 business days Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Worm Factory DS5TT 5-Tray Worm Composter - Terra Cotta
Customer Review: Don't over think it ...
Summary: 5 Stars
Like the other reviewer, I was worried about all the rules and chopping. Believe me, you don't have to chop everything up super fine. It will probably be faster if you do, but I don't bother. I do run fruits through the microwave to kill fruit flies though.
The system works great and it is easy to harvest the castings.
Customer Review: So far so good
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this for about a month with some Red Wigglers I also bought from Amazon. Everything seems to be working like it should be. My only advice would be to be sure you understand how it works and follow all directions. Have the factory set up before you order the worms.Customer Review: Sturdy and pretty easy to use
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used the Worm Factory 5-tray for about 8 months now, and i had previously also used a can-o-worms. Both products seem to work about equally well. I like the Worm Factory because it just seems like a sturdier design - the legs on the can-o-worms are a little wonky and require it to be set on a firm (ie concrete) pad or they sink unevenly into the dirt, and seemed ready to fall over. So the Worm Factory legs are a lot better. However, the Can O Worms top was much more rain resistant. The worm factory is definitely not rain resistant, it is practically open on the top, which lets in too much water when it rains.
Some other notes:
Either product, it does take a little extra time to run these things, every few months so often you need to collect some leaves, empty a tray, etc. daily, i find myself cooking and crushing my eggshells and finely chopping up my fruit peels, but that is probably more from obsession than necessity. i've never microwaved the scraps ... it seems a little nutty to use my 'green' worm farm as a power consuming device.
The 5-tray is not quite enough to keep up with the scraps from 2 people who cook a lot, but it probably keeps up with 75% of it.
You need to keep the Worm Factory under cover to avoid rain, but my experience is that it will attract a plague of fruit flies if you put it in a basement. I think optimally you want it in a garage, or in a mild climate, a carport or covered porch.
it seems to put out pretty nice dirt, though i haven't had it long enough to tell if it really makes the plants grow better. but it does reduce the trash load a little. And, basically, it is surprisingly fun to put trash in one end and pull black soil out a few months later.
i tried making my own worm bin. both of these products work a lot better than my home made one ever did.
bottom line, a little bit of work to figure it out and get it going, but once you are in the groove it's pretty effortless and seems worthwhile.
Customer Review: quality (not superior but good)
Summary: 4 Stars
the construction of the bin is fairly sturdy, and seemingly utilitarian--will find out the true value after steady use and gaining more experience. After a month he worms are happy but one needs to go VERY easy on adding starchy scraps!
*****what was left out of the manual:
when you set up your Worm Factory with the wiggling guest--cranky after the long trip--freshly arriving, leave the lights on for the first few days at night until they get comfortable and do not have the urge any more to find their old environmental conditions by crawling out the bin! (I had later found out that some vendors sell bins with tiny, permanently on lights over the bin to ensure that the worm stay put)
*****what was wrong/misinformation in the manual:
the spigot is to drain the _leachate_, that may accumulate if you overwater; it is NOT compost tea--if anything --it should NOT be used on plants because with the occasional drowned straggler it becomes anaerobic (you can smell it)
Customer Review: One piece broken, but overall okay
Summary: 4 Stars
During shipping the bottom of the bin was broken. It's a hard plastic so it just snapped and cracked. Luckily it was the bottom of the bin so it doesn't affect the purpose of the product and can still be used (and you can't even see where it was broken). It's a nice red brickish color and so far the worms have adapted well. I couldn't tell when I purchased this, but the bin has just a plastic 'roof' (a sheet of hard black plastic). I was looking at bins on line that have an actual roof and may have purchased that set instead, however the worms are not crawling out of this one and it is helping to allow air in on the sides so it seems to be doing okay. Feels good not throwing away compost and I'm really looking forward to using the worm poop and tea in the garden this year :))