I fed mine about a month ago, 2' deep fresh made hot compost from a mix of horse stable bedding and grass clippings ... another month or 2 and they'll get a yard of finished food waste hot compost .... end of the outdoor garden they'll get another couple feet of plant refuse, then later the same from the greenhouse ... by next spring I'll have a couple yards of great stuff to work into the garden for the season  :)

Bill

A mixture of potato peelings, carrot peelings, old lettuces, tomato bits, leftover pasta, green pepper tops and coffee grounds. There might be some other stuff in there, but I forget.

Zucchini ends, cucumber, lettuce, cardboard from the zucchini package, shopping receipts, junk mail, tomato scraps, pizza crusts.

Most of the exciting stuff still goes outside to the hot compost. I have almost got my can-o-worms working right for me. Actually, it is the other way around. The worms have almost got me doing what they want.

Mine got an old nightgown last week! A VERY old 100% cotton one, just too full of holes and stains to wear any longer. I cut it into strips and put it in the bin, along with the zucchini ends, banana peels, coffee grounds, etc.
mbetts

Composted Tortoise Poop! The worms LOVE it. I get so many huge worms in composted tortoise poop it is unbelievable!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Worm Dude

How many tortoises do you have, to get enough poop??
Never heard of that one! Bunny poop I can understand, but turtles?? LOL Are they wild outside where you have to scoop their poop?

Hi Jasdip,

I raise Leopard Tortoises. They are the fourth largest tortoise species (Galops, Aldabra's, Sulcata's, then Leopards).

I own 16 adult/sub adult tortoises, including 3 that weigh over 20 pounds, and 16 babies. The majority of my tortoises are the Giant Leopards, only found in South Africa. They can get to 80 pounds. Good sized tortoises.

Anyway...they keep my back lawn mowed, and poop a couple of pounds a day. I started composting their poop, and now have these HUGE worms in my box turtle garden. Every handful of this rich dirt/composted tortoise poop is loaded with giant worms that look like crawlers, but are top feeders like redworms. Also, these are the most ACTIVE worms I have ever seen as I pull them out of the ground. They flex so strongly, they creep me out. Like snakes! They are so large that when they are in your hand, you can actually see their mouth sucking...it looks like a catfish mouth..just a sucking hole.

I'm going to try and see if I can raise these giant worms in captivity. A LOT of people want worms for their garden, and I usually steer them away from Eisenia's, that I sell unless they are completely willing to keep their garden damp and maintain plenty of organic matter at all times.

I posted a short video of these huge worms on my blog. Of course they weren't that active when I was filming, but I have a picture of one stretched out that flexed so much, I couldn't hold onto it. It dropped to the ground and bled like crazy....Crazy worms.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Worm Dude

I just fed mine a rotting (but pitted) mango, argh! I hate the store bought ones that dont turn color when ripening, goes straight from green to rot. I used to have fond memories of mangos growing up but todays mexican stock just dont do it.

Lettuce and shredded blank checks.

Weeds, apple cores, raman soup, a chicken leg, moldy bread, kleenexes and a Q-tip.

I'm curious to see what happens to the chicken leg.

Worm dude, I'm not sure if this will help but I found this taxonomic key online that helps you identify the species of your worms

http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/wormwatch/images/taxonomic_key.gif

Thanks Takadi,

That is an interesting sheet. Not sure I can decipher it, but it is definitely interesting. I appreciate you posting that!

I emailed Dr. Clive Edwards(He is a friend of a good friend)for some help with identification. He is leaving for Europe this week, but he gave me the address of another specialist that he works with. I'll send him a sample and see what he thinks.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Worm Dude

Hi WormDude,
I just read your blog, and that is a huge worm! eeeeekk!
All your plants and pumpkin looks amazing. Did you plant them in STRAIGHT castings?? Early spring I planted a tomato plant in castings/soil in a pot on my balcony. It's growing but has a long way to go yet. I'd love to see a tomato or 2 on it this year.

Please post some pics of your tortoises on your blog!
Sherry

Hi Sherry,

All the worms in my box turtle garden are that size. The soil looks like whipped butter (Normally Clay)! Every single handful of dirt contains these huge worms. I'm trying to see if I can get them to lay cocoons in a contained environment. So far, they seem really healthy in captivity!

Because I have so many castings, I plant EVERYTHING in straight castings. Best thing I ever did. I have a type of squash that is supposed to grow the size of a softball. Right now, it is the size of a HUGE WATERMELON. The vine is about 15 yards long and is on the fence of my tortoise pen, with the weight of the squash sitting on a cactus. I'm trying to avoid disturbing it because I don't want it to fall off the cactus, severing the vine, and stopping growth. I want to see how big this thing can get. I'll take pictures when I finally pull it off and put the pics on my blog. It is FREAKISH!

Anyone that says you cannot grow in straight castings is nuts. I'll challenge ANYONE on that..with proof.

Another example: We had plants growing in one area of the yard, but they were getting trampled by the tortoises. We made a raised bed out of retaining wall bricks, and I backfilled the entire area with castings. Because we transplanted everything in the beginning of July when temps were over 100 degrees , every plant immediately went into major shock. My wife thought we killed all of the plants. They looked horrible.

Now, 3 weeks later, the entire area is beautiful. My wife the skeptic, is now a believer.

I'll post pics of the tortoises and more backyard pics next week.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Worm Dude

I'm curious what you have your tortoises for? How many do you have, and what are your plants for them? Are they in a pen, and the resulting worms in the ground are that big? Or do you scoop their poop (is it easy to scoop like horse apples?) and then feed it to your bins?

Sorry for all the questions, this is so interesting! Who'dathunk?

Sherry

Hi Sherry,

I'm trying to avoid getting beaten up for being off topic here, so I'll keep my answers brief.

I've always liked tortoises. They are quiet pets, they are friendly, never bite(unless you count a toe nip), and they are fun to watch eat my back lawn, looking out through my bedroom window.

I have a lot of tortoises (More than 30). They are supposed to be in one area of my backyard, but the large ones seem to get over the barrier at will. ;) Just to clarify: Tortoises do not eat worms as part of their normal diet...but my box turtles do (I have about 20 of them).

The tortoise poop is similar to horse apples, just a little smaller. Because it is just mainly processed grass, it dries quickly and leaves no smell(Until you wet it down in a pile). I have not fed it in my bins yet because I want to avoid drawing flies. My worms are raised in conditions similar to a labratory (Rack system capable of holding over 200 pounds).

The worms that have been eating the tortoise poop are the ones in my box turtle area. I just bury the poop, along with old newspaper, straw, and fruit and veggie scraps, and the worms came. These are the giant worms that are the size of nightcrawlers, but don't act like nightcrawlers.

I'd be happy to address any and all questions about worms or anything else on the forums of my website.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Worm Dude