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Overall the book was quite enlightning and interesting, but I gave up in the last chapter where they give a recipe for "Vermicelli and Earthworm Meatballs". I agree with the others who've stated that "this is an excellent book for beginners" of vermiculture. Loren and Janet explore basic worm biology, how to get started raising your own worms, feeding & maintaining your livestock, pest control techniques, and how and where to use or sell your vermicompost. I mean, how could anybody possibly use Worcestershire sauce in a Vermicelli/Earthworm meatball. Just the thought of the Worcestershire Sauce is repulsive, if you ask me.
these kinds of decisions should no longer be treated as optional. this is an informative and quirky book complete with worm recipes and poetry. for example, when other species found in the bin are described, sometimes their scientific names are given, and sometimes not. the fact that it must then be shipped thousands of kilometers is not criticized. the authors who presumably know better should flat out say something like: "if you have no good reason to remove them, leave them alone as they do no harm and almost certainly have beneficial interactions within the bin's little ecosystem which we do not yet and may never fully understand."another area where the authors could have gone into a lot more detail, is with regards to the integration of vermiculture with other systems: hydroponics (vermiponics, vaquaponics), rabbit hutches, how to treat say chicken poop so that it can then go through the worms, how to integrate worms with black soldier fly larvae, worms as a feed source for other animals and fish, etc etci give it 4 stars instead of 3 because it is well intentioned and i did learn quite a few things. i generally wish it had been more detailed and technical.
similarly with certain so called pests in the bins which are often beneficial, the authors meekly say that some people do not like them and suggest irradiation methods. the quirkiness is fine with me, if only it had been balanced out with a little bit more vigor and consistency. the authors should flat out say: "do not use peat moss, use what you have on hand locally, especially things which would normally be considered 'waste'". it could have been so without sacrificing the chatty tone.the other concern i have is with the treatment of sustainable and ecological practices as optional. for instance in the treatment of peat moss, the fact that it is non-renewable is mentioned at the end of the section. they don't like them because they have been trained in zoophobia from an early age.
i hope the second edition is improved upon though.
This book was easy to understand and answered many of my questions regarding my worm farm.
If you ever wanted to get a good start in creating your own vermicompost, then this is a great book to go with. The author's give you enough information on worms and their environment to get you going. What I like is there is a good amount of scientific information such as genus, order, and species names, but you never feel overwhelmed like you need to be a scientist to understand it.I didn't really care for the secon on worm recipes, as I personally had no intention of eating them, and also the authors mention to not build a worm box out of cedar but give you no reason why. I have built many worm bins out of cedar and have had no problems.I like the sections on dealing with the other inhabitants that will enter your worm box and how to get rid of those that will make the environment unsuitable for your worm population.If you are look for a book on worms to get started, this is it and well worth the price.
Excellent book for starting a vermicomposting project, I found the adequate climate specs for common composting species very useful. As well as the "bug visitor" information that will allow you to get an insight of the micro environment that you may decide to create for your invertebrate friends after reading this guide. Happy vermicomposting, cheers.
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