A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 My Worm Bin

Top feed. Then turn it under once a month or so.

Okay, I'll try that! I just want some healthy, happy worms. Of course, I would like a few fat ones too, so I can take my grandson fishing.

To me, mine always look too small to use as bait. But I'm not much into fishing. So I don't really know what the bait worms look like. I used to buy bait meal worms for my iguana, she loved them.

I use the Zebco "Micro" ultralights and we fish for bluegill, sunfish and other smaller fish. I usually take him to the city park and they don't have any really large fish in lake. We use hooks that are rather small; so, I think once my worms start growing a little bit, they should be big enough to use. Of course, if I've actually raised them, I may feel guilty about using them for bait.

patches

Wow jonni13! Stunning pictures! It's amazing how they all stay together like you said. Kinda of weird, but interesting and very cool!

I have been meaning to get at this post...

WOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
I love that bin and I really enjoyed the pictures..

That is some great work you've got there..
I am soooooooooo jealous...

I've been dying to read all the posts to reply that yes, they are mating. See the white rectangle thing near their head? That is their sexual part. Worms don't have to have another worm to do the do. They can self replicate or mate with themself. Weird but life finds a way.

I worked on my worm bin for four hours today. Because of the single bin I purchased a year ago I have to "clean" it out every four months. Since then i've realized that the stacking bins are probably a better way to go, like the canoworms system. Oh well, this is what I've got for now it's working well. Other than the cleanings three times a year it's maintenance free, just add food scraps and some fresh newspaper bedding occasionally. Sometimes I go for weeks without touching it and they do just fine. Since I did the cleaning I thought I would post the "how-to" of getting one started. The bin I have has two pvc pipes running through the bottom with holes for air and the cover is also vented.




Fill the bin with shredded newspaper, five or six newspapers, circulars removed no glossy colors, I like to include a crossword or two for them and some funnies. I'm hoping they're not checking the classifieds for a new apartment!



You really need to overpack the newspaper because it's gonna shrink down once the moisture builds up in the bin. To the shredded newspaper add a small bucket of organic soil and about a gallon of water. I don't like to use dirt from the garden for fear of bugs getting into my bin. The bin lives in my kitchen for the winter months and moves outside to the enclosed carport I have off the garage out of direct sunlight.

Mix the dirt and water really well with the newspaper, fluffing it and making sure you don't have the newspaper glued together and clumped up.




Now add the worms, this is about 3x what I started with one year ago.



Red Wigglers:



That's it! I'll let them settle in overnight and then start adding scraps tomorrow. I usually add some fresh newspaper to the top after 2 or 3 weeks when the level moves down. I almost never have to add any more water, the moisture level is perfect when it's moist with no water standing in the bottom. Unless you have a spout and want to make tea.

This was what I got out of it from the full cleaning. A five gallon bucket full of pure compost............



AND a pile of not quite broken down bedding and scraps. This I added to the outside compost pile.



That's the small garden fork I use for checking things in the bin. I laugh when I think of Tina's pitchfork! Somehow I don't think that would go well in my kitchen.

Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Nice Mel,

Yours is in the kitchen/house?
Do you ever bring it outside???

Thank you, Weezie!


I just moved it outside for the summer.

Very nice melcon! I'm hoping my worms do as well as yours. Of course, I just started my worm bin about 6 weeks ago, so I guess it will take a little while.

Thanks for sharing, Mel. I learn something every time I read about people's vermiculture adventures.

Hey Tina! There's no telling what you'll learn when I start telling my tales.

Actually, I'm having fun with this and can't wait to see what happens in the next couple of months.

I just got my worms and started a farm indoors in my kitchen. I made my tiered bin with 3 14 inch bamboo steamers, with sixteenth inch mesh bottoms.

My question is:
Should I poke holes in the mesh bottoms so the worms can migrate into upper tiers after established ?
I know this must be obvious but ... how many holes and how big. I know the commercial bins are tiered and probably have holes but how many?


Anyone out there who has mastered this art and has a response to my beginner query will be my hero.

Wow, that sounds like an awesome system. The stackables are definitely the way to go. Believe me, I don't have it, just a rectangular bin and it's not fun going through the whole thing sorting the worms from the compost.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I'll try to find something. Or someone else will come along who has the stacking system.

Well, I couldn't stand it anymore. It snowed on Thursday night and is still sticking around today (Sunday). That is the coldest sustained temps my worms have had it since moving in with me. I had to check on their welfare.
The snow was melted on top of the bin. That was a good sign as it still had snow all around it in the shade. My car parked in the sun still has snow on the hood. That means my bin is creating it's own warmth. I turned the worms around, over and every which way with my handy dandy pitchfork and they weren't very happy about it at all. I gave them a nice warm insulating blanket of newspapers and put them back to bed for a while.
Yay! I still have worms. And now I know they can survive sustained 20 degree days and nights. I also have some grubs overwintering in there with them. They don't appear to be harming anything and they will be food for my fish pond in due course. I would like to know what they are and how they affect the habitat that I have going in there.

Grubs= japanese beetles. :p

There are other grubs. Most are beetles of some sort. I have had them before and have had no problems with them. We'll wait and see.

Awesome to see other people doing the vermicomposting thing! It always sounds complicated when you read about it but really keeping worms is so simple. I also violate many of the "rules" of vermicomposting and the worms don't seem to object, they keep breeding! I'm very jealous of the watering trough, I don't have anything like that. I'm using rubbermaid bins that I got from Lowes.

I got tired of digging up the worms and separarating them out from the compost not to mention picking out the newer stuff, so I made my own stacking system by simply getting another rubbermaid bin, drilling holes on the bottom and putting new food and bedding in it. So far the worms haven't run out of food in the bottom bin so they're living in both at the moment.

Unfortunately my system doesn't allow for collecting worm tea. I used to have the bin on top of an old junky stryofoam cooler that was lying around and I would just periodically dump that on the garden (my tomatoes really loved it), but it sprung a leak so now the bin just waters the bushes it's near. Now I don't have anything that is the right size to put the bin on. With a trough like that I could just use a bucket for the tea, plus I could keep it next to the house instead of in the carport because it would be elevated off the ground. I'm going to have to try to get my hands on one of those...

Hi Boxmonkey,
Very good to see you!!!

Got any spare bathtubs' layin' around?
That might do your trick for the "water trough" idea... and it's already got a hole at the bottom for the "tea".....

boxmonkey we've missed you! (or i have anyway!) we need pics of the "new" place now that you are in it!!

i too have the rubber maid system. i'm working on another idea though, and if it comes through, i'll let you know.

Hey guys. Sorry to be such a transient! The bathtub is a great idea, I don't have any but I've seen them available on freecycle a few times, I'll keep an eye out. I will get pictures of the new place as soon as it's not such an eyesore.

Hey Jiffy,

Right now, I'm using a Rubbermaid container too; but, I'm really anxious to see what other idea you are working on for your worm bin! I'm always interested in anything that will keep my worms happy and heathy!