best worm bins avaiable

[Bullfrog44]

I am looking to purchase a nice worm bin for next years castings. I don't care about the size of the unit, althought I don't want somthing tiny. Looking for something that can produce enough castings for my brewing I do all summer long. Need enough for my tea and my plants. I will be growing about 50 plants next season, (12 being cannabis) and would love to be able to use some of my own casting to keep my garden healthy. Please steer me in the right direction people, maybe a picture or two. Thanks everybody!

 

[mad librettist]

for 50 plants you want either a large flow-thru design or a bunch of small ones.

 

[Bullfrog44]

My main concern would be the 12 canna plants, but if I could get extra for my tomatoes and squash I would be stoked. Those squash can eat up the compost your know?

 

[Microbeman]

I just use Walmart - plastic storage bins & a pile under cover outside

 

[River-Running]

Bullfrog

1. Get a copy of Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management which is an anthology of 34 articles (peer-reviewed studies) from around the world. It is edited by Dr. Clive A. Edwards who holds 2 Phds and 2 Masters in Entomology and related sciences.

2. Vermico.com sells the plans for Dan Holcombe's OSCR (Oregon Soil Corporation Reactor) which was the original flow-through designs developed on Dr. Edwards' research in the 1980's. Dan has been building and designing commercial flow-through vermicompost reactors for over 20 years. See Worm Power in Upstate New York - the largest vermicompost operation in the Western Hemisphere - over 85 million worms in production running dairy manure & silage (3:1)

This set of plans is for a 12 s.f. x 1.5' (18 c.f.) bin which when fully charged with worms (35++ lbs.) will give you between 1 - 1.25 c.f. of vermicompost each week.

Here is a photo of the one that I had constructed from the plans - it was later painted, lined with insulation material, etc.

RR

 

[yortbogey]

bf.... I'm looking At getting this one for X-mas.....might work, looks sturdy and one of the biggest Prefab's;I've seen.....

http://agreenhorizon.com/Tumbleweed...pping&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=bing_shopping

 

[big_daddy]

Bullfrog

1. Get a copy of Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management which is an anthology of 34 articles (peer-reviewed studies) from around the world. It is edited by Dr. Clive A. Edwards who holds 2 Phds and 2 Masters in Entomology and related sciences.

2. Vermico.com sells the plans for Dan Holcombe's OSCR (Oregon Soil Corporation Reactor) which was the original flow-through designs developed on Dr. Edwards' research in the 1980's. Dan has been building and designing commercial flow-through vermicompost reactors for over 20 years. See Worm Power in Upstate New York - the largest vermicompost operation in the Western Hemisphere - over 85 million worms in production running dairy manure & silage (3:1)

This set of plans is for a 12 s.f. x 1.5' (18 c.f.) bin which when fully charged with worms (35++ lbs.) will give you between 1 - 1.25 c.f. of vermicompost each week.

Here is a photo of the one that I had constructed from the plans - it was later painted, lined with insulation material, etc.

RR

Bullfrog,

Here are some pics of the same finished OSCR bin. It gives you a view of the screen system inside. If you get one up and running right now, by spring you'll have plenty of castings for your entire garden.

b_d

 

[Bullfrog44]

Looks like I have some reading to do. However I want some castings by spring........I will look into your guys suggestions, and try to figure out what fits me best.

Can you keep a worm bin in your garage? Or does it smell to bad? Thanks for all the help everybody.

 

[h.h.]

I find as long as I break up any food scraps, I don't have a problem with smells or pests. It smells like castings. Of course, if you're using manures, they'll have their own smell. One I personally don't find unpleasant.

 

[vonforne]

Until my reactor is finished......30 Rubbermaid containers for 8 dollars from Wal-mart. One set inside the other to catch run off. Fill with composted manure and newpapers for bedding. Mix about 30% old soil or fresh mixed from your grow. Add 2 to 3000 worms. castings done in 4 weeks.

Yields about 15 or so lbs.

V

 

[vonforne]

I find as long as I break up any food scraps, I don't have a problem with smells or pests. It smells like castings. Of course, if you're using manures, they'll have their own smell. One I personally don't find unpleasant.

I use manure and there is just the sweet smell of castings in about 1 week.

V

 

[Bullfrog44]

Great info guys, so I guess that means I can put the bin in my garage. I make all my teas in there anyway so it always smells like molasses and EWC anyway. Thanks guys.

 

[vonforne]

You can go the Home Depot and buy a drain or a faucet to extract the liquid from the run off container. I have had my bin going for 3 weeks or so now and will be splitting the bin in a week to make another. Harvest the first bin. I make tea from the run off twice a week now.

V

 

[rrog]

Von, sorry if I missed it, but which reactor are you building?

 

[vonforne]

The one River-Running aka CC and Bigdaddy posted pictures of.

V

 

[rrog]

Maybe I could build a smaller version.

 

[vonforne]

Maybe I could build a smaller version.

You would only need to scale down all the measurements from the plans.

V

 

[rrog]

That design is the one to go with rather than the tiered trays you see so often?

 

[River-Running]

Here's another idea for an inexpensive vermicomposting project. Last spring I had a couple of yards of aged horse manure delivered which had a good worm density. Over the summer I peeled off some of this manure for a thermal compost project and some went into the worm bins. As the summer progressed I noticed that the worms had moved down to the lower levels as expected and there were lots of cocoons, worm hatchlings, adults, etc.

Then I stumbled on this article at RedWormComposting.com where he used a product called the CompostSak which is made by the SmartPots people.

So I was looking at the remaining manure and I had an idea and I went and picked up 3 ea. #65 SmartPots from the grow store. I mixed the manure with rice hulls @ 3:1 and loaded it into the fabric pots, hydrated the bedding and put them on top of several sheets of cardboard as a barrier from the concrete floor.

By next spring I should have close to a c.y. of vermicompost, somewhere between 15 - 18 lbs. of worms and several 1,000 cocoons. The 3 fabric pots were < $57.00 total.

Something to consider perhaps. I'm running Malaysian Blues and Red Worms in all of the bins.

RR

 

[Bullfrog44]

River-Running - I do have extra 65 gal smart pots from this season. You might be on to something here.

As for the design you guys have been using, how are the castings from it? I want the most refined castings possible, only the best ya know? I know that depends on many factors and I have some books to read so that question might be a hard to answer.

Thanks again for the help everybody.