best worm bins avaiable

[yortbogey]

So how do i remove the worms?

Im up to three containers. A stackable worm farm, and two tubs, one 18gal and one 45gal

I guess i keep the worms too well fed, i keep mixing the substrate completely up too. They never congregate, but if i break the surface, i see millions of them.

My bins together probably weigh ~45lb. Thats a lot of shit!

What is the deal with the stackables? I thought you just put food in the top, and harvest from the bottom. If anything, i saw the worms gathering near the bottom, and bathing in the worm poop juice (that i forget to drain with the spigot).

Do i just need to leave it unmolested and wait longer than i have, or is sifting the only way?

I just got a juicer, plenty of macerated worm food (if the dog doesnt get it first)!

just get a good medium grade mesh /screen .... type thing......even a large gauge collindar.... or plastic food strainer........
and sift the worms and larger chumks of NON-composted materials out..... and use them w/ the worms to start over....
I.E.... what ever dont sift....goes back in bin with worms
ALL the good crumbly....castings will sift out and be in the bottom of the container U sift into......
works for me..... I do these to a 50 gal container once ever 90 days or so.....but my bin is VERY productive @ this point

 

[Buddah Watcha]

went to take some mulch of some old container to start a new worm bin and as soon as I dug some of the mulch, i saw a few worms trying to hide from the light, I was able to find like 10 worms chillin in no time.... they seemed to be happy :]

 

[StrapAssassin42]

Can we all drop the apologizes? I mean damn what the fuck is with you guys?
Lets just talk worms, vermicomposting, reds and night crawlers
Actually, im sorry, im just a little stressed out, i apologize for my outburst.

Sorry....lol!

 

[ShroomDr]

If i feed my worms the spend duff/vapopoo from my cano, will it get them stoned?


I say.... i hope so! I hope they get the munchies!

 

[Bullfrog44]

I found a nug in my garage that was all stepped on and left over from last falls harvest. I threw the nug in my worm bin to see if they like it. Now I got irie worms.

 

[h.h.]

If I threw weed in my bin, it'd probably start growing along with everything else.
I throw in old vegetables, they come out fresh.

 

[Bullfrog44]

Yesterday I received 8 pounds of worms from Sonoma worm farm. These worms are WAY healthier than the worms I got from Jim's worm farms on the east coast. Maybe because I live to close and over night delivery was possible, but these worms were fat, had tons of babies and was packed with a ton of EWC to start with.

I put about a pound in my small indoor bin, which will make it about 2 pounds that I bought for that bin. However, I have had the bin for about 90 days now and I think I see signs of reproduction going on.

The other 7 pounds I put in my outdoor bin that I just started. The floor plan of my outdoor box is 2x4 x 2 ft high. I think the rule of thumb is you can get about 2 pounds of worms per sq ft if your bin is running great. So I hope 7 pounds isn't too much to start with, and I hope I don't kill mass amounts of worms this time.

I will try to get some pics up of the outdoor worm bin, but I have been saying that for weeks......

 

[Bullfrog44]

Finally got some pictures of my worm bin for everybody to peep at. I hope it works out, because I really like the design. I got most of the material used to build the bin for free from various jobs. ( I work in construction)


In this pic you can see my vents. I drilled 6, 2inch vents.

Here you can see that I insulated the bin with 1inch foam board and caulked the seems.

And my favorite.....

 

[Harry Hoosier]

That is a fine bin and should provide years of faithful service.
My own bin is very similar and is currently being fed 10 pounds of compost and horse manure every 5-7 days.
I don't know what you have planned for food/bedding but be aware of your moisture level.
I have to water mine at the rate of a quart per day. The basic design of these bins allows for increased airflow and consequently a much drier system.
Best of luck to you and your squirm.

 

[Bullfrog44]

Dam, 10 pounds in about a week. That is crazy. I just set up the bin so I guess they have a fair amount of stuff to eat through at first. I should notice all the food disappearing soon I guess with 6000 worms.

I found out quick that the bin dries out fast. I set up the bin about a week before the worms came. I watered it when I set it up but then I left it till the worms came. It was very dry in just that short amount of time. Thanks for the heads up, .

 

[Harry Hoosier]

The 10 lbs a week is still surprising to me as well! And it will probbaly increase as I don't think the bin has reached its potential.
With 6000 worms you should notice immediate results as soon as they settle in and hang the "home sweet home " sign on the wall.
Again, best of luck!

 

[Buddah Watcha]

Hey Bullfrog,

Nice job on the bin, I'm sure you will have some happy worms

Good luck, make sure to keep us updated!

 

[il19z8rn4li1]

Hey i have a question regarding this setup here. Which is the same style you made.
Did you change any of hte measurements? I just read through your thread
and saw your pictures, but didnt say anything anywhere if you changed anything.
Im planning on making one of these just a lot larger, probably a 4' x 8' foot print one.

http://www.bananas.org/f313/flow-through-worm-bin-13302.html


How would this thing stand up to winters that reach ZERO 'F with -10 'F wind chills?

and that material you used for the insulation,,, wont break down?

I cant wait to make mine, probably going to put a roof on it.
I just wanna make sure I can insulate it nice on the sides for winters.

Thanks my friend, great thread for sure :-D

 

[Bullfrog44]

I saw a lot of designs on the internet and just designed mine out of a piece of 4x8 ply wood. Made sure I used up all the board with no waste. I didn't go off any measurements, just designed it myself.

If I were trying to make a bin that would hold up to sub-0 temps I would add more foam board. I only did an inch or maybe inch and a quarter, can't remember. However if you were to put 1.5 - 3 inches of foam board you might be ok. Also add more bedding and loose material in the middle of the bin to act at extra insulation.

The foam board may or may not last a long time. I have used this foam board on houses and are rated to last for 40 years without problems. However with worms and moisture right up against it I would imagine the foam will break down fairly fast, maybe 5-10 years.

Maybe in your situation you could in case your foam board with ply wood to keep moisture off the foam board and would also help insulate.

One thing to keep in mind I live in Cali and my temps never drop below 30, so maybe ask somebody with more cold weather experience.

 

[Bullfrog44]

Another thing, the picture you have shows EMT (Electrical metallic tubing) as the bottom. I used 3/4 PVC pipe for mine, but mine only spans 2ft. If you go wide like the box in your picture, then I would stick to EMT.

 

[Harry Hoosier]

The worms will not survive sub-zero temps but, they will have hopefully left behind cocoons that will survive sub-zero.

 

[Harry Hoosier]

I used EMT and I sleeved it with PVC to avoid corrosion.

 

[Bullfrog44]

Harry Hoosier - If you have added bedding and foam board, do you stand a chance of keeping the bin warm enough? I know the composting process can add heat to a bin, same with coffee grounds. Maybe throw extra material that will "heat" up the bin?
Thanks for the advice.

 

[Bullfrog44]

Harry Hoosier - If you have added bedding and foam board, do you stand a chance of keeping the bin warm enough? I know the composting process can add heat to a bin, same with coffee grounds. Maybe throw extra material that will "heat" up the bin?
Thanks for the advice.

 

[Harry Hoosier]

Bullfrog, if the ambient temperature is consistently below freezing I am not sure if composting in the bin will keep it warm enough. My bins are indoors and I reside in Chicago so I really can't speak with any validity to this issue. I do know for sure that worms die when temps are consistently freezing, but their cocoons of course survive.

Wish I could be more helpful.