Wormn Wednesday Was Wonderful

This is a sampling of what I use for my carbon material on my bins. Large or small, I layer shredded newspaper, leaves and manure with my food waste to create a homey environment for my worms. They love it. In the winter I mix it up more. In the summer not so much. The more you mix it up the more heat you produce. Good in the winter, not so good in the summer.

Today was a rainy day with the temps in the 40's. The worms like it when it rains. They seem to sense that it's safe to come out and they were all out chowin' down big time. Had to go out early and spread some chow and water lightly. When the worms are real active sometimes I have to feed twice a day. Better to feed more often than to put down too much for them to eat in a day. As the weather gets colder, and these inbetween days, sometimes it's difficult to predict what the worms will eat in a day.

It's good to have the mild autumn days to work the bins before the freezing weather moves in. The worms don't come out much when it's cold and quite frankly neither do I.

The Worm Factory worms have moved right on up into that layer of leaves I have put down. The older the bedding material they've been in is the quicker they are to move into the fresh.

Hava Happy, See you tomorrow.

What's With The Worms Tuesday

So here is one of my bins, for those who don't know. I have four of these 4X8 foot fiberglas bins. I have them covered with hardware cloth to keep out mice.

One spring I broke my ankle and I wasn't able to get out to work on the worms(I did try it and almost regretted the effort). The mice moved in and built nests to raise their young. It was awful to try and get rid of them.

I discovered that the worms really liked the air circulation they got from the insulation being up on the hardware cloth instead of being right down on the bedding.

Today was another nice day. The sun was again shining with the air being a touch cool, reminding me of the time of year it is.

The night was comfortable as I carried my watering can out to check on the worms.

The worms in the bed I turned last night aren't up yet. It usually takes a couple of days for them to settle in after being turned, topsy-turvy. But the other three bins had worms up chowin' down on the worm chow.

Still, the air is cool enough and the bin temps only being 40 degrees, the chow was only slightly eaten in two of the bins. Only one bin needed any additional worm chow, and each bin got watered down.

I used one 2 gallon watering can for the job so each bin got 1/2 gallon water. My aim is to keep the top layer moist where the worm chow is so the worms will continue to eat. They also have a layer of food waste that is rotting under the top layer, plus the shredded newspaper and leaves that have been turned into the bedding when I turn the bin. There is plenty to eat at all levels of the bin.

I brought in a bucket of leaves for my Worm Factory and the small bin I am holding harvested worms in. I put down a thin layer of leaves, breaking the leaves up well and watering to encourage the worms to move in. We'll check it out tomorrow and see how they like it.

I have a 5-tray Terracotta Worm Factory going back east before Thanksgiving. Second graders are using it for a school project.

One year the kindergarden teacher at the school where my son went had a Worm Wagon. She had the kids help her build the bin and shred newspaper and they set the bin up in a red wagon like a Radio Flyer. It was portable and just the right height for the kids to be able to get in the bin and muck around with the worms (with gloves of course).

Anyway, the class was morning and afternoon. The day I delivered the worms I went in for the afternoon class. I can still hear those kids when I dumped that glob of worms out on the bedding and spread them out. Wow! The amazing thing was the afternoon class really took ownership over that bin. The morning class wasn't much interested. They didn't get to see those worms.

Hava Happy,

Christy

Mother Earth's Farm / VermiCulture Northwest

Where good things come from for the body and soil.

Worm Bin Pictures

There are many different ways to build your own worm bin. The final decision will depend on your own preferences, life -style and capabilities.

Here you see a bin split in the middle with an oven rack, a black pipe with holes drilled in it for air and the bottom has no drainage holes.

This person appears to be single, living in an apartment.

Click Here to go see the whole project. The wormer does a very good job of explaining his bin, feeding cycle and harvest methods. He experimented with different solutions to his particular problems until he came up with a satisfactory method to compost with worms in his customized situation.

This wormer mentions using shredded paper and corrugated cardboard for bedding. In his situation the cardboard persisted longer than the paper. He mentions being surprised at this as information indicated that worms love cardboard. This is just proof that there is no absolute right or wrong way to worm bin compost. No food/bedding stock that is the only food/bedding stock to use. Each wormer has to work with what they have available and find out what is going to work for them. Let the worms be the judge. I always say, I don't care how you do it, if the worms are happy, it's right.

Wormnwomn,
Mother Earth's Farm / VermiCulture Northwest

Build Your Own Worm Bin

I've seen where a lot of people are looking for how to build a worm bin.

I thought perhaps I could help by providing some pictures of a bin I built in a week-end.

I have the plan available and you can request a free copy by clicking the link in the right sidebar.

It's easy to build a worm bin out of a plastic tote. Choose your size and color, drill your holes and you have a worm bin.

But maybe you want your bin to be a little more earthy. Or maybe a little bigger.

Your typical tote (especially if you buy one already made into a bin) will be big enough for 1 or 2 people. To handle the waste of a family you will need a bigger bin.

A 1x2x3 bin is perfect for a larger family. And it is made of wood so it has a more earthy feeling.

Here are pictures of a 1x2x3 bin that I built in a weekend with no special tools.










If you know anyone who is handy with a saw, you could probably build your bin from these pictures.




This bin is easy to build.

It is a great size for family of four to six.




A 1x2x3 bin can be built from one sheet of plywood and 2 x 4 wood stock.

It can actually be any size you want.


So build yourself a bin, take my free e-course so you know what you're doing and order some worms .

Happy and Successful Worming,

Christy
Mother Earth's Farm / VermiCulture Northwest

As The Worm Bin Turns

I have visited many forums talking about worm bin composting and I constantly see the question being asked, “Do I need to turn my worm bin?” Most of the time the advice I see given is, “No, the worms do the turning…”

I have to set the record straight here. In my 9+ years of worm bin composting my bins have been through every experience from the best to the worst. My worms tell me that even though they don’t like being disturbed; they much prefer an environment that is loose and well aerated to that which is compact and dense.

Yes, I will agree that the worms do move through the bedding stirring it up, but you have to realize they are taking a very coarse material and breaking it down into a much finer material. In doing so the material is going to settle and become compacted. The worms are going to benefit greatly by being turned and loosened, incorporating air into the mix. Believe me the worms are happier. Add your fresh bedding and food stock at this time and the worms are going to reward you by actively moving into your fresh offering and getting right to work.

I supplement my feed with Purina Earthworm Chow. The directions on this professional product read as follows: “For best results, stir or turn the bedding at least twice a week. Keep the bedding loose and well aerated.”

Now I don’t turn my worms that often. My personal goal is to turn each worm bin at least once a month. Sometimes, especially during the winter months it just doesn’t happen. But during the worms’ active months I try harder. I know they are happier and more productive, which makes me be more productive.


My worms tell me they are happy. And now I need to get out and turn a worm bin.

This is the tool I use to turn my worm bins.

Happy Worming,

Christy
Mother Earths Farm
VermiCulture Northwest

Be Creative With Your Unique Situation

I have always said that there are as many ways to worm bin compost as there are people worm bin composting. Always let your worms have the final say. If they are happy they will let you know. But you really need to pay close attention, because if they aren't happy bad things can happen fast.

Some day I hope to have the means to put together my own video showing how I worm bin compost. But until that day comes, I am on the look out for what other people are doing. Well, I found this video I thought I'd share with you. I think I'll try it out for myself. The information is basic and doesn't get into the details of the day to day. But check out my e-course and you'll get what you need.

METRO-WORM-CONDO

A short how to do it yourself video about worm composting in an urban environment.