Getting Started
Choose a bin
Build a bin out of wood or use a plastic storage container and adopt
it for composting. The bin should be at least 12” deep, around
16” wide and 19” long, have a tight lid and holes on
the bottom and sides for drainage and ventilation.
Pick a Place
Locate your bin where it will not freeze or overheat, temperature
range should be between 40∞F to 85∞F. A good place could
be a pantry, kitchen corner, garage or basement. Do not place the
worm-bin next to a radiator. The worm-bin can be kept in a shady
place outdoors from May through October, but needs to be inside
for the winter.
Bedding Down the Worms
Worms like to live under lots of moist paper or leaves, which helps
them stay cool and moist, giving them fiber to eat. Use regular
newsprint black or color ink paper, but no glossy inserts, and shred
to make 1 inch-wide strips. To moisten the paper, soak it in a bucket
filled with water. Squeeze out paper so it is not dripping wet,
and fluff to fill the bin 3/4 of the way – that is 9” of fluffy, moist newspaper. Now, you can add your red wiggler worms.
Put them on top of the bedding and watch them disappear, as they
will naturally disperse into their new home.
Maintaining Your Worm
Bin
Feed worms by always burying the kitchen-scraps underneath the newspaper.
Add moist newspaper as needed to keep a 4” to 6” layer
of bedding over the food.
DO Feed Your Worms:
- All fruit and vegetable trimmings including citrus
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Teabags
- Crushed egg shells
- Used paper towels
- Soft green plant trimmings
DON'T Feed Your Worms:
- Meat, bones and fish
- Dairy products and grease
- Dog, cat or bird feces
- Kitty litter
- Woody prunings
- Non-biodegradeable items such as plastic
All organic matter is broken down initially by naturally occurring
microorganisms. To speed up this process kitchen scraps should be
cut into small one-inch pieces. This initial ‘rotting’
process allows the worms to digest the organic materials.
Keep Bedding Moist
But avoid wet conditions. If your bin has too much moisture, add dry
bedding, such as paper-towels, to absorb excess moisture and/or keep
lid ajar. If bedding dries out on edges, spray to remoisten it.
Remove Some Worms
If more and more worms are in your box, you might want to remove some
worms. Red wigglers make great gifts and can be put in outdoor compost
piles. If no worms are removed, the population will self-regulate.
Harvesting and Using Worm Castings
Congratulations! You have produced your own natural fertilizer to
top-dress your houseplants or to line planting holes in you garden.
Street tree pits will also benefit from the vermin-compost. Worm-castings
are full of beneficial microbes and nutrients to power new plant growth
instead of wasting away in a landfill. Harvest worm castings every
two to three months to keep the worm population healthy, since castings
become toxic to the worms over time. Start the harvesting process
by not feeding your worms for two weeks. Then pile all the crumbly,
dark worm-castings in one half of your bin, and place fresh bedding
together with undigested paper, etc. in the other half. Resume feeding
your worms, but add all food to the fresh bedding. Within two weeks
worms will migrate to the new food and finished castings can be removed
almost worm-free!!
Worm Bin Troubleshooting
| Problems |
Causes |
Solutions |
| Worms
are dying |
Too dry |
Add water until bedding is damp |
| Extreme temperatures |
Move bin so temperature is between 40°-80°F |
| All food and bedding eaten |
Harvest castings, add fresh bedding and
food |
 |
| Bin smells bad |
Overfeeding |
Stop adding food and fluff up bedding |
|
| Molds |
May happen spontaneously |
Brush mold off affected surface |
| Moldy food was added |
Remove moldy food and bedding |
Fruit Flies!! (blech)
The annoying nemesis of otherwise happy worm owners is fruit flies.
These little beasts seem to come from nowhere. Actually, their egg
larvae may be present on skins of tropical fruit.
Make sure to do one of the following before the problems get out of
hand:
- Microwave or freeze tropical fruit skins and destroy larvae.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of lime to bin and raise the pH.
- Create a fruit fly trap by pouring some wine or beer in a cut
and inverted plastic bottle (remove and dispose of dead flies).
- Attach sticky flypaper on the underside of bin lid.
Make Your Own Worm Bin!
Wooden
Worm Bin
Materials:
- 1 sheet of 1/2" plywood
- 1 14
- utility 2 x 4
- 1 16' utility 2 x 4
- 1 lb. 4d galvanized nails
- 1/4 lb. 16d galvanized nails
- 2 3" door hinges
Tools:
Tape measure, skill saw or rip hand saw, hammer, saw horses, long
straight edge or chalk snap line, screw driver, chisel, wood glue
and drill with 1/2" bit.
USE EYE
AND EAR PROTECTION
Measure and cut plywood as indicated in drawing. To make the base,
cut the 14' 2 x 4 into five pieces: two 48" and three 20"
long. The remaining 12" piece will be used to make the sides.
Nail the 2 x 4s together on edge with 16d nails at each joint as illustrated
in the base frame diagram. Nail the plywood base piece onto the 2
x 4 frame using the 4d nails.
To build the box, cut three 12" pieces from 16' 2 x 4. Place
a one-foot 2 x 4 under the end of each side panel so that the 2 x
4 is flush with the top and side edges of the plywood and nail the
boards in place. Nail the side pieces onto the base frame.
To complete the box, nail the ends onto the base and sides. To reinforce
the box, place a nail at least every 3 inches wherever plywood and
2 x 4s meet. Drill twelve 1/2" holes through the bottom of the
box for drainage.
To build the lid, cut the remainder of the 16' 2 x 4 into two 51"
lengths and two 27" pieces. Cut lap joints in the corners, then
glue and nail the frame together. Center the plywood onto the 2 x
4 frame and nail with 4d nails. Lay the top on the ground with the
plywood side touching ground. Attach hinges to the top and back using
short screws on the top and the long screw on the back. Position hinges
so the screws go through plywood to 2 x 4s.
You can coat your bin with clear polyurethane, varnish, or paint to
protect it from weathering.
Plastic
Worm Bin
Materials:
Purchase a plastic storage bin with approximately the following dimensions:
16" wide x 19" long x 12" deep.
Plastic screen material
Rubber cement
Tools:
drill with 1/16" bit and 2” keyhole attachment
or nail and utility knife
Use 1/16” bit to drill approximately 12 small holes in the bottom
of your plastic storage container, or heat up a nail to punch small
holes in the bottom. With the 2” keyhole attachment drill 2
holes on two opposite sides of your bin or use a utility knife to
cut holes. Cut the plastic screen material to cover the holes on the
side and use the rubber cement to glue to the inside of the plastic
bin. |
