The Creepy Pants Vermicomposter

If you didn’t think I was kooky already, this post should put you over the edge!

Some time ago this bizarre idea for a vermicomposting system popped into my head. I was thinking of ways to make a simple ‘continuous flow’ system that would allow you to easily collect castings without having to worry about separating out the worms later.

Continuous flow systems, like the one I’m using for my 4 worm experiment are great because they take advantage of a composting worm’s tendency to follow a food source (whether it be in an upwards or sideways direction) and move away from their own waste (worm castings). Like my wooden stackable bin, most of these types of systems are rigid containers of some sort.

The inspiration for my ‘creepy pants’ idea came from the landscape cloth funnel vermicomposter of the ‘Digestive Table‘, and a commercial system known as the ‘Swag’ (see video below).

These systems are brilliant in that they involve a much simpler design, are far less expensive to make, and are very easy to use. I figured I would take it even one step further and come up with a system that utilizes something most people already have - old jeans (or any other pants) that no longer get worn. They have a considerable volume capacity, so you could likely process quite a bit of waste and house a lot of worms. They are also very breathable so they will provide ample aeration, but still thick enough of keep out a lot of light.

Yesterday, I finally decided to make one of these systems for myself. As mentioned recently, I have a lot of aged manure and new Red Wigglers so I figured it was a prime opportunity to set up some new systems.

Normally, I would set the pants system up exactly the same way I set up a regular worm bin. I would mix a lot of food waste with shredded cardboard, then simply let it sit for a week or two. For this system however, because I already have this nicely aged manure and worms I can get started right away (since the manure provides habitat and food for the worms). All I did was 1) Hang the pants from one of my basement ceiling supports, 2) Close off each of the legs using a pull-tie (cable tie?), 3) Add some shredded ‘egg carton cardboard’ in the bottom of each pant leg (for moisture absorption), then 4) Add aged manure and worms to each of the legs. Now they are ready to receive food scraps (I’ll likely add some more worms first though since I want this system to work quickly).

You would likely need to add water to a system like this since a considerable amount of moisture will pass through and evaporate from the pants. If you keep your pants composter outside, I would recommend hanging it in a shady location - from a shady tree perhaps? I think this would be a really fun project for kids.

Once your system is totally full you can start testing out the vermicompost in the bottom of the pant legs. Simply loosen the pull-ties and let some of the material drop down into a bucket. If it looks good you can harvest some of it from both legs. One other possible idea, if you don’t want to bother emptying it at all - you could probably remove a lot of worms from the upper layers then simply turn the system into an outdoor planter. Cut slits down the pant legs and insert young plants (herbs would work very well) directly into the vermicompost. You can then move it to a sunny location to allow the plants to grow - just make sure to keep it well watered since it will likely dry out very quickly!

So there you have it - the ‘Creepy Pants Vermicomposter’. Try it out for yourself!
Just so ya know, I’m also going to put together a quick video about this system, and will of course keep you posted on how it is working for me.

Oh, and by the way - in case you are wondering about the name - you try hanging a pair of empty pants from your ceiling and see if you aren’t just a little bit creeped out too!

Kind reminds me of that Dr. Seuss story…

…I was deep within the woods
when suddenly I spied them.
I saw a pair of pale green pants
with nobody inside them.
I wasn’t scared but yet I stopped.
What could those pants be there for
What could a pair of pants at night
be standing in the air for?

Excerpt from What Was I Scared Of? in “The Sneetches and Other Stories” by Dr. Seuss.

Technorati Tags: worm bin, vermicomposting, worm composting, worm castings, vermicompost, worm compost, compost, red wigglers, red worms, fun projects, digestive table, worm swag

Written by Bentley on April 25th, 2008 with 7 comments.
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Bugs Ate My Worms!

This question comes from Wendy, who is worried that various worm bin creatures are having a negative impact on her worm population.

Bentley,
I started worm composting following your instructions and adding a
pound of worms. Things were going great for a few months. I even
saw some worm eggs and I was able to harvest some castings. Then the
little flies came, little triangle, slow flying things. I haven’t
seen a picture that look like them so I don’t know what they are. I
also noticed little brown seed like things in the bin and then very
little squirmy things. I don’t think they were baby red wigglers,
they moved weird, not like a worm, kind of like a maggot - but much
much smaller. Then the bin started smelling bad and I noticed that
the worms were not moving much. I think the things ate the worms, I
can’t find any, not even dead ones. Help!!!

Hi Wendy!
Ok, so let me get this straight. You have:
“little triangle, slow flying things”, “little brown seed like things”, and “very little squirmy things”?

Sorry - couldn’t resist! All teasing aside, I do know how tough it can be to figure out what all these various bin creatures are.
I’m not 100% sure what your triangular, slow moving flies might be, but whatever they are there is probably a reasonable chance that the little maggots are the juveniles of these flies. The brown seed-like critters are probably a species of mite.

Is it likely that any of these creatures would eat your worms?

Not really…well, assuming this is an indoor bin, anyway. If it is located outside there is a somewhat higher chance of it being invaded by something that can harm the worms.
It definitely sounds as though some (if not all) of your worms have died. I’m not surprised that you can’t find any though - dead worms generally decompose very quickly.

Unfortunately, without seeing the bin for myself or knowing what you’ve been using for food etc, it is tough to know for sure what might have happened. As for what to do now, I would definitely recommend starting up a second bin and moving over as many live worms as you can find. I would also try mixing a lot of fresh bedding into the old bin then letting it sit for awhile, left alone. You mentioned there being cocoons in the bin, so you may be surprised to find that the bin has bounced back with a new worm population in a couple months.

Anyway, sorry I can’t be of greater assistance! Feel free to provide any additional details or ask any other questions you may have.

Regards,

B

Written by Bentley on April 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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