The Worm Inn – Continuous Flow Vermicomposting System

Bentley
#2. November 30th, 2008, at 12:12 PM.

Hey Laurel – here are some specs for you:
It is approximately 25″ from top to bottom, 27″ from the top of the loops. The top opening is 15″ by 15″. The bag narrows at the bottom and the whole bag is approximately 2 cubic feet. In other words, it is definitely bigger than it looks in the pics.
To see the Inn with a person (for perspective), check out this post:
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-bins/worm-inn-update/

Thanks for sharing your thoughts – an FAQ page is a good idea.

Bentley
#4. December 18th, 2008, at 3:51 PM.

Hi Rosy – sorry for the delay.
You can certainly put a tray underneath just to be safe, but based on my experience, with normal feeding and watering there will be no risk of needing this. I work harder to keep the contents moist than I do coping with excess moisture – that’s for sure.

Bentley
#7. January 28th, 2009, at 4:09 PM.

Hi Gregor,
You don’t really need to wash the system – I guess you could if you wanted to though. Simply put the contents in a big Rubbermaid tub while you clean it – just make sure not to use any harsh chemicals for cleaning.

Harvesting the worms is optional (population will self-regulate based on available food and space), but periodically you could of course remove part of the bedding (with worms) to add to other systems etc. I would wait at least a couple months before doing this, and wouldn’t do it all that often since you will want to optimize castings production. I’m sure you could get away with removing 1/4 to 1/3 of the worms every few months (again, after waiting for a few months initially). This is a very rough estimate though since every system is different (depending on how you care for it).

Bentley
#12. May 7th, 2009, at 12:11 AM.

ROB – like any vermicomposting system, when set up and managed properly there should be very little in the way of odors.

ADAM – I tried European Nightcrawlers in it and it really didn’t seem to be the ideal system for them. They all went to the very bottom (likely trying to find higher moisture content. As such, I’m a little leery to encourage others to go this route. For now I’ll stick to selling Reds with it.

JIM – Surface area is very important in a vermicomposting system – there’s no doubt about it. But unlike something like a bucket, there is good oxygenation throughout the system so it can hold more worms than you might think. The increased aeration will also greatly aid the decomposition process as well – if you further aid the process by aging/blending etc the waste materials, I suspect it could process a considerable quantity of food scraps on a weekly basis. Hmmm…this sounds like a good idea for a new RWC challenge! As for the cover – on the standard model it simply attaches in 4 spots via velcro strips. In the new ‘Pro’ version it completely zips down all the way around.

SANDRA – I suppose you could keep BSFL in it – although I don’t think it would necessarily be the ideal system for them (I’m no BSF expert though)

Bentley
#14. March 11th, 2010, at 3:22 PM.

Hi Steve,
In the Worm Inn, those are one and the same. The idea is that the worms will concentrate themselves primarily up at the top where the best food resources are. The material at the bottom (once you’ve let the system run for a number of months) should be good compost (but not good worm food anymore). There are drawstrings at the bottom that can be loosened to let the compost out. The first time around you will likely need to use a hand fork (or something similar) to scrape some of the material out.

Bentley
#16. June 15th, 2010, at 3:32 AM.

Hi Angel,
Are you sure those “earwigs” aren’t Rove Beetles?
http://www.oisat.org/images/rovebtls.jpg

Anyway, to answer your question, the only Worm Inn available now is what used to be referred to as the “PRO” – but it’s even been improved upon since the first PRO series was released. Now it is just a single zipper rather than two zippers coming together (which resulted in a small opening where insects could get in and out). And of course, we now have the promotion whereby you receive the components for making a PVC stand (just need to buy a few pieces of PVC) for free when you make a purchase.

Bentley
#18. June 16th, 2010, at 6:19 PM.

Hi Angel,
I think your assessment is definitely on target. One thing I didn’t ask about was the size. Earwigs are definitely quite a bit bigger than most rove beetles as well.
As for reproducing in a worm bin – I would say that yes both would likely do so, although my guess is that the earwigs are much more likely to do so in outdoor systems.