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The Worm Inn – Continuous Flow Vermicomposting System

***The Worm Inn Summer SaleFor a limited time, when you order a Worm Inn (with or without worms) you will also receive the PVC stand building kit, which includes 8 PVC corner pieces and 4 zip ties (you will need to purchase the 3/4″ PVC piping though, since it doesn’t make much sense for us to ship that). To learn more about the sale, be sure to read this blog post: “Worm Inn Summer Sale***

I am very excited to be able to offer this great new vermicomposting system. Inspired by my ‘Creepy Pants Vermicomposter‘, Robyn Crispe decided to put her sewing talents and creativity to the test in an effort to create a stylish, but still effective, continuous-flow (aka ‘flow-through) system. She certainly succeeded.

Robyn eventually decided to move on to other endeavors and the Worm Inn brand is now owned by Jerry Gach, but it is still the same top quality system it has always been. In fact, Jerry has even added some improvements, such as the single zipper (vs double zipper) closure – effectively reducing the chances of flying pests getting in or out.

The Worm Inn
IMPORTANT NOTE: A stand is not normally included with the Worm Inn, but for a limited time, the PVC stand building kit IS included when you order below. This includes 8 corner pieces and 4 zip ties. We’d send you the entire stand if it weren’t for the fact that shipping costs would increase substantially. You should be able to buy the required 3/4″ PVC piping at your local hardware store for $5-10.

The Worm Inn is made of durable, yet breathable, cordura fabric, so you can be sure you won’t be producing anaerobic muck in the bottom unlike most plastic worm bins. High quality castings will be deposited and left behind as the worms continue to move upwards towards the freshest deposits of food. Once the initial material (food and bedding) has been converted to vermicompost (a mixture of castings and other materials that have not passed through a worm), you will be able to continue harvesting on a ongoing basis, as long as you continue to add new waste materials above. Speaking of harvesting, the Inn also features a handy drawstring opening/tightening system at the bottom, to make vermicompost harvesting a breeze.

The Worm Inn is currently available in four attractive designs. We also have some options for those interested in ordering a Worm Inn with worms. Just so you know, the system will be sent separately (before) the worms, giving you a chance to get it set up before your wigglers arrive.

If you DO plan to buy worms with these systems, please make sure you have read my ‘Fine Print’ & ‘Additional Info’ sections before ordering.


Brown
Worm Inn - Brown

Maroon
Worm Inn - Red
Camo Sun
Worm Inn - Camo Sun
Green
Worm Inn - Green

Note: These are photos of the original Worm Inn. The current Worm Inn does NOT have a pocket

>> IMPORTANT <<

*** All prices below INCLUDE shipping to anywhere in continental U.S.A. Again, if you chose to order a Worm Inn with worms you will receive two separate packages (the Worm Inn will arrive before the worms).***
*** For a limited time, when you order a Worm Inn (or Worm Inn + Worms) you will also receive the PVC stand kit (8 corner pieces and 4 zip ties) – the lengths of 3/4″ PVC can be purchased at your local hardware store (likely $5-10 vs $20+ if we had to ship them to you). To learn more about building a PVC stand (and about the current promotion in general), be sure to read this blog post: “Worm Inn Summer Sale“***

***Make sure you have selected the color you want from the drop down options. If you simply click “buy now” the default option (brown) will be selected and that is the color you will receive.***




Worm Inn Without Worms

DESIGN



Worm Inn With 1 lb of Red Worms

DESIGN



Worm Inn With 2 lb of Red Worms

DESIGN


Worm Inn Posts on the Blog (in chronological order)

The Worm Inn
Worm Inn Update
The Worm Inn – Coming Soon to RWC!
My Worm Inns Are Here!
Worm Inn Journal – 11-10-08
Worm Inn Journal – 11-14-08
Worm Inn Update – 11-18-08
Worm Inn Journal – 12-01-08
Worm Inn Journal – 12-29-08
Worm Inn Journal – 02-10-09
Worm Inn Pro
Worm Inn Journal – 09-10-09
Worm Inn Journal – 09-29-09
Worm Inn Journal – 10-06-09
Worm Inn Journal – 10-22-09
Worm Inn Journal – 01-22-10
Worm Inn Journal – 02-02-10
Worm Inn Journal-02-21-10


18 comments

Read the comments left by other users below, or:

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com laurel
#1. November 30th, 2008, at 6:41 AM.

so how big is it? you have no FAQ page? not much information here.

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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.
8)

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Rosy
#3. December 16th, 2008, at 3:17 AM.

While using the Worm Inn, do you need to place a tray on the floor to collect the vermin tea(juice)?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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.
8)

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Rosy
#5. December 18th, 2008, at 11:27 PM.

Thank you!

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Gregor
#6. January 28th, 2009, at 6:02 AM.

Does this need to be washed occassionally, and if so, what do you do with the worms during that time?

How often should you harvest the worms, if they are busy propagating?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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).

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Rob
#8. April 21st, 2009, at 9:55 PM.

This looks really interesting – is there any odor?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Adam
#9. April 30th, 2009, at 3:57 AM.

Could I get it with Nightcrawlers? How much would that cost? Thanks.

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Jim Waters
#10. May 4th, 2009, at 3:05 AM.

With only a 15″ top area, you haven’t got much surface area for the worms to work.
Surface area is the important bit, so it’s not going to hold too many worms, or convert a lot of scraps.

How does the cover fit? Is it zipped up or a separate piece? I can’t quite tell from the picture.

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Sandra Mort
#11. May 6th, 2009, at 6:27 PM.

WOW, cool, can I use BSF in it? I was thinking that this looks like something I could sew (since I’m broke and can’t afford your very cool setup or a biopod).

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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)

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Steve
#13. March 7th, 2010, at 6:42 PM.

How is the compost removed from the “inn” and how are the worms separated from the compost?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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.

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Angel
#15. June 15th, 2010, at 2:58 AM.

Hi Bentley, we’re now fighting off earwigs that are attracted to our worm bin, so we’re going to try out the Worm Inn and hopefully keep annoying insects out of our house as much as possible! A quick question before I order, is this $75 version available now the Worm Inn Pro with the zipper top? Or is it the velcro top?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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.

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com Angel
#17. June 16th, 2010, at 3:54 AM.

Thanks for the quick response! After some Google research, I’m fairly sure we have earwigs. The ones we find never fly and aren’t very fast. (Everything I’m seeing about rove beetles says they’re fast on foot and when flying.) My husband also found a few in our sink amidst some dirty dishes the other day. Seems like rove beetles are mainly carnivorous, but earwigs like damp places and will eat decaying food. Either way, I don’t want any more insects attracted to our worm bin and multiplying. One thing I haven’t found any info on – do you know if either rove beetles or earwigs will lay eggs in the worm bin?

Get your own gravatar by visiting gravatar.com 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.

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