So, I’ve got the cardboard and the shredded papers for bedding. I am using ALFALFA HAY which is a LOT of leaf dust, dirt, and straw lik stems as my main food. The kitchen produces coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, and I rinse microwave and blender/grind the eggshells. I use city water, let it sit for 24 hours to rid the chlorine. The systems are in the basement in the boiler room in winter and the temps are at 60 degrees.

Since I was worried about them having enough to eat, I used a couple cans of yams and pumpkin and mushed it up with water and soaked the cardboard up in that to increase the microbes for the week I was waiting for arrival. BTW told the postman about the delivery and he brought them right to the door and they are GREAT!

So I am figuring 3500-5000 worms in 5 lbs of the mix.

Square foot surface area recommended for that many? 7 to 10? Like 500 worms per square feet?

Also minimum/maximum DEPTH of the beginning and the ending system from set up/feeding/to harvest? 8 inches to 12 inches?? More?

I am taking the Large storage totes about 18 wide by 24 long, 18-20 gallon, maybe 18 deep. I am putting the stem/straw from the alfalfa hay in the bottom to help soak up excess moisture and give ‘escapees’ a place to survive. I use a CARDBOARD box poked full of holes inside this as my bin. I put the shred/torn cardboard soaked and mixed up with the alfalfa leaf as bedding and add the shredd paper. Trying to keep it at the 60C/40N ratios. Then I am adding water or more wet alfalfa for food as needed. Also can add more shredds. Eventually I will be using the aged over a year alpaca manure from the compost piles as I wanted to make sure all the pesticide/worming medications given the alpacas had time to leave the manure.

My worms that arrived are HUGE. How long does it take for the worms to cycle so I have to split the bin/harvest half for sale, set up a new bin with the rest. Is it 2 months or 4 months for the worms to be ‘this big’ again.

Also, on the C/N ratio, is that by VOLUME or by WEIGHT?

I like the cardboard box inside the plastic tub as it give more airflow, captures escapees, and they EAT the cardboard box as well, plus it helps wick too much moisture out. I figure by the time they have eaten the bottom half of the box, it should be time to split the bin.

This summer, like end of May, the bins will move semi-outside to the pit greenhouse at the end of the garage as the temps will stay more even there and the basement can air out. It IS kinda smelly down there.

I am MOST interested in using up my alpaca manures. In the winter is when they go through tons of alfalfa/orchard grass hay and I have LOTS of residue left in the feeders and on the ground for the bins. The nature of hay is that it has LOTS of dirt in it as well, so I don’t add any OTHER dirt to the bins, they get it with the alfalfa leaf residue.

Also, WHEN did you find your alpaca manure as I see you are using it now and you weren’t before. I send all my alpaca friends to this site to learn from the best on how to vermicompost it!

Cheers, Bonnie @ Imaginary

HA HA!

Bill Ross

I want let you know that my worms are doing well.
My question to you: will using manure I purchase from Home Depot ( it comes in a very big bag) give the same results you got with using aged manure?

take care

Wendy Y