Getting Started
The purpose of this page is provide you with an overview of worm composting. Be assured that I will also be providing many other articles and blog posts that explore the various aspects of vermicomposting in much greater detail.
Here is a video I made some time ago that discusses the “fundamentals” of worm composting. If you are looking for a quick and dirty overview of this topic you may want to check it out:
Below is a more detailed description of some of the more important components you’ll likely want to consider before starting up your first vermicomposting system (keep in mind that this section was actually written LONG before I made the fundamentals video).
When it comes to starting up your vermicomposting system there are four main components to consider: 1) Container (worm bin), 2) Bedding, 3) Waste material, and of course 4) Composting worms.
Once you have read through those sections you should be well on your way towards being able to set up your own worm composting system. I have also included a section on building & setting up a worm bin, where I’ve included some YouTube videos I made.
There are a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing the type of worm bin you want to set up. If you are the handy type you may want to build your own creation, OR if you don’t mind spending the money perhaps you will opt for purchasing a complete worm bin system (which may come with bin, bedding and worms).
For anyone interested in simply trying out vermicomposting (or if you want to save some money), I would recommend heading to your local hardware store and grabbing yourself a standard Rubbermaid tub (with lid) or something similar.
Some things to keep in mind when you choose your vessel – 1) Light penetration, 2) Surface area vs depth. An ideal bin will be opaque (ie not allowing in light) and will be relatively shallow.
Red worms (and earth worms in general) are very sensitive to direct light – it can lead to considerable stress and even death if they unable to escape from it.
As far as depth goes, you don’t need to worry too much about exact dimensions but you definitely do want to put more emphasis on the surface area – this allows for greater oxygenation of the bin and also allows the worms to spread out more.
In other words, a Rubbermaid tub will be much better than a bucket.
Something I would recommend is either setting up multiple small bins OR one decent sized bin. The larger the system the more buffering capacity it will have. For example, I have a very large outdoor bin (5X3X3 feet). All worm composting experience aside, the sheer size of this system makes it very worry free. Even if there are unfavorable conditions in one section of the bin, the worms can easily move into many other favorable zones.
Similarly, I tend to keep 2 or 3 small indoor bins at one time, plus an “overflow” bucket (for excess food waste), thus making it much easier to ensure that balanced conditions prevail.
All that being said, there is nothing wrong with a single worm bin in the size range of a typical ‘blue box’ recycling container. This size of bin should be large enough to provide both buffering capacity and waste-processing potential for a typical household (especially if you use an overflow bucket and/or an outdoor composting heap as well).
Another important thing to mention is aeration. If you are using a typical Rubbermaid type of bin its not a bad idea to drill some holes in the lid and along the sides prior to adding your bedding/worms etc. This allows for more air flow in and out of the bin. If you have your bin sitting on some sort of tray you may even desire to drill a few holes in the bottom of the bin – a great way to ensure bin contents don’t get too waterlogged.
Composting worms not only need food, but also some sort of habitat to live in – bedding materials provide both. Ideal worm living conditions can be created initially by adding lots of bedding material with a decent amount of waste material (and likely some water to ensure adequate moisture conditions).
People often refer to the ideal composting moisture content as being similar to that of a wrung-out sponge. Higher moisture levels do tend to work better for worm composting, but this is definitely a good guideline to start with (especially when using a water-tight bin).
Some great materials for bedding include shredded cardboard (my favorite), shredded newspaper, aged straw, coconut coir, fall leaves and peat moss (although I prefer not to use this material since it is not harvested in a sustainable or environmentally-friendly manner). Worms seem to absolutely love rotting leaves, so definitely don’t be so quick to kick those bags to the curb in the fall. The downside of using leaves (aside from seasonality) is the fact that they don’t really absorb much water – this is why my ideal bedding will consist of a mix of leaves and brown cardboard (another material worms seem to have a real affinity for).
Bedding materials will typically need to be moistened before worms are added. In fact, a practice I highly recommend when starting a new bin is mixing bedding with a decent amount of moist food waste, then simply letting the mixture sit in a closed bin for a week or so before adding worms. This way you are creating a very friendly environment for your worms to live in. Aside from activating the important microbial community, this also allows for moisture to makes its way throughout the bin materials.
Waste Materials (ie Worm Food)
Usually people set up their own worm bin at home so they can compost their food scraps and leftovers. Unfortunately not all waste materials are created equal from a worm’s standpoint (or a human health standpoint for that matter), so we should talk a little about what should and should not be added to an indoor worm bin.
YES
- Vegetable & fruit waste (citrus fruit should be added in moderation when using smaller bins)
- Starchy materials – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes – all in moderation (beginners may want to avoid these altogether initially)
- Aged animal manures (careful with rabbit and poultry – need lots of bedding to balance)
- Shredded newspaper, used paper towels (common sense applies here), cardboard (great idea to add these carbon rich materials at the same time you add any wet food waste)
- Egg shells (best if ground up and in moderation)
- Coffee grounds
- Tea bags
NO
- Human/pet waste
- Non biodegradable materials
- Dairy/meat
- Oils/grease
- Harsh chemicals
These are fairly basic guidelines and of course there are exceptions under certain circumstances. I will definitely be going into much more detail in later articles.
Something I alluded to in the previous section was the fact that letting your waste material sit for a period of time is better than adding it right away. Often people assume that the worms feed directly on the waste materials themselves. In a sense they do, but more specifically they are slurping up the microbial soup that forms on rotting materials. If you throw in a bunch of fresh carrot peelings the worms won’t be able to start processing the material until sufficient microbial colonization has occured.
As I mentioned above, a fantastic way to ensure that your new bin takes off successfully is to mix a decent quantity of waste material in with your fresh bedding, then simply letting the bin sit for a week or so before adding the worms. I know this can be a challenge for those people anxious to get started, but it will go a long way in terms of ensuring your success.
Should you choose not to wait (obviously if you get your worms at the same time you get your bin it doesn’t make sense to wait) I would highly recommend that you at least try to add some partially rotting materials so that the worms have something to feed on.
I like to keep food waste in an old milk carton that sits under my sink. Aside from the convenience of not needing to take it down to the basement (where my indoor bins are located) or outside (to my outdoor bin) multiple times per day, this also allows time for microbial colonization of the materials – and don’t worry, you won’t have a stinky mess in your container if you do it properly (I’ll definitely write more about that in another article).
One of the common misconceptions amongst vermicomposting beginners is that any earthworm can be used for worm composting, or kept in an indoor bin in general.
I can still remember the disappointment of discovering (during my teenage years) that I could not keep a population of soil dwelling worms in a bucket. Before becoming interested in worm composting I was an avid aquarium hobbyist, always looking for ways to raise live food for my fish. Having heard that people were able to keep thriving “worm bins” in their house I naturally assumed they were raising the same kind I found in my garden.
Eventually I learned that most of my yard worms were of the “anecic” type – that is to say they were soil dwelling worms that create burrows and tend to lead a somewhat solitary existence (they need their space). The worms ideally suited for composting on the other hand are referred to as “epigeic”. This group tends to live in rich organic material (not soil), and are adapted to crowding and warmer temperatures. So its not difficult to see why epigeic worms would do much better in an indoor composting bin than their soil dwelling cousins.
By far, the most common variety of composting worm is Eisenia fetida – also known as the red worm or red wiggler (see the “Quick Facts” section for other names). If you are looking to start up your own worm composting bin this is definitely the worm for you. There are other species of composting worm, but we can deal with them in future articles.
So where does on get ahold of some of these worms??
Well there are various options. The easiest (but most expensive) is to simply buy them. There are a wide variety of online merchants who will sell them to you, OR you may be able to track down a local supplier (I will be eventually setting up a comprehensive supplier directory to help people find merchants in their area). If you need some recommendations simply drop me an email.
In general worms are pretty expensive (typically running somewhere between $25 and $40/lb USD, although decent discounts tend to be given on larger orders), but it’s amazing how fast you can build a large thriving population starting with only a pound of worms.
Another option is to track down someone else with a worm bin in your area and ask them to share. Over the years I’ve been given worms on multiple occasions and now happily ‘pay it forward’ on occasion myself. Getting in touch with your local gardening clubs or municiple waste management division should prove helpful.
Composting worms (E. fetida) don’t typically occur in “nature”, but there IS a decent chance of finding some on a local farm if they keep aged manure piles. I can still remember the very first time I saw a population of red wiggler worms. I was working at a horse farm and happened to dig into a pile of manure sitting behind the barn. It was absolutely LOADED with red worms! I had never seen so many worms in one place ever (nor have I since then). If I had been into worm composting at the time this would have been like hitting the jackpot.
When it comes to adding worms to a new system, I like to err on the side of caution. I prefer to build my population up to the ideal level, rather than using standard guidelines. A widely accepted recommendation is to add 1lb of worms for each sq ft of bin surface area you have. So if your bin is 1.5 X 2 ft (width x length) it should be able to handle 3 lbs of worms. I would personally rather add 1lb of worms to a bin this size and let the population reach an population equilibrium on it’s own. Red worms reproduce very rapidly under favorable conditions so it shouldn’t take too long.
Building & Setting up a Worm Composting Bin
Here are three Youtube videos I made, demonstrating how to build and set up several types of worm composting bins (the third video only shows the building process, but you can certainly apply the same methods shown in the first two videos).
Setting up a Basic Worm Composting Bin
This is a basic as it comes – the simple Rubbermaid tub worm bin. For anyone just getting started, and looking for a very easy-to-build and inexpensive worm composting system, this is a great option. Just remember – you should always use a tub that is opaque, especially if you are going to keep the bin in a brightly lit location! Light can stress out or even harm the worms.
Setting up a “Deluxe” Worm Bin
This is a slightly more advanced system than the “basic” shown above. One of the limitations of enclosed plastic bins is that they can become “swampy” over time due to water accumulation in the bottom. By creating a system with a drainage reservoir you can help to eliminate this issue, and create some better quality worm compost in the process. I don’t actually use this type of system myself anymore, simply due to the fact that I used mostly open systems (which takes care of the excess moisture concern) and I just generally like to keep things as simple as possible. But don’t let that stop you from using this type of bin (lots of people seem happy with this approach!
The “Mini” Vented Worm Bin
This was originally a system I created to sell as part of a worm bin kit for those who didn’t feel like making their own bin. I later decided to stop offering the systems (didn’t really enjoy mass producing them), and instead have put more focus on providing DIY guidance.
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Thanks for this article.
Most articles from pre-2006 state that the worms eat the organic rubbish – the latest scientific reports state that the worms actually eat the microorganisms doing the decomposing – as you do.
I have neem unable to find out exactly when the shift in eating habits happened or what authority changed it. Any ideas??
Hi again Ronald,
Until fairly recently I have not seen all that much mentioned about the microbial diet of worms. Many vermicomposting resources simply imply that the worms are eating the waste, end of story.
While I can’t say with any certainty what might have brought about the more-widespread discussion of this finding as of late, it is important to mention that some researchers have been suggesting this for years.
I first heard about it from Dr. Clive Edwards, world-renowned worm researcher and vermicomposting expert – i can’t recall exactly which publications he mentions this in, but I do know he has help this view since the 80’s if not earlier.
These early findings suggested that it was in fact primarily prozoans that worms fed on, although this may have changed as well.
Anyway – interesting topic for sure!
Thanks again for stopping by!
B.
So if in fact the worms are feeding off the microbes that help break the waste down, do worms accelerate or retard this break down?
Excellent question, Will!
Worms do in fact help accelerate the process (a great deal in fact). Those microbes that cause ‘rot’ can breed very quickly so the worms aren’t completely erradicating them by any means. As this microbial soup passes through the worms’ digestive tract there is a whole other incredible community of microbes acting on the material, resulting in the humified, microbially-rich “castings” that come out the other end.
The physical action (feeding/moving) of the worms also helps speed up the process. Increased surface area means increased opportunity for breakdown. Think of a rotten apple – there is only so much surface area available for attack by microbes. Once that apple is broken apart and spread around it’s going to decompose so much more quickly (also helps oxygenate the process which is very important).
I’ve seen a pretty big difference between backyard composters with and without worms. (of course there are other important creatures too, like sow bugs etc)
hi, your article had more info in it then i have seen in a while! i have been trying to get started with setting up a worm farm business to sell castings retail and wholesale. i am having a problem comming up with the most effective way to go. build bins myself or buy them. at this time of the year since winter is comming i am concerned about heat. your article has given me some good info. how do i find past articles and also is there a way to be on the email list? thanks for the info and await more………alan kasman
Hey Alan,
Thanks for stopping by, and for your kind comments. I’ll definitely be adding a lot more to the site in coming months. This article is really only a brief introduction to worm composting, but I’m glad you found it helpful!
I’m going to send you an email to see if I can help you a little more with your other questions!
B.
GOOD info, i would like to try red worm composting, i look forward to any info. I have read this article and learned a lot.
Thank You,
Dave
I read that earthworms had a gizzard and required soil to help them digest. Why don’t you have soil in your bedding material? Is this a difference between epigeic and anecic? Do our little red friends not need to fill their gizzard with little stones?
Dave, I’m really glad to hear you are interested in giving worm composting a try. Don’t hesitate to drop me an email if you have any questions along the way!
Tim – you make a great point. Composting worms DO in fact have a gizzard so a little grit can definitely help. Even just a small handful of soil should do the trick. I’ve also read that crushed eggshells can help.
B.
Hi
My name is Moeen Emrany and I study Environmental Design in Tehran University, Iran.
It has been a year or so that I have started to study about vermicomposting and how to use worms for making the powerful fertilizer.
I have read alot on the internet, but I don’t know if they apply to all the varieties of worms around the world or not.
I searched alot and figured that some companies do this, but as my hometown is Kerman, in the southeast of Iran, nobody there has set up a vermicomposting facility yet.
So this can be a very good oppurtunity for me to start this job and make my future, …
BUT !!!
The companies here do not even sell worms to anybody. You may have guessed why! There would be more hands in the job and competitioners come along…
So I couldn’t even get 1lb of worms although I searched for it all summer.
I talked to a couple of my friends about it and one of them whose hometown is in north of Iran where the climate is VERY humid and the soil is fertile, told me that these worms are there in the ground!
So when he went there, he brought me a fistful of red earthworms, and I am taking care of them in a bucket in my room in the dormitory.You know the point is that they are not very similar to the worms I have seen in the big factories in other cities…
Can you help me with this?
The worms I have are red, but some of them have yellowish on their ends or heads.
The worms I have seen in other places were all red.
Are the worms you use enhanced genetically, or somthing like that?
Or, is it possible to take the worms from the ground and use them to make vermicompost?
And 1 more thing.
Can you give me an almost exact peroid of time inwhich a pile of worms become double?
I mean how fast does the worms reproduce?
I ask this because I have read different things about this.
I hope you answer me in my email.
In the Love of God
Moeen
Hi Moeen,
Wow – you sure seem eager to learn about worm composting (always nice to see).
The mostly widely used species of worm, and the most versatile (able to do well in the widest range of conditions) is likely the red worm (Eisenia fetida). I know it is used in much of the world, but I don’t know if it has made its way to Iran yet (not sure if it would occur there naturally).
It is great that you want to get people interested in vermicomposting in your country. It is a fantastic way to turn animal manures (and other wastes) into a very rich compost.
As for the worms given to you by your friends, believe it or not those actually DO sound like E. fetida. Aside from being reddish in colour, one of the distinct features of the worm is the yellow tip of the tail. This probably just hasn’t been visible in my photos. I can assure you there are no “genetically enhanced” worms, although some people might like to have you believe this (especially if they are trying to sell them to you!).
Whatever type of red worms you have, the way to determine if they will work for worm composting is to keep them in a container (as described above) and see if they consume the waste and increase in numbers)
In worm composting there is no such thing as an “exact” value for anything. Every system is different and there are SO many variables involved that it is impossible to come up with precise values. In a VERY well managed system (temperature, moisture content, feeding rate etc) these worms will reproduce very quickly. Many say that a worm population will double every 90 days. This is ok as a guideline, but the only real way to find out is to test it for yourself.
Anyway, best of luck! Feel free to send me an email if you have any other questions.
Bentley
Dear Sir or Madame,
I have been eager to start red worm composting, but have been hesitant because I am not sure if I have enough kitchen scraps to keep the colony going. I regularly have eggs shells, fruit peels, vegetable peels, and coffee grinds, but not a lot every day. Some days I don’t cook all that much.
Can grass clippings also be used? I don’t fertalize, so there are no harsh chemicals in my lawn clippings. It is St. Augustine grass and I get a good trashbag full of it each week. If I start with a pound of worms, how much and how often would they need to be fed? Can I supplement with the grass clippings?
Sincerely, Mrs. Rebecca Behar-Johnson
Hi Rebecca,
Your worms really don’t need all that much to eat. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it is much easier to kill your worms via over-feeding than it is via under-feeding.
I would simply try it out with the amount of scraps you have and see how it pans out. If it looks like the scraps are disappearing faster than you can replace them then perhaps you’ll need to supplement.
Grass clippings can be used as worm food but you definitely need to be cautious. You should not add too much of this material at once – it can turn into a nasty mess and give off a lot of ammonia gas (bad for the worms). I would recommend moistening and mixing with shredded cardboard or leaves (brown fall leaves that is) and letting the miture sit in a separate container for a few days. After it ages a bit try feeding some of the mixture to your worms – just put a small amount in the bin and see if the worms start consuming it.
This fall I ran my mulching lawn mower over fall leaves while I cut the grass – the result was a fine chopped mixture of grass clipping and leaves. I am currently using the mixture as a winter worm feed and my worms seem to enjoy it.
Hope this helps
Bentley
I’d like to start vermicomposting at home, but am quite intimidated even though I was reading a lot of useful informaiton from your site (including the great video). I don’t cook much to produce enough food scraps, don’t garden (I plan to start container gardening next spring)…so I’d like to start vermicomposting in a very small scale to see if I can succeed. What is the smallest size you can start the vermicomposting? Can I start with, say, a shoebox sized bin with about 10-20 worms only? Or does it have to be large enough to be successful?
Hi Seo,
You can start vermicomposting on any scale. You could literally start a small worm bin in an old margarine container if you wanted. Obviously, smaller containers house fewer worms and thus process less waste.
I personally recommend the smallest Rubbermaid ‘Roughneck’ tubs – these are the ones I’m currently using inside the house. They are very compact (I think they have a 3 gallon capacity) and won’t get in the way.
You mentioned not cooking much. Do you eat any raw fruits/vegetables? Brew coffee or tea? These are all good waste materials for a worm bin (better if aged first in a separate container).
You can certainly get started with 10-20 worms (you obviously couldn’t order this number of worms – so you’d need to know someone with a worm bin who is willing to give you some), but you will really need to be careful with the amount of wastes you add. I actually just started an experiment with only 4 worms to start. I’ve only added very small quantities of waste and will be leaving it to sit for some time before adding any more.
It’s up to you to decide what a “successful” worm bin is. If you just want to play with a worm bin to see if you like it, and don’t care about quickly producing worm castings (compost), then starting with a tiny system is probably a good approach.
Good luck!
B.
Thanks Bentley. If I use 3 gallon Rubbermaid tubs, and can have about 1-2 lbs of food scraps per week, how many worms will be good to start with such a space and amount of food? I read that one pound of worms eat 0.5 lbs a day…so do I start around quarter a pound? Half a pound? How many worms are actually in one pound? My worst fear is bringing in lots of worms and I end up killing them all for whatever mistake I make in the beginning. I’d like to start small so I can minimize casualties until I figure it out…
Hi again Seo,
If you are producing 1-2 pounds of food waste per week you will definitely want to start with more than 10-20 worms (unless you have a large separate system to store your rotting food waste before adding it to your worm bin). You might want to start two small Rubbermaid tubs and put half a pound of worms in each (make sure to get the bins ready before adding the worms, as shown in the videos).
In all honesty I try not to recommend exact formulas for feeding worms since every system is different and there is always a period of adjustment before your worms will start processing wastes efficiently.
The best way to avoid killing worms is to do everything in moderation and build your system up gradually, although that being said – if you add 1/2 pound of worms to a well prepared (and aged) small tub it should start working well quite quickly. Once you see that much of the wastes you mixed in with the bedding have disappeared, you can then start adding small amounts of new (aged) wastes. You should get a feel for things fairly quickly and become more confident in your abilities. It is amazing how easy vermicomposting becomes once you master a few simple principles.
As for numbers/pound, it is widely thought that a pound of worms contains approx. 1000 worms. In all honesty, any time I start a new mini tub I doubt I ever add as much as 1/2 pound, but thats not to say bad things will happen if you do! Just so you know, I recently started up a couple of European Nightcrawler (bigger composting worms) bins and added at least 1/2 pound of adults to one of the bins (which was actually one of the bins prepared in my videos) and they seem to be doing very well.
Anyway Seo, not sure if I’m really helping here! 🙂
B.
What is happening when the worms are crawling out of the bin? It does not seem to be too wet.
Hi Steve,
If the worms are trying to crawl out of the bin it means conditions are not to their liking. Almost always, this has something to do with overfeeding (or at least too much of a certain type of waste material).
What is your bedding material made of, and what have you been feeding your worms? (and how often?)
B.
Thanks Bentley for getting back to me so fast.
I have cardboard on the bottom, a layer of finished compost and then some shredded paper on top. I have feed them coffee grounds, apple cores, apple peels, tea bags, banana peels and some cucumber peels. I also put in some crushed egg shells. My worm population is low for a 3 ft X 1 ft rubbermaid bin. I added about 50 worms from my outside compost in November and about 50 more from a manure pile this last week. I did find a worm capsule yesterday. I have added small amounts of food about once a week. The banana peels and coffee grounds seem to be disappearing.
Steve
Ok – thanks for the additional info, Steve!
Everything sounds good to me – nothing jumping out at me as an obvious reason for your worms wanting to leave, other than the small population perhaps. With so few worms you definitely need to be careful with the amount of food added, but it sounds as though you have indeed been doing so.
One thing just came to mind – you said you transfered some worms from a manure pile. That likely explains it. Worms raised on manure as a food source tend to require an adjustment period in a food-scrap worm bin. Rest assured, the next generation will be well adapted to the new environment (there are actually scientific studies that have shown that worms born in a certain type of waste material are able to adapt FAR more easily tha their parents (assuming the parents came from a different environment).
B.
Hello!
I am planning on starting up a couple of experimental worm bins in my home as an investment of my volunteer place of work. We’re thinking of trying out two different kinds of worm types (red wigglers and night crawlers) in two separate possibly rubbermaid bins (which we have yet to buy) in my basement. If all goes well we are going to try and get vermicomposting started on a larger scale in our small town community and get restaurants to give us their compost materials. We’ve got a community garden and will hopefully be using all the finished compost for it and other growing initiatives around town. Vermicomposting sounds like the perfect idea for us because it’s hard to compost around here because there are all sorts of wild critters that can get into it. I think we had a wooden compost construction in our yard once but it got knocked over by a bear.. so indoor composting is the way to go. Also our town is very big on fishing and holds a large ice-fishing derby every year. I’ve read that night crawlers are excellent bait worms so we may even be able to sell some to local fishermen if we ever get an abundance.
So, I was just wanting to know if we bought a pound of each type of worm would that be too many for a basic worm tub? My house has 9 people in it (it’s a house for the Katimavik youth volunteers program) and so I’m sure we will have enough food scraps..
We’re located in Wawa, Ontario, Canada. I tried to find on your site where you are in case you were closer and could help with recommendations of worm suppliers, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m very eager to start this up as soon as possible and get some new wormy friends as housemates!
I guess I don’t have all that many questions, I just wanted to hear your take on my situation, and tell you how commendable your dedication to worms and composting is! I greatly appreciate all the great information on your site, thanks. 🙂
Hi Michelle,
I’m going to respond in the form of a blog post (will send you an email as well).
Thanks for stopping by!
Bentley
In comment # 15 you mentioned that “You could literally start a small worm bin in an old margarine container if you wanted.” Since I am starting out with less than 100 worms I thought I would try small containers as well as two regular bins.
I have created two bins with a 2L ice cream containers. I have started with the types of bedding you recommend. I am thinking (hoping) that a few worms in a confined space should produce worm cocoons faster.
My two sons now have their own worm bins.
Steve
Hey Steve,
Are you saying you have split 100 worms between two ice cream containers? One additional thing I should mention (don’t tink it was mentioned above) is that these sorts of translucent containers (ie those that let light in) should be keep in a dark location since worms don’t like light.
To help stimulate reproduction you might want to add some cardboard – I’ve found that various cardboard/paper products can help to stimulate reproduction. My personal favourite is the material used to make (cardboard) egg cartons.
B.
Actually I have between 100 and 150 worms total. I started in November with one Rubbermaid tote measuring 15″ X 21″. I started a second bin with a tote of the same size. I found some red worms at various locations due our recent warm spell.
So…my initial numbers are low…and I will likely not find any more outside until spring.
Each of the 2L ice cream containers has about 8 or 10 worms. For bedding I have used cardboard, a couple of leaves from outside, shredded paper and a tiny bit of finished compost. These bins are in a dark location.
Steve
Sounds great, Steve – 8-10 worms per container definitely sounds better than 50!
I’ll be interested to hear how your little bins do.
B
Bentley,
An update on my 2L ice cream container worm bins. I checked this afternoon and I counted 8 worm cocoons in the first one and one cocoon in the second bin that was started later.
Steve
That’s fantastic, Steve!
Thanks for keeping us in the loop!
B
Bentley,
Hi, I’m back! So FINALLY, I am almost ready for my first worm bin. We moved into our first new house that has enough room to keep an indoor worm bin. I want to list what I have so far, and get your input to correct things if I need to…
I have:
(1) 10 gallon Rubbermaid Tub all drilled as shown on Video.
(2) Bedding – cardboard, clear newsprint used in packing/moving, all shredded and ready to go. Should I add some leaves too?
(3) Pitiful bucket of food waste I am still trying to collect – I so far have about 6 egg shells, half cup worth of cabbage, and that’s it…I don’t cook much to produce more food waste. Today at work (since I don’t drink coffee) I dug out trash in the kitchen for some coffee grounds…people thought I was crazy! So now I have 1 cup of coffee ground.
Is that enough food waste to start the bin – to let it sit for a week? I could probably come up with more food waste during the week to add, BEFORE I order the worms. I found a website that sells 500 worms, and I am going to split with another friend, which will get us started with 250 worms (if they all survive the shipping)…
Oh, and adding the garden soil to the bin. I don’t have a garden to get soil from…do I just dig up some dirt from the backyard? I have a bag of potting mix (but since it has fertilizer, not ok to use, right?). My next door neighbor has a pile of sand she is using for construction – can I use sand instead?
Hi again SEO – thanks for the update!
It sounds like you are ready for some serious worm composting action.
You MAY be a little low on food for starting your bin (based on the amount you mentioned). I LOVE the bit about going through the trash to find more wastes! You know you are a true worm fanatic WHEN…
😆
The next time you are at the store it might not be a bad idea to check out the price of carrots. Here they are ridiculously cheap. While I haven’t needed to actually purchase any specifically for my worms (we eat a lot of fruits/veggies and drink coffee), I likely would if I was ever low. Its amazing how much material you can get just by grating a few carrots (they are very resistant to break down so I suggest you shred them and maybe even cook them). All all those beta carotenes will give your worms a nice shiny coat!
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Good call regarding the potting soil (funny, someone JUST asked me about the same thing). As for needing “garden” soil, all I meant was dirt from outside – could be from anywhere, not just the garden. Sand is probably a wee bit too coarse in my humble opinion, but it’s worth a shot.
B
Thanks, Bentley! The idea of BUYING food for the worms seems to defeat the purpose of the composting… So I am going to stick it out and try to accummulate more food waste – will eat some pears and bananas! Is Tofu compostable? How about Boca burgers and veggie “sasuage” crumbles? They all all soy based, so essentially they are veggies, right?
Haha – I can see how that might sound odd (buying food). I guess I’ve come to think of my worms as pets by now.
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Anyway, sounds like you have the right attitude! Eat better yourself and the worms will end up eating better.
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Anything veggie-based will compost – just be careful with large quantities of dense and/or starchy materials – they can go anaerobic and ferment!
B
Hi Bentley, just wanted to give you the updates that I got my wigglers and they have been doing well in my bin for a week now. They immediately went under the bedding, and when I lift some to look under, they seem pretty active and no escapees outside the bin, so they seem okay at least for now. I immediately got fruit flies and really not happy about them – I put lots of bedding on top of food, but I think the fruit flies came with the original bedding the worms got shipped in. Now they totally multiplied! I am going to have to read up on your past blogs on dealing with them – but do share any more advices!
Hi Seo!
Sorry for the delay getting back to you (have been away from the site for awhile). Fruit flies just seem to be one of those things that EVERY worm composter has to deal with – in my experience it is very difficult to avoid them altogether. I’ve had numerous bad infestations over the years. If you make a few traps and suck up adults with a vacuum cleaner you should help to bring about a population crash.
To make traps simply add some red wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar is great too), wine, or beer along with a drop of dish soap (reduces surface tension causing flies to sink) to a few small cups. Cover with plastic wrap and punch a few holes in it with a fork.
Not very fancy, but I’ve actually found these home made traps to work better than ones I’ve purchased.
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B
I want to set up a worm bed and have found this site which is most helpful but I can not find and I have been keeping my eye out for a container like ya’ll have mention but I have had no luck. I did fine a container at Walmart that looks and works like a drawer it is 20″ long X 16″ wide and the depth is only 5″ is this too shallow? It is plastic and if you buy more then one they can be stack which is why I like them.
Hi Cindy,
If this container you are describing is clear I wouldn’t recommend using it. Worms are quite sensitive to light.
I’m amazed that you can’t find a Rubbermaid Roughneck at Walmart – wow!
When it comes down to it, any opaque plastic storage tub with a lid should be fine. A depth of 5″ IS a little shallow and might not provide the worms with enough safe habitat in case they are not happy with some food that has been added or conditions that have developed in certain parts of the bin.
I think I’d need to see a picture of the bin you mentioned to get a better idea.
B
Hi Bentley,
Yes you would think Walmart would have what you need. They get on these kicks and right now every container I saw was clear and real big. I understand about light getting in the box I have I spray it black just the outside so no light would get in. I thought the depth might not be enough. I am only going to start out with a small batch of wormys around 300 to 500. Here is some pictures I took of the container.
http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/a/maddoxfour/Worm-Container.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/a/maddoxfour/Compost-container1.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/a/maddoxfour/Compost1.jpg
Wow Cindy – you certainly seem to be off to a good start! Everything looks great, and you seem to know what you are doing.
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Well do you think this container will work? Or should I just try to find something else? I really don’t know what I am doing all the things I learned so far are from your site and my 11 year old who is wanting to save the world a little at a time as she says.. SO thanks for getting me going.
Hi Cindy,
I definitely recommend giving it a shot. You are starting with a relatively small quantity of worms (good idea), so you should be fine. The material you have in the bin looks good (based on the pictures). You may want to get a few of these bins eventually to accomodate your worm population as it grows.
B
Hi Bently! I have enjoyed exploring your web site. I am considering starting a worm bin at home and at my son’s preschool. I am afraid of failure in front of a bunch of kids though! It sounds as though a good plan would be for the kids to save their raw produce scraps from lunch all week and then dump it in before the weekend. When I have saved scraps at home (too lazy to run out to the compost pile every day) the produce got moldy. Is that a problem?
Thanks for all your info!
Suzy
Hi Suzy,
You’ve got the right idea! I would suggest shredding some corrugated cardboard (or egg carton cardboard – even better if you have it), putting a thick layer of it in the bottom of a bucket, then adding your scraps there (along with a little more cardboard each time you add scraps). This whole mix can then be used to start up a new worm bin (along with some additional shredded cardboard). The advantage of this approach is the cardboard soaks up excess moisture and helps to aerate the wastes so less chance of having a stinky mess on your hands (literally – haha).
To ensure success with the kids I would recommend sticking with the best food materials – i.e. avoid stuff like bread, onions, oily foods, and of course meats and dairy. Fruit and vegetable scraps are the best. It is often the starchy materials (like bread) that can attract the most mold growth as well. Speaking of which, a little fungal growth or your scraps is fine – after all, we are trying to develop the microbial community for the worms to feed on – but excess amounts make the materials no fun to work with, and of course there can be potential health issues if it’s out of control. Mixing and covering scraps with shredded cardboard (or another bedding material) will definitely help – there will still certainly be fungal growth, but it will be more contained and spread out.
B
Hi Bently,
thank you for all the great info. do the bins need to be made of plastic? I would like to use what I already have around the house. I have 3ft round cement cylinder. If I put wood on the bottom, would the worms stay in? Aundrea
Hi Aundrea,
Using containers you already have is a great idea – you definitely do not need to use a plastic bin!
The worms will stay in any container so long as you give them a reason to do so. As always, I’d recommend setting up the bin a good week or two before adding the worms so they arrive to find lots of food and moist conditions.
B
Hi Bentley,
I live on a small orchard in Eastern Wa state. I have an extremely large (by comparison) amount of apple and pear ‘waste’ which I would like to try to process over the year – think in the hundred ton range for a year. Can you give me any idea about the capacity of your larger beds (I think you mentioned a 5X3x3 foot bed)? Also are you aware of problems with too much apple and pear waste? Materials I should use to ‘dilute’ the fruit waste?
Thanks,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for stopping by.
That sounds like a LOT of waste – certainly way way more than my outdoor bed could process in a year (hard to guess what the actual capacity of it is).
Apple and pear waste would be great worm food, but large quantities of it would likely be pretty acidic and very wet. You would likely very need to mix with something absorbent like shredded cardboard and likely also some lime (CaCO3) as well (to help balance pH).
You might want to test it out on a small scale and see how it works for you then expand from there. I’d certainly be interested in hearing how you make out!
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B
Bentley…I need help. My worm bin must not be right. It’s been two months, and I should be having a lot more worms than what I have now. Nowdays whenever I dig through the bin, I can only find a few visible worms. The foods are getting processed (I add about a pound of food every 2 weeks) – the bin doesn’t smell bad and I am getting more of the earthy compost stuff, but I just don’t seem to see worms count increasing. I probably started with about 200 worms, and whenever I look in, now I’m lucky if I find about 6-7 worms! Granted they hide quickly from my inquiring hand into the compost pile but shouldn’t I be seeing lots of worms on top of one another in the bottom or where the food is? Is it possible I killed the most worms and the foods being processed currently are done by those handful of worms I am seeing? How could it be?
Hi Seo,
In all honesty I wouldn’t worry about it too much. You started with a fairly small number of worms and it has only been 2 months, so I’d guess (based on all the other details you provided) that everything is fine.
While it’s certainly possible that you have killed some of your worms. I find it hard to believe that a tiny handful would be able to process a pound of worms every couple weeks (but I guess it depends on how many we are talking about).
If you are really worried, you might think about dumping the contents of the bin out onto a tarp or garbage bag then simply going through the material to see how many worms there are. You may be surprised!
B
Hi Bentley, was wondering if wood shavings are of any use? They come from my ducklings and chicks that have to be cleaned out alot. I also use them in my veal pens and hen house. Seems like such a waste to throw them away. They seem to hold moisture well and I could probably use them in place of cardboard? The answer is probably yes and i just overlooked the obvious. TIA Patricia