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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Does anyone have any experience with the new biodegradable packing peanuts made from cornstarch? I just received a small box (about 12x4x4) packed with them. During the winter I just burn them in the fire, but will add them to the compost instead if they are not too starchy. I always puree my food before I add it to the bed, so they will be blended in with the other stuff.
Also, how does one go about SHREDDING cardboard? I wet mine and am tearing it up but it will take forever to be considered shredded. I was thinking about putting it in the blender with a lot of water, but I don’t want to burn out my vitamix. Will it be okay to add pieces that are about 3″ square, or do they have to be smaller?
Great site – Thanks, Bentley!
CHRIS A – Thanks for the info on stacking trays. I have a Worm Chalet and had a lot of trouble with drowning worms before – I like the idea of worms migrating down instead of up, which is what the chalet people suggest. Also makes harvesting easier!
Just a follow up – I tried a small batch of soaked cardboard with extra water in my VitaMix – It worked when I had it on the lowest possible speed. I did have to add quite a bit of water, which then is easily strained or could be used to wet bedding. I think it would be okay to add soaked cardboard when I puree the vegetable scraps. The key is having enough water.
Hello fellow worm lovers –
While trying to avoid gushing, I must say this is a beautiful website. I am thrilled to find this level of dedication.
I have -all my life – rescued worms. And spiders. I am one that has never understood (yet silently endured) the squeamishness some experience with worms ( and the viciousness towards spiders). I have always seen the rainbows in their flesh and thought they were utterly precious and magical. I was blessed with nature loving parents that fostered this. I remember my father telling me one time to close my eyes and open my hands… in which he placed a baby garter snake, and I’ll remember the empathy I felt for it’s fear and the awe of it’s beauty.. all my life.
As I’ve grown into this adult that would rather garden than nearly anything else..I’ve continued this affection for worms, hating (and avoiding) the feeling of masacrreeing worms by merely using a shovel. Something I do less and less as I’ve read over and over that soil structure and biosphere suffer from too much tillage. Suits me – and the worms, I’m sure.
I’ve composted as long as I can remember. I love it, revel in the process, breathe deeply, feel a sense of accomplishment (and redemption) endure the family jokes, and even embrace my nick-name of “Compost Queen”. Indeed.
What is the first thing I thought when I realized the far-reaching effects of the economy crashing ? Yup – chickens. isn’t that absurd ? Followed closely by how to feed them on the cheap-cheep. Worms. So now I’ve gone from rescuing them from puddles to … yeah- well , I’ll still rescue them from puddles.
I’m starting a country store and plan on selling fishing worms as well. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard that when the economy sucks, when unemployment is high.. people go fishing. I’m starting with Reds and am leery of these Euros and their impact in the environment. I’m in W. Montana and wonder if it’s a mute issue since we don’t have hard-wood forests. But I don’t want to participate in something problematic.
I got a Gusanito 5 tray in the mail today, but it’s damaged and I’m going to exchange it for eve more worms. I have been so on the fence about how to house my worms. Part of me wants a house friendly, even kitchen friendly set-up that uses minimal floor space. Part of me is certain these expensive plastic sytems are gimmickry and ( after your encouragement) I’m redoubling my determination to do this on the cheap without gadgetry.
Thank you so Very much for your efforts and dedication to the lowly worm. I have gleaned so very much here and hope to share as my experience grows.
I am so determined to incorporate this in my life and honestly wonder why it’s taken me so long to get here.
Question – I have a friend who makes futons and she’s been throwing away a fair amount of cotton batting scrap. Most of it is not organic and she said it will have a certain amount of arsenic from pesticide residue and that it’s also treated with boric acid.
I’m going to start a new compost pile with this cotton, grass clippings, Llama manure here soon to eventually become Worm Lasagne. Do you think pre-composting it will prevent any risk to the worms, and would the arsenic and b.acid break down ? I read somewhere about cotton gin fluff or some such name being a good bin ingredient.
Thanks
Thanks for all the great information. I used to raise worms for several years, then gave them away when I moved. I am now ready to start a new worm box and so all the advice is timely. On thing I learned in my experience, do not use the comics or sections of newspaper with colored ink – some of the ink is toxic to worms. Wishing you the best.
Hello dear Bentley, first of all,thankyou so very much for sharing your knowledge with us. I am in Mexico in a state with a very stable moist ,warm weather ,I own a small property where i have the intention of start a worm farm in order to produce worm hummus, so i like to ask you if you think this could be done in a biger scale and if you believe that it can be done to become in a profitable business. I ask this because down here there are many new regulations and rules regarding agriculture,this is that all the chemical fertilazers are almost forbiden, therefore goverment is demanding the use of organic compost to improve the land and of course the produce of it, there are all ready some farms but they look to be very small or produce the hummus to be used at their own places,any way Iam preparing the beds and the supliers of the organic waste to start with this proyect soon, I will apprecciate your coments BEST REGARDS
just a thought… I was wondering how many worms I had, was a little disappointed in the occasional viewing trips I took thru the bin… but then I tried cantelope for the first time, large pcs not even chopped. within a couple of days i went digging and there were hundreds at each chunk of rine. You could say I am reinspired at what I thought was a very slow start….
as far as the person shredding the corougated? cardboard by hand though (carolyn) …. I tried the shredder we have… a TDE … a cheap version, ripped it into strips that would fit 8″ or so ….run it thru… the feed motor slowed down… didn’t jam though,, and made 1/4 inch strips just as pretty as could be…. my kids were estatic too, they used to be the ones who ripped it up into little 3 inch pcs…..
Thanks, Scott,
I have been researching shredders – Tried to find the TDE but as far as I can tell they have been discontinued. BUT I happened to see one by Fellowes today while I was in Costco – $99 and a few minutes later, viola! Perfect worm bedding of corrugated cardboard, easily done once I tore the cardboard into manageable strips about 6″ wide. The fine print on the directions does say not intended for cardboard, but I figure if it can shred a CD or DVD, cardboard must not be too much!
… one more note on the shredder, if you turn the cardboard when you feed it you will notice that the texture is different…. cutting it length wise it tends to resemble a straw…. if you rotate it either way left or right 90 degrees you get a 1/4″ strip with a million holes down the side of it…. this second one really tends to open up the bedding to aeration better which I think works fairly well….It also seems to increase the speed at which the bedding breaks down.
The long straw look seems to stay more wet, even clumping a little?…. maybe there’s a experiment here? Maybe it’s already been tested and someones going to jump in here and divulge their findings?
I read somewhere that this corrougated? card board may increase production rates…. I tend to lean that way also…… maybe its the squeasing thru the narrow openings in the course of their daily duties and travels… causing the eggs to get deposited in the spaces, kept moist and thereby increasing production rates? ( wow! thats a long sentence!) Do I sence a debate arising here? and have I mentioned this is a cool stopping off point when surfing? thanks bently.
I have mold growing in my worm bed. Is that suppose to happen?
I want to make a food scrape bin using a rubbermaid tote, but does it need to be kept inside? If kept outside, will it be affected by weather extremes, like cold weather in the winter?
Thanks for your help!
Wow – not even sure how I`m going to respond to all these comments (sorry for the delays everyone), but let`s see what I can do here.
CAROLYN – I don`t have any experience with biodegradable packing peanuts. I would imagine they`d be similar to bioplastic in general, so they likely take some time to decompose (at mesophilic temps anyway).
Shredded cardboard is definitely a pain – I prefer using egg carton / drink tray cardboard which is much easier to rip up, but corrugated cardboard I still do by hand!
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JANINE – thanks for sharing your story, and your thoughts about all this stuff in general. I think vermicomposting (among other related things) is a great thing to get into so you can take more control over where your food comes from (grow it yourself!!) etc, and definitely fits in nicely with other self-sufficiency strategies that are so valuable during these challenging economic times! I love hearing about people starting their own green businesses during these times as well.
Anyway…as for the cotton batting, I think you plan is right on target! I`d love to hear how it pans out for you. As for the arsenic, I guess it all depends on how much we are talking about. Somehow I doubt it will be a major concern, especially with the pre-composting. Compost is basically humus, which is amazing for immobilizing nasty molecules like this, thus helping to prevent them from ending up in our food etc.
I don`t think boric acid is a major issue either since it will likely breakdown relatively quickly.
I`m no environmental chemist or anything, but these are just my hunches on the matter.
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EDUARDO – If you are passionate about vermicomposting and are willing to work hard, I would say go for it. I don`t know what the demand for worms/castings etc would be in Mexico, but in the US and Canada there is definitely a growing awareness and demand for earth-friendly products and strategies.
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Scott – Cardboard (and paper products in general) can definitely boost worm reproduction rates. I have no idea why, but I`ve tested this in a scientific manner (while in university) and have read that others have found the same thing.
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CYNTHIA – I generally recommend feeding in `pockets`. This should help to reduce the amount of obvious mold growth, and can also reduce the chance of fruit fly invasion. You might want to mix up your bedding a bit and potentially add another thick layer of new bedding at the top of the bin.
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ROBYN – A worm bin doesn`t need to be kept inside, BUT you have to be really careful with a plastic bin type of system outside. If left in the sun it can overheat very quickly, and during cold months it won`t offer any protection for the worms. Keeping bins outside in the shade during warmer months should be just fine though.
The cardboard is still shredding beautifully in my Fellowes shredder – I almost look forward to it and shred up a box every week when I add a week’s worth of scraps (blended in the vitamix to a nice slop). I sometimes worry that there is too much citrus peel, as we eat a lot of oranges and use lemons almost daily, but so far the worms seem okay.
The packing peanuts are made of cornstarch – they are edible, (if you’re into cornstarch) and dissolve almost instantly in water. Because of the warning about not using too much starch I have been burning them in my fireplace, but will try a few next month.
My worms seem very happy in their new home – They have already migrated up one level of the chalet and the third is ready to go when they are!
Thanks to all for the great info, especially to you, Bentley. I really enjoy getting the postings
Hello Bentley ‘n fellow enthusiasts – I’ve started a large bin outside in the shade of the carport a few weeks ago. I found a bare bones crate about 5’x5’, so I lined it with overlapping layers of cardboard and then filled it with layers of material from a new compost pile that I had added the cotton batting to, old leaves, shredded brown paper and a few boxes of produce trimmings from the grocery store that I chopped in the box with a shovel. The cotton seems to hold the moisture after watering more so than other things it seems and I have yet to see any worms near it. I added the entire contents of my first mature 10 gallon bin that was full of worms and had SO many vermipods in it, I find myself wondering how does one glean the castings without losing all those potential worms ? Do you pull the adults and then leave the pods to again mature, and once they have all hatched ,then it’s time to safely collect castings ? At what age do babies potentially start to produce pods ? I’m starting to sense a rhythm.
These sure are funny little worms, quite different from earthworms, and I’m just so pleased that they are apparently thriving. I agree that hand torn egg cartons are a huge success and I often find many adults hanging out together in the pieces, like little love nests…
Happy fertile Spring everyone !
Hi Bentley! I really appreciate all the knowledge and information you’ve provided on this site. It’s the best one I’ve found on vermicomposting!
Right now I’m just in research mode for starting a worm bin. I live on the third story of my building, and although we have a citywide composting service that picks up our food waste, me and my roommates are busy folks and tend to let the food scraps get really nasty before we take them downstairs. We’d really like to keep our foodscraps out of the garbage, so composting within the apartment would be ideal. Also, I really like worms!
I live in an apartment with two other adults, and we’re very short on space. We have a small but regular supply of fruit & veggie leftovers, coffee grounds, and corn husks (mmm tamales). About how large a container & about how many worms do you think I would need, if I were putting all our allowable food scraps in the bin? (I understand that overfeeding is a big concern.)
My fiance is also still pretty concerned that the bin might smell or get bugs. Are both of these (relatively) easily avoidable? I read something elsewhere that said that fruit flies aren’t a problem if you don’t give the worms too many orange peels. Is that true?
Thanks so much for your time!
wow this stuff is totally fabulous it really helped us in our research you guys rock this is so fascinating:)
oh my gosh you guys are awesome thx so much for all the help you have provided for our project our large amounts of trash as decreased majorly and i am so greatful to you guys
Hi & thanks for all the info–I am just getting started with the rubbermade bins and this is a very basic question–the bottom bin collects water? And hoe do I harvest the compost? Thanks so much!
Is it ok to purchase worms that have been refrigerated.
Most of the fishntackle places have already done so.
I am surprised to see such a wealth of information on one site. Thank you. I wish to say I am in the process of starting my farm….My creatures are on their way to their new home as we speak. I ordered 10,000 red wigglers and have my bins all set up outside ready. I am hoping I learn enough to keep my guys happy. I want to try to build my farm to the point of over 1 Million worms and start working with the local community for composting on a commercial level at our dump. I am still researching this as the time and money, space and worms dont seem to be an issue. The waste feed is easy to get around here from stores and friends and businesses. I do have trouble finding any real sources for selling the castings and tea. I see most sell as small single set ups and nothing larger with mainly websites. Would you have any input on where I may look to find people seeking the supply of castings and tea to make this an all around business venture as well as good for the community???? Thanks
OK,
Sorry for taking so much of the monopolizing of the thread but I am curious.
I have my 10,000 worms arriving and seeing how fast they are…especially busier than rabbits from what I have read everywhere. Now I am curious on cultivating as many vermipods as possible to start more bins and the best way to do so. I realize most here are doing for composting as I am planning but I am aiming at a larger scale. In fact I wish to make a community capable farm out of these critters where I can seek the composting contract for our area and aim for larger cities as well and do full time. I am tired of the medical field and see this as an interesting hobby/business venture.
I wish to see if you know of best way to cultivate the cocoons/vermipods out of the soil for incubation and best chances of success for growth of the numbers in shorter time frames. I also wish to find out if you know of a biodegradeable style paper similar to the tea bags or the coffee filters where I would leave steeping as a cup of tea for making it while still not being chunky and avoiding having to filter for putting into a sprayer for this is a pain. Chunks block the spray bottles and this is if I am even doing it right. I am going to go to another State in a week and see a full operation been in business 11yrs but they only sell worms and raise them. They do nothing with the castings but let sit there and have built up piles of it during the time of business on their 10 acre farm. My fiance and myself are looking at a property where we will build our log home on the mountain with 20 acres clear land never been farmed in last 10+ yrs. We are planning to build 2 greenhouses on it and 2 barns for worms and start a organic farm (well ok just strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and some small bunches for personal usage of other veggies. We would like to use the poop as the fertilizer for the strawberries for people to pick their own. The fruits and veggies (not that I have grown) but have tasted which are organic are different as I CAN TASTE THEM….not to make light of this but I have no smelling sense and cannot taste most foods and if looks ok I eat it unless someone tells me it is bad from smell since my taste buds are almost not existent either. This is why we tried the poop we got from a guy we know and made some tea for our lawn, plants. We aim for the greenhouses to be filled with flowers grown in the castings but one thing from a not so educated organic person….are flowers classified different when in the poop and not the regular top soil since no chemicals too????
I could write a book here as I have sooooo many questions for you Bentley since I live in USA but was born and raised in Drayton/Guelph area LOL
am I talking to myself at yet another dead forum??????
This is Not a dead forum. I would imagine Bentley has an active life and in this hemisphere it’s also Spring so I guess we’re not all pasted to our computers ?
Worms ARE busy, but it’s not quite instant gratification. I started up a large bin using a wood crate which I lined with overlapping layers of card-board 8 weeks ago. I layered all the ingredients and dumped a mature 10 gallon bin in the middle and now I notice the level is dropping and everywhere I turn the material I find happy healthy worms and the whole thing is speckled with their little golden pods. So jump in Mike, look around as you’re driving in town and see what materials present themselves.
If you dig around this site you will find plenty of info to start with confidence.
Good luck – It sounds like you are building a good life.
Thanks Janine – I appreciate you jumping in like that.
MIKE – this is not actually a ‘forum’. It is simply a blog/website which I have allowed readers to make comments on (many website owners turn off comments after a period of time, but I decided it would make things more interesting to keep them open). You’d be shocked if you knew how much time is required to keep up with comments and emails from this site – I have not been able to do so for months. I have a hierarchy of importance, starting with customer emails, then regular emails, then site comments. And of course there is adding new content to the site that needs to fit in there somewhere as well.
Janine is right – with spring in full swing, things are very busy on the worm front. Add to that the fact that I watch my toddler daughter 3 days a week, and you have a pretty full schedule. I don’t tell you all this for sympathy – simply so you know why I can’t be as responsive as I’d like to be. Believe it or not I AM still hoping to catch up with everything eventually. I get a lot of enjoyment out of interacting with people on the site.
Well Thank you I am glad I am not alone here….yes worms are busy…and been busy myself so yes i know the hectic life…building a worm farm…have my other business…school full time and work…..and started a non profit organization for homeless people and a food bank so yes in this part of the USA it is hectic too!! LOL
I wonder if you could possibly address some of the questions i had about the harvesting of the pods….I am not into instant gratification BUT want to harvest for best results of population increase over the next 2 years. I am not going to sell worms for 2 years just build my colony. This is why I need to know the best way to harvest the pods and incubate at best results from someone of experience. I worth Bentley an email with more information and kept it short :o)
By answering what hemisphere…I live in Nashville TN…but born and raised in Guelph Ontario Canada!!!!
Can worms eat goat manure????
I don’t think there is a way to top the efficiency of an already miraculous process.
My guess is you are really looking at the scale to which you want to grow the endeavor. I too got so enthusiastic I felt nearly obsessed and it was nice to find a place – here- where I could share and read, as my family and friends really don’t quite get it. There is more info here than anywhere else I’ve found.
In one of my online quests I found a large scale operation that used concrete trenches which makes sense. A system where the worms progress into the new material and the old stays behind as a nursery for the vermipods which hatch and follow along, eventually leaving behind the castings.
I think that there is a rhythm to their cycle and I’m having a ball learning the steps. I just love the marvelous worm.
As to manures – I’m no expert but some run quite a bit hotter than others so start at a corner of the bin and always give them the choice to get away from it. The larger the bin the less likely the addition will cause problems. Composting it for some time first would be an even safer option. I’m presently wondering how well they can handle chicken coop cleanup, but have started yet another compost pile to help it mellow first, and I am hoping to start yet another big bin here in a few weeks. With 100 chickens the pile is growing fast.
My biggest problem is coming up with enough organic material to go larger.
I’m leery of grass clippings because most people drench their lawns in nasty chemicals. I have found they absolutely adore moss and after they eat up all the root material the green part of the moss seems to be a preferred place to leave their pods. I’ve used moss on the surface to help retain moisture and keep out light. Hope this helps.
Thank you Janine.
now yes I am trying to grow the operation faster. I have been reading on harvesters and then seeing these as a basic manual drying machine and having the screen small enough for the pods and casting to fall through is what i read so far. The difference is a set of sizing on the screen and basically seeing they vary and wondered if the tumbling around would harm my guys. The cost of most harvesters are around 3200.00 for the commercial size where you can even go to make your own for less than 20.00 with another rubber maid tub.
This is IF you harvest the whole tub/barrel each sorting. Now this would require doing every barrel once a week when rolling. As each pair worms doing the pods every 7-10 days makes the tub constant needing care for removal to pods for retrieving the absolute most knowing you’ll never get them all. I am thinking there must be a better method for harvesting or setting up so that pods can be harvested better like a tray method but using tubs. Basically, I am trying to solve a concern that I see in 3 months my worms (assuming they stay happy) will double each quarter. Now using the math or this as I am a geek….If you start with 5000 in a bin and they produce 2500 pods in one week you need to pull and if you leave then they will regulate how many more get produced next cycle/ week since they make new eggs each week. Now cultivating the pods I could put in an incubated new bin where they hatch and even at 2 per pod using easy math here would make 5000 more worms in one week cycle cutting my time frame down from 8-12 weeks to 2-3 once they start hatching be every week. I dont want to cultivate EVERY one but if I got half I figured I would be able to reach the 1-2Million worms in less than 1 year. This is why I need experience coming into play on tried and best suited ways for harvesting the pods.
I dont know about the goat manure as I have looked at MANY sites but they dont mention goats.
As for chicken manure…
I would suggest since stating you have room for 100 chickens you could find a 55 gallon drum or such for rain collection. Then throw in saw dust to soak for a bit to soften to a chunky stew and throw on the manure with it softened but drained so not drenched. This would give it not saturated but soft enough for them to eat. I would guess that the mix could go over the manure and then your worms would eat as an outdoor bed but not killed due to being too acidic from the ammonia. I would be scared to try it till done a lot of research and ask some who do it since I also seen that some systems are out there doing it but they are treating in a line set up as one of a sifter for hog manure in NC. I did read the aged manure from chickens is fine but had to watch the heat as well.
I have been staying up every night for hours on end here trying to figure this all out where I can learn as much as I can. One of the concerns I am finding is the amount of worms to reproduce is relatively straight forward with some tricks from experience BUT what about the castings. I have yet to come across a place to market the operations of the larger scales where you produce too much for personal and too much for just web sales and local area. Is there a market out there where the buyers and sellers negotiate out contractual deals of suppliers of castings to other companies? How do you find them? I have yet to see a set price for castings as seems like no established market is made and the prices vary so widely it is hard to set guidelines on what the going rate of the casting are worth. If any help there would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading my book as took me 2 hours to write it between interruptions so hope the train of thought was not lost or too far off the mark.
Thanks Janine….My other post was long…it took me 2 hours between interruptions of life around here but guess was either too long or timed out.
Yes I am trying to expand my venture to a commercial size and expedite the harvesting of the cocoons to the fullest extent rather than waiting 3 months for a double in size and fully utilize the worms reproduction to growth potential they have. I read if cultivated all pods and incubated and had 2 from every pod you could have over 5Million worms in one year….thats amazing…I only want 1 million or so in 2 years.Enough for 2 greenhouses in 2 yrs.
Hi Mike – luckily your monster comment simply needed approval. I have released it from ‘pending’ status.
I am glad to hear that you are taking your time, Mike – in my opinion that is the best way to go. This is the approach I myself have taken and it’s made it a lot more fun. Still LOTS of work involved, but when you are passionate about it, that doesn’t matter at all.
If you want to get a concentrated batch of cocoons you might try building a simple wooden frame harvester with 1/8″ screening on it (thanks to Mark G. – who regularly posts comments on the site – for this idea).
Goat manure should work great as worm food – I am just about to start testing it out myself since I just found a source.
Gotta run unfortunately – hope this helps a little
B
well….I did it…
I found a source to take all the casting I can produce from what they said. They wanted to know if I could supply them with 200 metric tonnes. Way more than I could or even asking the friends in the business I have talked to in my area but still looks promising for the small amounts I will have my guys producing.
I am trying to find someone to build a website now for helping me place pictures up and have some info I gather from other sites and research, and experiences. I have found a source for 55 gallon drums now so in the next week or so I am going to go get 5 or 6 and 2 for rain and 4 cut in half and set on offsetting ramps where the drainage system will drip the teas to the five gallon buckets. This was from a concept I was shown from people in Alabama who been in business for 11yrs and walking us through the set up since they see us as funny. They are an older couple a 55yr old guy (disabled) and his wife a 69 yr old and they make almost equal to our salaries with the sale of the worms and not anything with the compost and castings. The best part is they feed their worms……get this…..pancake mix!!! They add other stuff too but main source is pancake batter and water it down to spray it over top of the cardboard and the worms go into a frenzy!!!
Thanks for your reply Bentley!
I sent you an email before and hope you could reply when you get a chance. I have family in the Guelph Area interested in knowing more of this site and will be joining soon. :o) You do a great job of helping others learn here!! Thanks
You often mention not using dairy products, which is understandable, but what about yogurt with all the live bacteria cultures in it? It seems that would be a beneficial thing for a bin.
I would think the key to using yogurt would be MODERATION….it could be used and keep in one part of your bin so the worms can avoid it if they desire not to be there.
blend it with any fruit or peelings I think it would blend in fine.
Let me know how it works out but sure would like to know if Bentley thinks differently on this question too.
what is the status on the dryer lint for adding to a bin???? no updates yet and was curious. Thanks
Dryer lint is probably mostly organic, I don’t imagine synthetics give up much lint.
So mostly cotton and some hair/fur. A lot of fur in my case. I have been using
cotton batting from my friends’ futon biz. I think it will eventually stop resisting
the process, but at this point I’m thinking why bother ? Especially if you are trying for the fast track ? It will be something you have to sort out and keep re-introducing to new bins .
As for the yogurt – it’s long been my understanding that the rule of thumb
Is Plant material, not animal. You risk nasty bacteria. I’ve composted for years
(without these worms) and I used to be fairly casual about adding the stuff out of the sink drain and leftovers, but I found it really drew dogs and other varmints to my pile and seemed to be nasty sometimes. Now it’s problem free
and I don’t mind having my hands in it or my nose near it. It’s well worth the extra care in my opinion.
I just read somewhere – a gardening magazine , I believe, that it’s possible to compost dog poop ! But before you run off to add it to your bin… you dig a separate hole in the ground and add some ( a bunch ?!?) of this compost accelerator you can get. And still they recommended using the compost for landscaping and non-edibles. Extra caution for nubes who may not recognize finished compost and the squeamish… but if it’s done right ?
I’m hot on it as it was the last reason for not giving up my garbage service.
I’ll post as I get further along with this one…
Hey Bentley – Question. Are the Euros invasive ? I’m in Montana, but it seems
I read that there are places that have had problems with them eating up the duff in forests impacting the ability for seedlings to germinate ? It’s been the last holdout I’ve had for starting them.
Thanks for putting this site together, funny all the ways people can make the world a better place.
MIKE – your wish is my command (haha) – just added a dryer lint update
———
JANINE – there seems to be a fair bit of fuss re: Euros and Red Worms destroying northern forests. This seems like a stretch to me, but I really don’t know enough about the situation to provide an in-depth response. When I first heard about it, it was Canadian Nightcrawlers that people were worried about – this made sense since they are soil worms and can consume leaf littler quite rapidly.
I wouldn’t expect Reds and Euros to pose a major threat since leaf litter certainly isn’t the N-rich environment they typically do well in (eg manure pile).
Anyway, I definitely need to read up on the issue, since it seems to come up a LOT.
🙂
wow…someone who actually listens to me…..
NOTE TO SELF: Get Bentley to talk to my girlfriend and see if he can influence her to do the same :o)
Sorry to have played “help me – help me”, I was digging around this really rather large and fertile website you’ve put together and found your article about the invasiveness with the Euros right after I asked…
I’ve decided I’ll do a contained system if I start them.
Thanks !
i was glad to see the comment above about moss. thank you! on web site pallensmith.com i came across a moss recipe. simply put use one part moss, three parts beer, and one part granular sugar. use a blender and puree. pour mixture over stones, bare soil, or containers. it will only grow if all conditions are right for the moss to grow. moist acidic soil, shady areas. i was going to use this on rocks around a small pond in a shady area. have a nice day!
Uh-oh….
Problem here…
I have my bins with fruit flies which I buried the feed more into the bedding but the bins are starting to seem to get stinky before all the food is gone. I am curious as some of the bins are good and some are bad with equal food and water. The trouble I am curious about is if I bury the compost and slow down on the feeding with the bins and wait for my guys to catch up eating will this have an effect on them? The smell is disappeared when I buried the rotting food and going to keep close eye on them. Wondering if the air flow being increased would help neutralize the air and make the worms more comfortable with fresh air more than now or will this speed the rotting???
I am finding we have too much food for our guys and get rotten before they get through it. We solved the problem temporary by burying the food in bedding and ordering more worms but we cant fix this issue the same by always ordering more LOL. What is it that we need to do to solve the issue?
I may just be panicky too as the worms seemed ALOT bigger then when we got them and very active…hard to hold as they wiggle alot when before seemed like rubber worms. This is the first week in their new homes too so could be jet lag….been charting and going to start soon experimenting with controlled environments and food settings to find best results for us.
We are truly Hooked..(no pun intended) we love these little guys and I check them everyday and almost like adopted them to the family :o)
Got it fixed…..Very healthy worms now….just had to slow down on feeding and let them catch up….there was a mutiny in the bins and they were on a low cardboard diet…..Thank heavens for Slim Slow and the revolt against jenny craig when I announced the diet weigh in would be held and ben and jerrys and the biggest loser would go to Bubba bait and tackle spa for a week
cardboard and paper can be blended in a dry blender, in small amounts.
How do you get the compost you want to use out of the bin?
How long will it take to see the tea when watering your worms? I see a colored water coming through but I am pretty certain it would not be that of the tea but rather the run though of the peat moss bedding. When would you expect to see a difference and how will you know when it is more tea rather than that of the run through? Is there a major color difference as mine is almost Black. I am using on my garden anyways but was hoping to know when I shall see a difference if at all.
Thanks
G’Day Bentley,
I have a couple of questions that you may have already answered…I havent read all the above comments….first question is when you add more food as a result of the initial set up is broken down, do you need to add more bedding as well? Secondly can you moisten the bedding with compost tea to accelerate the decomposition of the material in the bin? I make my compost tea with worm castings…..hence the need for a worm bin…mollassus and kelp fertilizer. Will this be harmful or benifitial to my worm bin?
G’Day again Bentley,
Ok just a couple more questions….are your worms…which I have just ordered….raised on horse manure as well as food scraps? Horse manure is readily available to me in my community and I was wondering if I could add some to my start up bin to help the transition from your farm to mine. Your turbo light video shows a bin with horse manure…which is why I’m asking…or do you only use manure as food?Also do you need to do anything to the manure before adding it to the bin…ie..letting it partly decompose….drying it…..that sort of thing
Cheers
DAN – some good questions there. It is important to periodically add more bedding along with the food when working with a food waste + bedding type of system (other types of materials can basically provide the habitat + food all in one so it’s not necessary in those cases – eg bedded animal manure). If you don’t, moisture will continue to build up, pH will likely keep dropping and C:N ratio will drop – eventually the bin will be inhospitable.
If you are using an enclosed bin you really shouldn’t need to add moisture at all, but if we are talking about an open system, I’d personally recommend using water rather than compost tea. While the tea certainly won’t be acutely toxic or anything it will have a higher concentration of worm wastes in it and by adding it you may also cause the C:N of the system to decline. Also, things like kelp may add inorganic salts to the liquid, which can irritate or harm the worms.
As I’ve tried to make clear as much as possible (in the light-harvesting video and blog post, and on the site in general) – the worms I play with in my videos are not the worms that people in the U.S. receive. I am located in Canada and do have my own small worm business, but ALL my US orders are drop-shipped by a very largescale worm farming operation in the US. I’m not 100% sure what their exact food blend is (likely guarded information), BUT I would be surprised in some sort of livestock manure wasn’t at least part of it – so, your worms should adapt well to a bed containing horse manure, assuming the material has been aged outside for a short period of time.
Hope this helps!
🙂
ERIC – for suggestions on how to harvest vermicompost, be sure to check out the Harvesting section on the ‘Hot Topics’ page. With a typical Rubbermaid bin system, David’s tub harvesting method is a great choice.
MIKE – There is a difference between leachate (the stuff that drains out from a worm bin) and compost tea. The latter is made using high quality, stabilized castings and is a superior product, especially if you are planning to sell it. Water run through a worm bin can pick up all sorts of unstable, and potentially nasty compounds being produced during the decomposition process. If leachate is diluted and used on your plants it can be beneficial – don’t get me wrong. But if you are hoping to produce some really nice ‘castings tea’ – focus first on producing some top notch castings.
Just my 2 cents
8)
Very inspiring and informational indeed, Bentley. You have created a forum whether you intended to or not, I think!
Just started a small rubbermaid bin setup but I am very tempted to try to set up something much larger scale on my parents’ farm. We have a monstrous pile of cow manure mixed with straw to process (I bet this pile would make many visitors to this site a bit envious, lol) and this all has me thinking about a manure removal/composting company.
Thanks again.
Mike, I also wanted to mention…you sound like me with your grand plans!
Janine, your passion is touching. I hope you don’t feel too guilty in seeing your chickens gobble up your worms. My mother is growing a flock of laying hens which are going to feast on many of the worms I am growing. As chicks they have already had a healthy feast off of a breeding bed of normal earthworms I found beneath the soil in the chicken coop.
Peace to all.
Jerry