Comments on: Worm Inn Journal-06-22-12

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:06:03 +0000

this is helpful Bentley. it is not foul smelling at all, so I will keep mixing the contents, adding food waste and more cardboard, making sure that I get down to the bottom of the bin when turning it over. I think that this will soak up what little water is pooling on the bottom. I do not have soil in there…was not sure about the soil around here. should a purchase a small amount of organic compost and add a shovel full?
thank you,
Donna

By: Bentley

Bentley — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:30:56 +0000

No such thing as a silly vermicoposting question, Donna! Your question is actually excellent.
HOW you let your wastes age will make a really big difference. If wastes are mixed with lots of bedding and they aren’t allowed to get really foul, there should be no issues. Mold is very common before the worms are added. I recommend simply mixing everything up and really well and maybe adding some new bedding. If it seems on the dry side you may want to add some more water as well (my usual recommendation is to get it as moist as you can without pooling of liquid on the bottom).
If you are letting wastes sit with not enough bedding and they get really foul smelling then my recommendation is NOT to add the worms – at least not until after you’ve mixed in a lot more bedding and allowed to system to sit for awhile longer (until most of the foul smell goes away).

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 02:16:28 +0000

I am excitedly awaiting the arrival of my first pound of redworms. Their rubbermaid bin has been ripening for over a month. maybe a silly question but can the bin contents be too broken down? there is a bit of mold growing on the top now, and the bottom is wet. i added more cardboard to the mix and there is no dirt in there. I too live alone and do no have a large amount of food scraps but can bring them from my mother’s house.
thanks

By: Bentley

Bentley — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:42:46 +0000

Dave – assuming those aren’t tightly enclosed plastic bins, your approach sounds perfectly reasonably to me. I do the exact same thing with some of my larger outdoor bins. Once the habitat is established in bins like that, and as long as there is decent ventilation (thanks to wooden construction or lots of air holes), you can do just fine dumping whatever you want (within reason) on top. What I am cautioning is adding these green materials to smaller, enclosed plastic bins – your typical Rubbermaid type worm bin (or even plastic stacking bins for that matter).
———–
Vincent – yeah that would be much different. My concern in that case would likely be flooding more than anything else. If you are talking about a typical plastic backyard composter, you should be totally fine once the habitat is established (ie no need to leave lid off).

By: Vincent Z.

Vincent Z. — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 09:48:03 +0000

Would a screen cover over a plastic bin air out most of the ammonia gas? Of course the bin would be in a shaded area to not have direct sunlight.

I have tons of garden waster compared to my food waste since I only cook for myself since I’m a student. So it would be nice to be able to use my garden waste for feed/bedding.

FYI, I am just starting out. No worm bin yet.

By: Dave Pawson

Dave Pawson — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:40:59 +0000

I have two 1m square bins, outside, into which I put all my garden waste, food waste etc?
Have been doing for 3 years now? The worms seem to thrive, even
when I’m forgetful and don’t water after dropping in fresh lawn clippings.
This without freezing first. I don’t think you need worry, this mix is closer to
what worms get in the wild?