My Flow Through Bins
splitsec002
16 years ago
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mndtrp
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoeric30
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Is there a market for another worm bin?
Comments (40)Further off topic for advertising I would also estimate how long the limited life expectancy of a cloth worm bin will last compared to your sturdy system. 3 years vs 30 years? Horribly off topic. Do you really believe the breathable cloth material does what it says it does? It is used in high end sports clothes. They advertize it is rain proof yet lets persperation vent. ??? All the labels say this. All the salesmen say this. Everybody belives this. Apparently the material does this. I must be from Missouri because I just don't believe it. Yet the worms seem to. It seems like a great system yet it does not meet my needs of build it and forget it (except for harvesting great vermicastings) for 100 years. I love the worm inn idea, it is genius. I want a flow through system not of cloth, but still of genius. So another worm bin is of interest. Until then I will putter around with my various buckets and pails. And have a great time doing so. Maybe I don't want a new well working system. That would take all my fun away....See MoreAn Inverting Worm Bin
Comments (6)As mentioned in my first post I think this inverting bin could be easily made from just a single pail. Holes would be drilled in the bottom and the lower 2cm (1") of the pail wall for aeration and the lacing. Additional holes could be drilled around the top rim for more aeration. Then the pail bottom would be cut out and suspended 2cm (1") up in the pail with heavier lacing and resting on a plastic jar lid glued to the bottom. A pail lid and drip tray would complete the bin....See MoreNew flow through bin
Comments (13)It's been about 4 days and I think the worms are doing great. I didn't prep the bin ahead of time, just soaked some newspaper and cardboard for about an hour and mixed it with UCG. So I was a bit worried. But I fed them for the first time yesterday, just a little leafy greens, they are all over it. Today I put more food on other sides of the bucket. I took 1/4 avocado, spring mix, UCG, and cucumbers and chopped in in my blender. I figure I won't bother them for a week at least and see they like that combination. I'll post pics soon....See MoreMy Flow Through Bins - Population
Comments (47)When the bottom filled up the bin became in essence a non-flow through. Like a Rubbermaid, so you got all the hassles associated with that type system. I myself have had a couple occasions when there was a huge thunderstorm that soaked the bin. I did git a large amount of worm filled compost fall through to the bottom. I keep a lid on the bin to help prevent this but during large storms the lid overflows. The bin always dries out again in a couple weeks. What i observed when i started my Flow Through. When I fed the FT it formed a layer that is almost pure castings just under where the food was placed. The castings are more paper than black compost and is a little stiff and hard for the worms to get through. There were worms stuck below this layer in the original bedding. I filled mine full of nearly finished compost from my bins. And discovered that the compost wasn't as done as i thought it was. I have used compost as broken down as it was and hadn't given it a thought. But I found a FT does a far better job at breaking down everything in the bin. The compost settled down to about a third the original volume after a couple months. That was with huge feedings and a lot of paper additions too. It was a big surprise. The layer of finished compost at the top got thicker and eventually reached the bars. It comes out looking and feeling more like composted leaf litter on a forest floor, fluffy too. The first compost I harvested for a while was from the original worm filled compost transferred from my old bins. It did keep improving the longer it stayed in the FT. But it just didn't get as good as the compost formed in the FT to start with. The original bin compost was also lumpier and looser than the layer formed in the FT. As the worms wiggled about in the layer of loose compost it fell into the bottom collection area. I eventually harvested out most of the fallen compost and separated out the worms. Adding the worms back into the top of the bin. When the FT layer reached the bars on the bottom I needed to scrape the compost out. There still are a few worms and a little compost falling but not nearly as much. I just leave the compost in the collection area. For stray worms to live in until there is enough to bother removing it. I then separate out the worms and store the finished vermicompost in a old Rubbermaid bin until i need it. I should add that the compost that comes out the bottom is damp enough for the worms but dry enough to send through my homemade 1/4 inch strainer without waiting for it to dry out more. And i never found worm cocoons in the finished compost after the original compost worked its way through the FT. And this one i find a bit curious. Almost all the worms that fall into the collection area are NOT adults. I wondered about this one a lot but decided that they are the babies hatched out from the cocoons laid at the top of the bin....See Morembetts
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