New to Vermicomposting with questions

16 years ago

Hi. I just started yesterday with some red worms I bought from a bait store. I made a small bin using about a 1 cu ft rubbermaid container. I made a bed of mixed brown cardboard, newspaper, and crushed leaves. I had a bunch of questions.

1. Can you put acorn nuts in there? I have a ton I was going to throw away back in my woods.

2. Last night a bunch of worms came out of the bin around the edges of the lid. From what I read online rubbermade bins were supposed to be great for this. Is there a cheap alternative? I was thinking I would use some clamps to hold down the lid in the meantime.

3. The worms seemed to be highly active last night, but now they're quiet and dug in during the day. Is that what usually happens?

4. Rather than put a big hole with a screen on the side of my bin, I drilled a bunch of tiny wholes (too small for the worms to get through) into the lid. Good idea? Bad idea?

5. Does this atract bugs and other vermin?

I threw some lettuce and an apple core under the bedding a little while ago.

Thanks

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Comments (6)

tclynx
16 years ago
Hi and welcome,
1-yes you can, but they will take a very long time to break down so it might not be worth it.
2-worms sometimes take a little while to get used to a new environment and escape attempts are common right at first. Instead of trying to clamp the lid down, you might be better off leaving the lights on in the room with the bin until the worms get used to their new bedding.
3-worms are light sensative which explains why they seem to try escaping at night and why a light will help keep them down in the bedding. Exposure to direct sunlight for long can kill them.
4-Worms can squeeze through just about any opening, probably even through screening so it is unlikely that your holes are small enough to stop them. Keeping the environment in the bin as hospitable to them as possible is the best way to keep them in. Screening is more to keep flys out though they are pretty good at finding ways in too.
Holes only in the lid of the bin may not be enough air but play it by ear (or perhaps nose) and see how it goes. If the bin starts getting smelly, it is either a sign that you are feeding too much or there is not enough air and the bin has become anarobic. Some people don't even have lids on their bins, they just lay cardboard, newspaper, burlap, or something over the bedding to help keep it moist and dark.

5-If you have pets, you may need a sturdy lid (I've caught the kittens sleeping on top of my bin.) Make sure to bury food under bedding so the smells don't attract flys, fruit flys, or other creatures. Also, be careful of overfeeding. Don't feed again until the last meal is gone, worms will happily eat the bedding too so don't worry that you are starving them.

The apple core and lettuce are fine, don't feed them again for a while. Make sure the bedding is moist (like a wrung out sponge) but not wet and be patient. Worms are easy to farm.
ailsaek
16 years ago
So how's an inch-thick layer of damp shredded newspaper & junkmail, three rotten peaches, and a three-inch (more or less) layer of dry shredded paper? The worms are on top of the damp paper & under everything else, in a Rubbermaid bin that I added a few holes to around the top edges.
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bencjedi
16 years ago
I'm using two nested 5-gallon buckets (the outside one slightly larger than the inner bucket to catch the compost drip from the holey inner bucket) and it is working fantastic with my red wigglers! Can't beat the price (free) and my worms have been getting super fat and doing a nice job since I started this whole project last April. The inner bucket came with a lid. There are no air holes, but these guys thrive. I open the bucket every other day or so and throw in an apple core or banana peel.
tclynx
16 years ago
ailsaek,
Let us know how it goes. How many worms did you start with, three rotten peaches might be a lot of food to start so you probably don't need to feed again for quite some time.

You may find that shredded paper will tend to mat together, I have found myself having to dig down into the bottom of the bin and fluff up or break apart the shredded paper. I've found that mixing in a fair amount of ripped up or shredded corrigated cardboard helps keep things a bit fluffier and worms love the stuff. Cardboard is easier to rip by hand if you dunk it in water first (this also makes it easier to remove tape.)

If you find that the bottom of your bin is collecting water while the upper portions stay dry, you may want to add a drain hole and something to catch the liquid. Another option is that some people use a turkey baster to suck extra liquid out of the bottom. I like the drain holes idea with a tray under as it is more self regulating and will let more air into the bottom of the bin where it is often needed most.

Good luck and keep those rotten peaches well covered to avoid fruit flys.
adele6056
16 years ago
Hi,
I'm a worm farm newbie and was wanting to know if anyone can tell me whether or not I can put prawn shells in my farm?
Thanks,
Adele.
rutgers1
16 years ago
Adele...I think I have seen you ask this question 3 times in a short span. One time is enough. If you don't get an answer, that is because no one who has experience with that is on the board at this time.

New to Vermicomposting with questions

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tclynx

ailsaek

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