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Vermicomposting

Winter tips for warming bins

18 years ago

Would it be helpful to have a thread that lists grains and other things that help warm bins now that it is winter time? Also tips on how to apply, how often, things like that?

What types of grains will warm bins? I saw a post that even noted crushed cereal (bottom of the box?) would work as a type of grain to help the little guys stay warm.

All you experts, help us newbies by posting your expertise!

Thanks!

Tina

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Comments (2)

PuraVida
18 years ago
Even though things you could add might 'warm' the bin that doesn't seem like the right way to do it.

Due to my climate I've never had to deal with this issue, and most likely others with more experience will respond soon.

But my advice would either be to move the bins to a non-freezing location or set up some type of consistent heat source. I think it would be pretty risky to try to heat up the bins in the way you propose. It's too inconsistent, in that way things would warm up and cool down too fast and you wouldn't have enough control over it, and it would never stay consistent. My worms LOVE consistency. They like everything to stay the same, temp, humidity ext...

Bring emÂ inside!

Good Luck
PuraVida

Here is a link that might be useful: garden blog with pictures
billr12
18 years ago
There is no problem with warming a larger bin. You have to be careful and only put the warming source in a corner where the worms have a way to move to cooler climates so to speak. I have done this in a very cold climate in Colorado, next to the mountains, and the worms thrived all winter long. I use the 18 gallon bins you get at Walmart or Kmart. The worms will slow down their processing with cooler temeperatures. If you were talking about a small bin, say 10 gallons, heating it would be very difficult to control compared to a larger bin. There are several posts about heating a bin or overheating one, just do a search on warming or overheating a bin.
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I made two new piles yesterday. Two different sizes for comparison purposes. One was a 30" diameter mesh bin 20" high. The second was the same height but was 40" in diameter. In less than 24 hours the core temp of 30" was 85F; and the 40" was 112F. The average temp the last few days was 40-45F. The material in both was mix of fresh cut grass and shredded leaves, with a sprinkling of rain water. My experience, and what I read; indicates that a optimal compost pile will reach max core temp in two to three days from the start. The hottest part of the first pile was 11 inches from the top, and the second pile 15 inches from the top. In previous winters I had piles which had 100F+ core temps but also had frozen outside areas.
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My opinion ... if you are thinking about an outside bin dig it in. Initial setup is a pain ... however being buried has alot of advantages. Steady temp through the summer. Place to escape during colder times. Fewer fluctuations. Can have a much larger bin. Insulating during the winter is also a good idea. Worms can survive in windrows during the winter. The snow will act as insulation. As long as food is buried I have never had a problem with gnats or fruit flies (however i do freeze all foods before putting them into the bin). I keep a cultivator next to my bins to make sure i have a non lethal digging utensil ready at hand. One other option is that the bigger the bin the more able it is to handle fluctuations. In a large bin the frozen outer layers will help to insulate the inner parts. In winter its the north winds that you are most worried about. A bin placed on the south side of a structure will help to keep the temp up by about 5 degrees. The last option i can think of is to keep it inside a structure, like a shed or garage. This will help to keep the overall temp of the bin up quite a bit. So i guess after all that rambling ... size and location would be the things id be most worried about in an area with severe winters. Bryan
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