Setting Up a Worm Composting Bin
Detailed instructions for setting up a ‘deluxe’ Rubbermaid worm composting bin
25 Responses to Setting Up a Worm Composting Bin
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Detailed instructions for setting up a ‘deluxe’ Rubbermaid worm composting bin
What about Fish? Should I avoid that too?
Coleslaw909
December 9, 2011 at 4:12 am
excellent video and excellent supplier of red wigglers. I am very please with my vericulture I purchased from Thecompostguy.
midnightmandi
December 9, 2011 at 4:13 am
very cool thanks
67kpg
December 9, 2011 at 4:14 am
how do they bred? it needs to be dry for them to hatch?
MsTokies
December 9, 2011 at 4:45 am
Great video! What should we do after the worms have been in there a while, when should we put more food in?
skeeveskeeve
December 9, 2011 at 5:11 am
greaaaatttt! I did mine all wrong 🙁 dirt, scraps and then bedding. my worms are night crawlers though. basically I am trying to raise nightcrawlers more so then compost, although with all the scraps it is nice.
grettagrids
December 9, 2011 at 5:58 am
@snippax If you live in a slightly nature like area, what I do is just toss meat and dairy in a corner of my yard and the raccoons have a party with it, it’s usually gone by morning.
earthwormjah
December 9, 2011 at 6:19 am
I was thinking of doing this and putting it in my cellar….Will it stink at all ? thanks
buffaloborn71
December 9, 2011 at 6:54 am
How many worms in pounds would you add to a bin that size?
000Winter000
December 9, 2011 at 7:49 am
@snippax Your bin will be filled with thousands of maggots if you include meat. Not really a bad thing because maggots create compost too, it’s just plain nasty IMO.
000Winter000
December 9, 2011 at 8:31 am
Really appreciate your contribution of knowledge. Thanks for your time in making this.
Naleena2u
December 9, 2011 at 9:12 am
@TheCompostGuy Thank you so much! I just have another question but it’s not on worm composting if that’s okay: my dad and I are going to build a wooden outdoor compost bin before I graduate from high school, I’ve modeled the bin with estimates of 3′ feet high, 6 feet long and 3’6″ wide in 3ds Max. In your opinion, should that be a large enough to be able to handle meats and dairies?
snippax
December 9, 2011 at 10:02 am
@snippax – apart from the fact that they can create really foul odors (nobody wants to deal with that), they are high-nitrogen wastes so there potential for ammonia gas release. In a larger outdoor bed, in moderation, probably no issue whatsoever. In an enclosed plastic tub – BAD idea. 🙂
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 10:38 am
Putrid meats and dairies, I understand that you said they will make a headache for you and they are hard to break down, but I don’t understand why not add them anyway. Will they not end up being compost? Forgive my ignorance, I just don’t quite understand why you can’t compost dairies and meats. I this just for worm composting or composting in general?
snippax
December 9, 2011 at 11:25 am
@BManTyler – will do just fine if you provide them with a larger, well insulated bed. Depends on your location though. We have decent winters with lots of snow, and I have no trouble keeping them alive. Keeping a fully active system is another matter altogether
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 11:56 am
@JmanMulletHunter – wouldn’t recommend too much cardboard with colored inks on it. I generally just recycle my cereal boxes and stick with TP rolls, corrugated box cardboard and egg carton cardboard.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 12:28 pm
@sakopcantsitstill – if they are Canadian Nightcrawlers (“dew worms”) – the big bait worms – they won’t work. European Nightcrawlers and African Nightcrawlers on the other hand are composting worms as well
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
@RocketCityGardener – there seems to be more chance of house fly invasions in garage worm bins, and generally, fruit flies and fungus gnats can be common invaders. There are various ways to discourage this. During colder months you MAY need to find some way to heat the bin if temps get below freezing. Composting will slow down a lot during cooler weather
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 1:38 pm
@rmartin2819 – most of the same principles will apply regardless of what type of system you are using.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 1:41 pm
@rightview – you can start up new systems, give them away, leave them be (a bin will never have “too many” worms – they will self-regulate), or create some sort of outdoor system. You can put them in your garden if you create a rich environment for them. See my video on “vermicomposting trenches for some ideas.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 2:00 pm
@KeladryL – i recommend mixing the materials well during the aging period (should have included that info in this video). The mold won’t harm the worms, but it’s just generally a good idea to get everything evenly mixed.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 2:21 pm
@bluff361 – it totally depends on the size of the bin (wide range of Rubbermaid tub sizes available). The ones in this video are actually very small – just over 4 gallons. For 1 lb of worms you’d be better off with a bin that’s 8 gallons or more.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 3:09 pm
@jjasostewart – generally, these plastic bins are meant for indoor locations, but yeah you are absolutely right – you definitely need to be careful with enclosed plastic bins in sunny hot locales!
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 3:34 pm
@ForexStrategySecrets – Red Worms are very tolerant of cold. It isn’t too difficult to protect your beds over the winter or create some protective beds where the worms can be moved. You could also move some of your worms indoors.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 4:24 pm
@tucsoniantransplant – ideal temp range would likely be 70-85 for Red Worms and Euros, perhaps somewhat higher for African Nightcrawlers and Blue Worms.
TheCompostGuy
December 9, 2011 at 4:27 pm