It’s more like “The Despot” and “Low Blow” ran out of pickets. 
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I saw all of the manufactured ones and that is how they do it. I figured if it works for them…
It’s not very straight, and kinda half-ass, but it should do the job.
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So, I got shredded cardboard, and shredded newspaper…
Should I also do some soil or compost or manure? Anyone also have any recommendations as to which worm to use? In SoCal so don’t really need to worry about freezing, so which is the most ravenous, productive worm?
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Redworms are supposed to be the fastest composers. Wet down the paper and squeeze any excess water out. Then bury them some fruit or veggie scraps. You can add compost to add some micro life. They will happily eat manure, if you want to add it depending on which type.
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Yes, I’d mix some compost in with the paper/cardboard. Or, more like use compost and mix that stuff into it.
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What about used soil/coir? If I add it, would I need to sift out perlite? Also, the manure I have is steer manure from the Low Blow. I also have some garden soil mixed with manure. Should I add a bit of that as well?
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Hey @WMoon518 maybe this will help. I’m new at this too. This is my second bin. It’s 66qt. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and placed this tub in another tub to catch the water. I used paper and coir mix with some malted barley for the bedding. You don’t have to use barley. I just did that so the worms would have something to eat and in about a week I’ll give them something more to eat and so on every week.
add some water and mix together then top it off with some compost or whatever you got and add your worms.
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Looks like @Badger has it summed up … soil or and a bit of sand the little guys utilize it in aiding them to help grind and digest their food
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I’d just caution using to much dirt it’s heavy and these casting when they get time to harvest are very dense and heavy to begin with , throw you veggie scraps in their if ya want to if ya have issues with flies and sorts freeze little bags of foods waste that just breaks it down faster for them to start chowing down
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Nice looking shit pile there @corey their looking good!
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Go to your local brew store and get some of the cheapest malted grain they have. Have them mill it down as much as they will, and sprinkle some on top. The enzymes will help the worms break down the scraps. Any fungi in the bin will love it.
I’ve had my bin for awhile, and when I do that the hyphae are everywhere.
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I got this smart pot for 4 bucks the other day. The 30 was too big size-wise (this one is a 15). If I can get a good deal on some reds down the road, I’ll add them in. For now, I started with euros from my other bin.
Here’s the plan. Think of this as a pie. The blackened stick is where it starts. The more of the pie you fill, move the second stick with it. Hopefully, by the time the pie is full, we will be harvesting to add new. Should work as long as I give them a bit to get established and multiply. I used basalt rock dust instead of sand this time around. I also started with a pile of worms in the castings. There should be enough of all the other micro life to get a good start for the rest of the bin.
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I think I’ve got a lot but man my shit’s wet 
that didn’t make me laugh that hard until I actually read it back lol. Any fast way of drying it out without killing the worms? 
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I’d say just the opposite keep those microbes going heat/dry kills microbes .
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Just makes it a pain for harvesting those castings.
this is my first harvest so trying to figure things out
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I harvest in a few ways. one way that works pretty well is to set half a melon or avocado on top of the bin you want to harvest and everyday, just grab the ball of worms that is feeding on it and move them to the new bin. repeat for days until you feel like you got most your worms to their new bin.
another way I do it is to have multiple bins made out of totes. holes are drilled into the bottom of the new tote and put in a few inches of bedding and some food. set it on top on the other bin so the worms can migrate up into the new bin through the drilled holes in the bottom of it. they will slowly come up to the new bin for the food when the old bin that is now on bottom starts to run out of food. hope that made sense, im baked and watching lake placid
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What species are those? Looking long and very thin-like!
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Red wigglers
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I use all these things! Kelp, bio-live, comfrey, I’ll get a few pictures up. Blessings
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