Some compost that has a lot of EWC but much more organic matter still …these two little piles will get mixed into some Royal gold tupur soil didn’t know it was coco coir based something new for me! But my mix has a bit of peat as well [grid]
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When I got my 250 I separated them into 6 of these food prep containers with some holes punched in the top and let them work for a couple weeks while I got my larger bin together. I dumped 4 of the small containers in the larger one yesterday and kept 2 on the shelf to start a second bin.
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Hey guys. I want to build some stacking worm pots so I can just feed in the top and harvest out the Bottom. Anyone got something like that? I thought I saw one in one of these threads but I can’t find it again. I’m thinking of cutting out the bottom of a couple of the pots and putting in a screen the worms can fit through so they can migrate up and then I can just harvest the bottom pot, use that one as a new bottom (If the bottom pot was screened I can just put it in another pot with a bottom until harvest)… Would that work?
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I’ve had my worm bin for about 9 months now, and have successfully migrated all my worms to a new layer, and now have harvestable castings. So far I’ve just been grabbing a few handfuls at a time, but I would like to increase my output. I have adopted @CADMAN 's smoothie idea, which seems to have them a lot more active than when I was just putting in non blended scraps. A question for the group here, should I take these completed castings out of the bin, so that I can build in a second layer of active worms, or is it better to have the worm population concentrated in one area?
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I think I remember somebody talking about giving them malted barely thoughts ground right
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I hadn’t heard that. I have the barely. I hope somebody comes here with a yeah or neigh.
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That’s some gold right there @Greasy! I would say scoop out what you can of the good finished stuff and leave the other spot where they are most active and concentrated. Then feel free to add more food for them where you scooped out. After they finish up where they are right now and fully migrate to the other side, you can harvest the finished product again. Just like that, back and forth.
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Yes malted barely works well grind up and crack to help it along Iv even used it after brewing beer which had some residual sugars in it after mashing worms love it !
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Recently expanded my worm bin. I feed inputs(kitchen waste, yard waste, rabbit poo) into one side and take finished stuff from the other. I figure the worms will go where they like. I just take scoops and broadcast as needed, worms and all. Then if I find worms while I’m digging around the garden I replenish the worm bin with them
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Its looking like a worms paradise right there @Garden-Buddy !
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Thanks for the advice! I’ll keep the population centered in one tray. I kinda figured they might expand in numbers better when all concentrated in one area, but wanted to see what others thought.
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Some notes/thoughts from my experiences…
- some new setups can start thermally composting - watch out
- air flow is important - they need to breathe
- they eat virtually anything that decomposes
- nutrient dense input means nutrient dense output & vice-versa - EWC/teas CAN burn depending on the feed & pH can vary wildly
- they love soggy cardboard but it has virtually no fertilizer value AFAIK - worm twinkies?
- worm farms are awesome & everyone should have one
Somewhat related:
I’m trying to buy some land in Hawaii & discovered healthy mycorhizal activity & very few visiable worms, so I’m wondering if I released composting worms would I be f*cking up big time? 
I’ve read that North America lacked earthworms until European arrival(??) and they devastated the native soil & trees which have since evolved & adapted. Hmmm…
@Tinytuttle & @Sebring your thoughts?
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There are a few species that are native but they believe the glaciers killed most native species about 15000 years ago and the worms we have now are European brought over in plants and soil used in ship ballasts there’s a problem with invasive jumping worms from Japan In the south and from what I have read composting worms are not considered invasive also Hawaii was worm free but it too now has a variety of worms from Europe and other parts of the world
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I understand your feelings towards it and have seen and read studies on it i I’m often on the fence at times with it also , should a sloppy fisherman dump his left over worms stream side out in a pristine natural habitat? My answer is a BIG NO! upsetting a natural ecosystem will cause harm I agree In situations like this . If it’s your own property ya I have no issues with it, in my experience composting worms don’t move much IMO and a very localized just my two cents
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Hey folks, dropping in with a few pics i took while feeding and re-mulching the worms. They had pretty much started eating into the mulch so chucked a thick layer of compost mixed with crushed crab shell, kelp meal and rock dust over the top and then covered with leaf and field grass then watered down to settle it over the beds like a blanket.
Got a fresh bucket harvested to inoculate the big pots and get some teas mixed aswell.
One full bed was harvested recenly and restarted it this weekend. Basically left a small section unharvested on the bottom one side and covered over it and the entire bottom with a thick layer of compost mixed with amendments and mulched over it with leaf and grass. Will keep feeding them up until we nearly reach the brim then will harvest the entire bin.
This old pool frame has come in handy haha
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@Sunvalley small scale bruv 
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Anyone here successfully raise worms in a desert climate? I know most ppl have issues with excess moisture, but I would have the opposite problem. My worm factory 360 could not hold enough moisture and my worms kept dying.
Tried the bucket method and if i had to leave for any number of days, I’d get home to a bucket that smelled like a can of smash buttholes 
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I’ve seen a guy in a very hot semi arid area using hay bales as walls. He places them around to make 4 walls and lines it inside with plastic then puts spray emitters over the top and mulches a thick layer too. Worked pretty good both in summer and winter.
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I keep mine indoors with little issue, I do have to water them occasionally, usually when I add foods.
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My worm bin started as a tote with kitchen scraps, a shredded yard waste bag for bedding, some clay and dirt from the yard for natural worm habitat, and a dozen worms dug up from the same yard. The bin was initially in my basement but after seeing a couple of house flies I relocated the bin outdoors.
Following the bin relocation I started reading the thousands of do’s and do not do’s of worm farming available on the internet. The kitchen scraps I used to start the bin included plenty of citrus and orange peels leading me to believe I had poisoned the poor worms. The bin was also subject to direct afternoon sun, which I figured would have roasted the worms. Filled with second guesses and doubt, the worm bin was nothing more than a compost heap in my mind.
A few weeks ago I decided to turn the compost while adding some kitchen scraps, only to uncover a thriving mat of worms who were less than happy to be disturbed. Now I’m feeling the compulsion to do more for my worm farm and prepare an indoor habitiat for the coming winter.
Considering all the sprouts popping up in the bin I think it’s safe to assume the worms are doing great work.
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