Sunday, November 11, 2012

From Worm Farm to Worm Condo

Sometimes you just have to downsize, and that time has come for my worm bin. Hard to believe, but I've been raising worms in a bin that I made from plastic storage containers since 2006! The plans I used to build my original bin are here, and the posts I've done over the years are here. Since relocating to an apartment I am shorter on space, so I've decided to switch to a store-bought worm bin that's more of a "tower" in configuration. They run about $100 online, but after shopping around I got mine plus extra trays/levels for less than that (mostly on Ebay.)
 

Here's the setup, it even came with a brick of coir and this handy rake.

Cute worms on the lid (in case you forget what's inside :)  I like the shape of the lid too, my cats can't really lay on it comfortably (even if they do, it won't really push down on the worms like the lid with my old bin.)
It has this handy nozzle for draining off leachate, which is filtered by the cloth you see sticking out above. The cloth helps prevent worm drownings, too.
Hole size seems well-suited for worm migrations between levels...
...the holding area for leachate has an adequate capacity as well.
Okay, time for assembly now that my assistant Gizmo is here to help =^^=
For this first tray I decided to put down wet paper towel in the bottom to keep bedding and worms from falling through right away. The leachate should still drain through just fine....
...there!
Now I put down a layer of moist coir...
...then I turn to the homemade bin for some wormy tenants.
There they are! The moisture level in this old bin is too high, and that will be addressed later.
So I scooped out a layer of worms and their bedding from the old bin, about 2" deep. I tried to include plenty of un-eaten foodstuff too, so they have something to eat as my newer food scraps break down enough to be edible to the worms.

 



Then I add a sprinkling of a "fattening mix" of food that I created, based on suggestions from several worm forums. The mix I came up with is: 50% "flock raiser" pelleted chicken feed, 10% unbleached wheat flour, 10% powdered whole milk, 10% wheat germ, 10% crushed eggshells (rinsed and dried before crushing), and 10% corn meal. I would recommend drawing your own conclusions from some research, as I am not an expert or pro by any means.
Then I added another layer of coir....
...followed by some too-soft-to-use potatoes.
I put a few in the old bin too, along with some compostable cellulose packing peanuts. I'd never added these to a worm bin in the past, but I figured that being plant cellulose they can't do any harm (hopefully)!
My new bin will be housed in the bathroom for now, until I can figure out what I want to do with the old bin. I thought I might put it on "Freecycle", but I'm not sure how many more years are left in it. I may just take it back home and dismantle it there.
Then I added corn husks....
...coffee grounds....
....and more coir.
Let's see how the worms enjoy their new "digs" (pun intended :)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This has always been so fascinating to me! I really DO need to try it, but I just keep procrastinating.
If I store them in my sunroom, would 90 degree temps be a problem for them in summer?
During the winter the temps never drop below 38.
V.

Garden Broad said...

Oh yea, 90 degrees would roast them! Do you have a cool basement to keep them in for the summer? (Or year round for that matter.)

Anonymous said...

I wish i had a basement, but sadly, no.
I think that's what stps me getting them, no room in the house, without stumbling over them. :(

v.

Garden Broad said...

Yea, in lieu of a basement a cool closet would be nice. Even under a cabinet in a kitchen if there's room-they don't smell as long as the moisture is right (and you keep the lid on :)

mrbrownthumb said...

I really want one of these worm condos. I made a homemade one with the nephew this year and I think the smaller ones would be better for a small space gardener like myself.

Garden Broad said...

Definately! The smaller size is great for me too, and it can still hold plenty of worms-you just add more trays vertically. The trays are easier to handle when retrieving castings as well (I believe so anyhow, I'm not there yet :)

troutbirder said...

Stopped by to say thanks for visiting my little nature blog. Most interesting and varied blog you have. I like the varied interests, curiousity and willingness to experiment and share. So now a dumb question. What do you do with all the worms. Warning: I'm a sometime fisherman...:)

Garden Broad said...

Lol-I'm a sometimes fisherman too :) Mostly they just eat scraps and make castings and baby worms, but sometimes I release them outdoors or give them away so friends can start more farms.

MrBrownThumb said...

@Garden Broad, I didn't know you could add more trays to make a worm skyscraper! Thank for the tip. I just may get myself one of these this spring.

Garden Broad said...

Heck yea! You could have your own "Windy City Worm Towers" :)