Worm Composting Bins - Learn How To Make Your Own Worm Bins

How do you make a homemade worm bin?

Combine shredded paper, soil and just enough water to dampen everything. Put the mixture into the tall bin and fill the bin about three inches deep. Add your worms to the mixture and let them get used to it for a day before feeding them. Make sure the mixture is very moist, but not forming puddles of water.

How deep does a worm bin need to be?

The container depth should be between eight and twelve inches. Bins need to be shallow because the worms feed in the top layers of the bedding. A bin that is too deep is not as efficient and could potentially become an odor problem. Worm boxes can be purchased or made.

How many worms do I need to start a worm bin?

For beginners we recommend starting with 1 pound of worms for every 4 square feet of your worm bin's top surface area. Experienced vermicomposters can start with more worms and we recommend 1 pound of worms for every 1 square foot of you worm composter's top surface area.

How long do worms live for?

Worms can live as long as four years. When worms die in the bin, their bodies decompose and are recycled by other worms, along with the food scraps.

How fast do worms reproduce?

The breeding cycle is approximately 27 days from mating to laying eggs. Worms can double in population every 60 days.

Do worm bins smell?

Your worm bin should always smell like fresh garden soil, and in fact, should produce no odor at all. If there is a foul smell coming from your worm bin, it's a clear sign that your system is out of balance. ... The extra carbon you add will help to balance out any excess nitrogen that's present in your system.

How many worms can live in a 5 gallon bucket?

Keeping in mind that the larger the surface area of your bucket the more worms it can host I am working on an average of 10000 worms per 10.7 square feet / 1 square meter. So I would estimate each of your 5 gallon buckets should be able to support 800 to 1000 worms.

How much bedding do you put in a worm bin?

Add dry strips if it gets too wet. Add the strips to the bin, making sure bedding is fluffy (not packed down) to provide air for the worms. Bin should be 3/4 full of wet newspaper strips.

Are worm farms profitable?

Technically worm farming is called vermicomposting or vermiculture, and it's potentially very profitable. It's also become extremely popular. It is a method of compost production that uses worms to assist the process.

What do I feed worms?

DO feed your worms a rich assortment of the following fruit, vegetable, and organic waste, including:

Fruit and vegetable peels, rinds and cores.
Egg shells.
Coffee grounds and filters.
Tea bags.
Aged manure from any vegetable-eating animal (rabbits, horses, cows, llamas, etc.)

How do you maintain a worm farm?

The farm should be well insulated and put in a shady spot so the worms don't get too hot or cold. Ensure it can drain, and liquid can flow out of the bottom - worms need to be moist, but they breathe through their skin and can drown in too much water.

Can you have too many worms in your worm farm?

Adding too many worms when starting the bin, unhealthy conditions developing in the bin, unpleasant food items being added to the bin such as a lot of raw onions, citrus fruit skin, fermenting fruit, alcohol, etc., can all cause worms to crawl and try to escape from the bin.

Can you have too many worms in your compost?

A compost pile or bin that's primarily run by worms can and does heat up sometimes, but generally vermicomposters are happy that the bins don't heat up too much so that your worms don't get killed off. If you really do have too many worms, you can divide them into two containers or piles and build your throughput.

What do worms like to eat most?

What to feed your worms. Compost worms benefit from a balanced diet. They will eat most normal kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps. Avoid feeding the worms large quantities of meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods.

Why do worms have 5 hearts?

In the worm world, these wonderful earth loving creatures have five blood pumping organs in their tiny, hard working bodies. ... But the worms' hearts do not fill up with blood the way humans do, they just squeeze the two blood vessels which help to circulate the blood through out the body.

Do worms die if you cut them in half?

If an earthworm is split in two, it will not become two new worms. The head of the worm may survive and regenerate its tail if the animal is cut behind the clitellum. But the original tail of the worm will not be able to grow a new head (or the rest of its vital organs), and will instead die.

What animal eats worms?

A wide variety of animals eat earthworms, including rats, birds, foxes, moles, shrews, snakes, frogs, snails, salamanders, skunks and toads. Some insect species such as ants and beetles also feed on earthworms.

Are coffee grounds good for worms?

Soil-borne bacteria and fungi break down the various chemical components of coffee grounds after several months. Earthworms are also able to use this food source. Earthworms consume coffee grounds and deposit them deep in soil. This may account for noted improvements in soil structure such as increased aggregation.

Are worms asexual?

Many species of annelids (worms) reproduce via an asexual process called fragmentation. ... These worms are hermaphroditic -- they have both male and female reproductive parts -- and can reproduce sexually. However, many times these worms will reproduce using fragmentation.

Can you overfeed worms?

If you see large amounts of food, you are probably overfeeding. Under ideal conditions, worms can eat their weight in scraps per day. So if you have 1 pound of worms, you can theoretically feed them 1 pounds of scraps. However, we recommend you play it safe by feeding an amount they can handle every 2 or 3 days.