Sterling, go to www.vermicomposters.com and check to see if there is anyone in your area that has a bin. I'm sure if you contacted them, they would be able to at least help you with worms. If you are VERY nice to them, they may help/show you how to build the bins.
I wish I knew where you were. I have bins that I would let you have. But I'm not sure it would be worth it once you added the postage.

sterling:

Based on the plans of OSCR jr from:
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/ContentROne.asp?fContentIdSelected=991251662&fCategoryIdSelected=965105457
I made my bin and it looks pretty good if I say so myself.

I did not drill the holes, I used a glue gun to make the holes. Or you can also use a Wood Burning tool.
Make a template on paper where you mark rows of crosses where the holes are supposed to be. Puncture that with a needle or nail. Lay it (or tape it) over the Roughneck rubbermaid container and using a marker, mark those spots through the tiny holes.

I did not use those wood pieces either. I cut out a hole in 1 of the lids (as big as the indentation in the middle of the lid) and use a piece of weedcloth taped from the inside to cover it so no fly etc can come in but still let air through. If you like you can add a second lid following the original plan of the OSCR jr but without using those wood pieces. I used 4 wine corks (1 in each corner) to provide the spacing between the 2 lids. Voila!

Otis

For an easy DIY set up that looks good, get yourself three 45 litre (10 gallon) pastic storage containers - the ones that have tapered sides and nest them. You can see photos, description and a cross section diagram of a simple DIY 3 bin worm farm on the working-worms website

http://working-worms.com/content/view/33/48/

Here is a link that might be useful: Working Worms

Thanks for the replies, but, without tools, it looks like I'm out of luck.

I'm really looking for a *cheap, ready-made* unit. I suppose they don't exist...?

If your giftee has a quirky sense of humor, you might try something along the lines of the Creepy Pants Vermicomposter. ;-) It is roughly based on the Australian Swag system.

You could also stack several nursery flat trays or kitty litter pans as vertical composters. In either case you would need to place something on top as a cover. Cardboard or plywood would work. If you spend a little time searching the internet, you will find photos of all of these DIY systems.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creepy Pants Vermicomposter

Sterling: Another source for an inexpensive worm bin might be your city or county recycling program. Here in California, a number of our municipalities subsidize worm and compost bins to residents. San Mateo, for instance sells Wriggly Wranch bins for $29 (shipping included). Is that in your price range?

Here is a link that might be useful: San Mateo County's Worm Bins

Folly-grows wrote:

**Sterling: Another source for an inexpensive worm bin might be your city or county recycling program. Here in California, a number of our municipalities subsidize worm and compost bins to residents. San Mateo, for instance sells Wriggly Wranch bins for $29 (shipping included). Is that in your price range?***

YES!! But, AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! I was so excited to find one in my price range that I did NOT have to *make*!!!! Unfortunately, when I opened the link, I discovered that you must be a *resident* of San Mateo Co, CA even to order the thing. GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! How incredibly frustrating.

I've never heard of this kind of program in my area (near DC).

But a $30 ready-made bin would work for me. I can't see paying $50 or more, plus shipping, plus worms though. Nor can I justify buying the tools I'd need to make one myself.

Anyone else see an opportunity for a market here? I just can't believe these contraptions are worth $50 and up (waaay up, I've seen them for over $100 =80). I can see paying $30 or so for it, but it's hard to believe no one has managed to market one of these products for a more reasonable price.

Or does anyone know of a regional program that has worm bins available for a reasonable price that is NOT geographically limited?

Hey - I have put the link to whatcom.wsu.edu - They show you step by step how to setup a worm bin using plastic storage containers. I did this in May of 2008 - and my worms have been VERY happy. I find that I have more junk mail and food scraps...... So try and use a large size would be my advice.... Take care!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap and Easy Worm Bin!

Sterling:

Another way to go is with a smaller set up, like a child's start up kit. Just remember that smaller volume, means things go awry more quickly.

Cathy's Crawly Composters in Ontario, Canada has something called the Children's Worm Kit for $39.95, which includes bin, bedding, 200 worms and instructions. Don't know what the currency conversion or shipping would be, but this might work for you.

However, your best bet is still to find a worm composting program or a friendly worm farmer near you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cathy's Composters Products

Hi Sterlingsilver, Here is a link that will fit your requirements. Tell larry that larry kittle sent you.

https://www.vermitechnology.com/index.php?categoryID=9

heres a link vermitechnology

This was originally posted on this forum, I think, and then showed up on the Soil/Compost forum. It looks like a perfect solution for a beginner.

For experienced vermicomposters, do you think this would need drainage holes and to be set on top of something that would catch the liquid? Or, can it be used as described?

Here is a link that might be useful: Under sink worm composting

Well, I ended up ordering a smaller worm kit, rather than the larger bin that I'd originally intended to get: http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com/index.php?categoryID=89&show_all=yes

It came out to almost $55, which is still more than I wanted to spend, but, at least it won't look *homemade* (it's a GIFT, not for me!!). Thanks for the suggestion to look for a kid's start-up kit, Folly. ;)

I did look into the *worm condo* (Penny posted the link above) which consists of a plastic drawer with no need for drilling holes (apparently! though I'm wondering if they'd get enough air in there...). But once you add the cost of worms (even from a local bait shop), it was pretty close to the cost of the worm kit. Sigh.

Thanks so much for all the replies!

Here is a link that might be useful: Work kit

PS: That previous post should say a handful of worms.

Several people in my area sell worms for $20 per pound.Alot of what you're paying for is the time to collect the worms.

It is time consuming, but not difficult to collect them yourself.Once it warms up you could find red wiggler worms in leaf piles or in manure piles. I bought my first 2 pounds from a rabbit farmer then I noticed thousands of worms in the city leaf piles. I have also seen them at the power company chip piles, mostly in pockets where there are lots of leaves. Any outdoor rabbit hutch probably has them in the manure underneath.
I do think that worms raised in bins on food scraps stay put better and are accustomed to eating food so you may have an easier start with them. It is worth the effort to get started because worm bins make great compost. Good Luck.

I realize that you have already done your purchasing but this could apply to many. You may be able to get worms just by asking on Yahoo groups Freecycle and look for your city. It is a forum for exchanging items free of charge, to keep things from going to the dump. The only thing you can do is ask for pickup. I am sure many would find that people will help out start their first bin with worms that they may have an abundance off.

The large flower pot idea for worm bins is great!!!!!
I have found that if I put a flower pot of moist compost on top of one of my Aquaponics gravel beds (there are plenty of compost worms living in there to help clean up the solid waste from the fish and to eat up old roots from plants that have been harvested) the worms will often crawl up into the compost filled plant pot making it pretty easy for me to harvest some to feed to the fish.

It would be so easy to use stacked plant pots to make a worm tower. You could even place a plant saucer under the bottom pot to catch liquid and set that saucer in a larger saucer to fill with water or mineral oil to keep the ants from getting into the worm castings. (being bitten by ants while harvesting worm castings really sucks!)

Thanks so much for posting about using plant pots as worm bins, such a good idea!

And one does not need a fancy cover over a worm bin. some screen or cloth or even an old towel can serve as a lid.

Hi maryld_gardener,

thanks for the idea. I do need more worms for my indoor bin and that's how I am going collect worms from outside.

Otis.

Hi tclynx 9 - I am interested to know more about the compost worms in your Aquaponics gravel bed. What is your set up actually?

I have a simple felt (bidim) filter, under a small waterfall in my Koi pond and for the last year or two I have found a great number of tiny red worms living in the sludge that accumulates there. In that submerged, but oxgenated environment they never seem to grow bigger than threads.

I have put some of the worms in a mini worm farm (ice cream bucket), with bedding and have been feeding them in damp, not saturated conditions for about 6 weeks and they have now grown to a fair size and look like normal compost red worms (eisenia fetidae), but although eisenia fetida red worms are sold for worm farming here, I am not sure that they occur naturally in Africa.

Any ideas why they never go bigger in the pond situation?
Cape Town

Here is a link that might be useful: What about the workers?