I have the Can O' Worms system. It consists of a bottom drainage type tray, 3 tiers with worm size holes covering the bottom of them, and a cover with very small holes for air and to keep the worms in their home. You start out with the first tray, and when it has reached a certain level, the next tray is then put on.

According to the directions I have, the second tray has to be in direct contact with the composted material below. Otherwise the worms will not be able to migrate upwards towards the new food put in the second tray. By nature, they will move upwards searching for more food, when the supply in the lower level has been exhausted and turned to compost. My directions say that if the tray is not in contact with the material in the lower level, the worms will not be able to migrate up.

Your chest of drawyers sounds as though it would work. However, you ought to check out the Can O' Worms system. I purchased mine locally through Our Vital Earth in Apopka Florida, but there may be a source locally for you. I'm very happy with this system. It is very user friendly, and clean enough for me to keep in a spare room in my home.

Sandy

Hi anney,

I think your drawer system would work fine if you follow the standard rules of building your own worm farm. search this forum for rubbermaid worm bins or google it and you will see plenty of worm farm designs.

I was given this link the other day on how to properly set up the can o worms bin, simply use the idea and incorporate it into your drawer system.

good luck vermicomposting is so much fun

Here is a link that might be useful: can o worms setup

sandy

Yes, the Can O Worms is a great system, but I sure have a LOT of things on my garden wish-list, so I'm trying to economize.

evoluke

Thanks for the link. I looked at all the pictures and see that the next level must sit right on top of the castings in the level below. That's what I was wondering.

I've considered a thrift store chest of drawers to be a great worm bin and plan on doing that soon. I don't intend to use it as a reactor or flow through though. I would just have seperate worm colonies in each drawer, perhaps different species, and harvest them individually.

Anney, I think if I were you I would get started with just a rubbermaid bin, rather than experimenting with a chest of drawers. Cost-wise it's just as economical as a chest of drawers, and it is a tried and true method of vermicomposting. Then once you get established, you could try the chest of drawers idea with SOME of your worms, while keeping the rubbermaid bin in case it doesn't work out.
There are lots of designs here and elsewhere, and maybe someone has had success with using a chest of drawers, but I think there might be some issues with it myself. Like you say, the fact that the next drawer is not in direct contact with the vermicompost below is something to think about. Also a chest of drawers is likely to be made of wood, which means not only that it is going to rot away after a while, but long before it rots away its drawers are probably going to cease operating smoothly because they have become swollen and warped with all the moisture.
I could be wrong, but I am a little skeptical of this idea, and I think you should start with a tried and true method.
I should also say that I have a Worm Factory (very similar to a Can O Worms) and I do not find it to work as well as I expected it to. The worms do not all migrate upward so that I can just remove the lowest tray after the worms leave. They do migrate to some extent, but I still find myself picking through the compost to rescue the laggard worms, using a light, etc. In short, the Worm Factory is not worth the money, IMHO.
If you want to have a tiered system without paying much for it, there is a design called OSCR Jr which you make with three ten gallon rubbermaid bins. I have not made one of these yet, but a friend of mine recently did, and so far she likes it fine. Just google "OSCR Jr." and the plans should turn up.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do and how it goes.
mbetts

the lesson that I learnt with trying to make my own migrating system is that you make sure that the height of your bins are not excessive. The only reason I say this is that it takes ages for them to fill up with VC. If you want to do something with the upward migrating system make sure that height is not to much. I would recommend starting with a normal plastic tote bin...easy, cheap and more practical. you could also consider a flow through bin. hope this helps

I agree with mbetts. Start with the tried and true, then experiment once you've gotten the hang of things.

And speaking of "the hang of things," this Creepy Pants Vermicomposter is a fun variation of the upwardly mobile, flow-thru approach:
http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-bins/the-creepy-pants-vermicomposter/ ;-)