oooh. hmmm. ill start saying im not sure on all of that!

Bin- not sure 4 inches deep will be deep enough to give you the results you want. I am using a deep rubbermaid with holes drilled, and I use the lid as the bottom tray. The bottom tray is deep enough to catch any leachate (goo-water) or worms that run away from the heat. (I use another rigid plastic lid over the top, loosely.)

I like a bedding that is more mixed- paper towel rolls and a few handfulls of rotted hay or leaves would add to the mix.

I dont know about earthworms being any good for bins. I wouldnt water daily- youll get a mud sauna! Maybe light sprinkling or misting tho. also, I wouldnt put a bin that small in the sun. Bake-city. plywood over top will help, but unless it covers the whole bin, sunrays hitting the sides will heat it up. I pulled mine totally into the shade, because i was having some escapage.

Yes! they will escape out the bottom holes if it gets too gooey or hot. its a good thing.

good luck and be well!

Mik'ta,

I'm a lurker in this forum and my knowledge isn't as extensive as others in vemiculture, but I don't think the garden variety earthworms will work in your bin if you plan on processing alot of kitchen waste.

E. Foetida may be better suited for the rubbermaid. In optimal conditions, it can eat its weight in bedding and kitchen waste in two days.

If you prefer to go on the cheap and not get them from online or a garden store, you can get them in cow manure or in baitshops (ask for redworms, red wigglers). The caveat there is that the baitshop employee may not know if the worms are the E. Foetida. You would probably be limited to 50 to 100 worms per cup so you may have to limit their feedstock until they get acclimated to the bin and start making babies to accomodate your kitchen waste.

Once you decide to go full blast, you may want to do a 2 week inventory on your kitchen waste. Get the average weight of the waste. You'll then have an idea of the appropriate amount of worms for your waste needs. I didn't. I just bought a pound of worms and feed them and put excess in the outside compost pit. I'm still learning.

I've managed to keep them alive in the 95+ heat outside under the shade with some ice blocks in the mornings to keep
them happy. Of course the bin is now home to hundreds of happy soldier fly larvae also! My wife doesn't share the same enthusiasm as I do. Hopefully she'll see that this is
a good thing and that it is good for mother earth also.

Kelly is the guru and worm authority so I would probably heed her advice and search for previous posts she has made. before you put garden worms in the bin. I wouldn't want your initial experience to be a negative one.

Good Luck,
Charles

Thanks for the help!

First of all, when I said I was going to put the bin "in the yard next to the garden" I ment either next to the raspberries or between my lilacs. So the bin would be in shade for most of the day.

Second, I've been considering your comments and I think I might want to use red wigglers instead of garden earthworms.
My only concern is what to do during winter. I'm hesitant to purchase worms if they're just going to freeze to death. If I were to keep them in a heated garage during winter, would they try to escape and be crawling around the garage? Also, Will the bin create odor?

For a bin, would a rubbermaid 12"x18" and 10 inches deep work?

Thanks, and sorry for all the stupid questions.
Mik'ta

First of all there are no stupid questions. Stupid is not asking. :)

The last bin you mentioned would work much better than the previous bin. Depth will be a big issue once the castings start building up and when you add things.

They will be just fine in the heated garage in the winter! They will love that actually. Just like having a bin in your home. Red wigglers will be your best bet.

You could also do an outside pile of composting material right on the ground. With that the earthworms will come. :) It won't go as fast but it will work.

One of the main reasons they start crawling out of the bin is when they get stressed by a lot of change. I made the mistake of moving mine into a new bin, the day before we moved to a new house. They didn't know what the heck was going on! It all settled down in a couple days. It was kinda funny to watch, but then my mommy instincts kicked in and I got worried. My DH was giggling at me. LOL

Sometimes I've heard they can crawl if you get to out of balance on their greens and browns. Also with acidic things (which I avoid). So I've heard anyways.

Remember another fabulous thing for them is egg shells, for many reasons. But you may all ready know that. :)

Good luck!

P.S. Don't use a clear bin. But you probably know that to.

Mik'ta,

Again, let me preface this with the fact that I'm a new worm wrangler (1 month into it) so I don't have the experience as the grizzled veterans.

Regarding the smell surprisingly the answer is no. It should smell earthy. If there is a rotting or unpleasant smell it is usually a sign that something is out of balance or some meat or dairy has been added to the bin or the bin is being overfed. Sometimes the leachate in the bottom or in the drip container will have a smell. The key is to keep your bin aerobic. My bin design is a hybrid of the OSCR Jr. It has holes in the bottom and it sits in a collection tray so any leachate drips through to the collection tray. I use a combination of cut cardboard, peat moss and paper towels as the bedding and it stays amazingly moist even with all the holes I've drilled in it.

I "fluff" the bedding every now and then because I like to and I like to think that it helps cut down on the anaerobic pockets in the bin. I'm probably a bit overcautious, but the tenants don't seem to mind and they haven't left yet.
Just watch the amounts of food you put in and use your nose. The worms will let you know.

After my first harvest I plan on putting a very small layer of cedar shavings at the bin bottom to keep the air flow good at the bottom. If that works then I'll keep doing that on subsequent harvests. If the shavings aren't broken down I'll reuse them.

Sorry I got off the topic. I'm just so excited with vermicomposting. Friends and family think I have lost it so I don't bother to tell them much so I have to babble somewhere. They may get more interested in my worms when I give them some vermicompost for their plants :)

Charles

Hey Frogonalog

You are absolutely right about the smell, I've got mine in the dining room right next to the kitchen and one wouldn't ever know unless told.

You are also correct in regards to fluffing (IMHO) and keeping the anarobes down.

AND, last but not least. You are correct in thinking that you have "lost it" !!

In fact, I'll wager that this time next year you will be in as bad a shape as our dear friend "Chuckiebtoo".

Things could be worse though!! :)

As for heat. Here in Texas I keep the worms in the garage with an adjustable height heat lamp. 100 watt light attached to a chain that I move up/down with a "S" hook, depending on a thermometer.

bruce

Another thing at my house that leads to stink is potatoes. We dont have a proper root cellar and they sprout sometimes! to compost them, Id chop them up roughly- usually if something is stinky, its a potato that was put in whole.

Bruce,

Thanks for validating the fluffing. I hope I don't get to
the status of Chuckiebtoo with his pyromaniacal tendencies. His ant bin detonation scheme was a blast forgive the pun :)

Charles

I have a bin indoors and a bin outdoors. Neither stinks. My indoor bin sits in a larger plastic bin since it should be able to drain if it gets to wet in there. So far, not much moisture seeped out. Ever once in a while, but really not much. This is a plastic bin from the dollar general store, cheaper then a rubber maid bin.

My outdoor bin just sits with an open bottom partially burried, in total shade and has holes drilled all around, and a lid on top to keep heavy rains from getting things to moist.

The outdoor bin has garden worms in it. I put worm food type stuff in there, when I have more then the indoor bin can hold. This bin is a metal round bin, a former dryer part, the drum from inside the dryer.

If you would cut the bottom out of your bin, and set it partially in the ground, and add food stuff, the worms will come!

Moni