If you put worms in there and they survived, the'll find each other and reproduce. That doesn't really sound like a pound of worms, though, unless it was completely full of worms and no bedding? Or do you mean one of those large yogurt containers? I always think of a pound of worms being about the same size as a pound of hamburger meat -- a really big double handful? My worms came in a bag full of castings, so I wasn't really able to see them either. I just dumped the bag in the bin and left it alone.

That wasn't much help -- was it? I will say that my bin did not process much until I had been using it for 3-6 months. It takes a while for all the organisms that break things down to populate the bin.

Good luck,
Mariann

Thanks for the response, Mariann. The shipping container was probably a quart-size. Maybe three months isn't long enough to see a change in the population. But I haven't seen a single baby worm since I started, so I was wondering if the box was maybe too big. I'll just have to be patient, and see what happens during the fall and winter.

Thanks again,
Peter

I, too, would question whether or not there was a pound of worms in a container of roughly a quart size. Marianne's description of a pound of worms looking about like a pound of hamburger is right. I would think that a quart container holding one pound of worms and bedding would be a lot of worms and damned little bedding...

In some cases worms are so stressed by being harvested and packed in shipping material that even if they arrive alive and are subsequently placed in a good environment they do not survive long. As you indicate that you began your system some three months ago, this would have your worms shipping during the month of June, a period during which some worm growers won't ship worms or won't guarantee live delivery due to shipping stress induced by the extreme seasonal heat. It would not be at all surprising were this the reason you're worm population did not perform as you had expected.

That your system supports/supported a thriving soldier fly population suggests you are/were feeding the system adequately, and it is hardly believeable that any soldier fly inhabited system would be too dry for earthworms, thus it sounds as though the environment is/was not necessarily the problem.

If your bin is in soil contact and has holes in the floor you might consider waiting a few more weeks to see if, as the season cools and becomes wetter, "wild" worms, which will often become more active with the seasonal change, will find their way in to the system. If you'd like to get the system ramped up more quickly, you might try another worm purchase, looking for a more local source or buying from a vendor who guarantees their worms.

My two cents...

Kelly S

P.S. Pete, where ARE you? You personal info says you live in South Carolina, but your zone is Oregon. Now, I'm no geography whiz kid, but if I recall, those two locations are somewhat distant from eachother, aren't they?...

Thanks for the input, Kelly. Apparently I'm no more of a wiz at setting up my personal account than I am at raising worms! I'm in Hillsboro, Oregon.

My box is not in contact with the ground. I placed it up on bricks to collect all of the wonderful leachate that I had read about. Then I read your posting on how a well-run box shouldn't have leachate, and even if it does, it's not worth much as fertilizer. So I guess I could place it on the ground. But now that we're entering the frost season, shouldn't I be looking at moving the box into the garage?

Regardless of how slow the process of populating the bin with worms has been, I've sure been enjoying the other creatures that have been showing up. I've got six or seven spiders living on the underside of the lid and in the corners, making a living off of the fruit flys (and another small black fly that doesn't fly much). I just wish I had a junior high kid who needed a science project. I can think of half a dozen centered on a worm box.

Thanks again,
Peter

Not only was the state wrong, my personal info said my favorite forum was Virginia Flowers. I don't even know the woman!

Peter,

We're practically neighbors -- I'm in Beaverton.

Mariann

And I'm down the road in Salem.

And I'm up the road in Vancouver WA. So, Anyone up for a coffe at a centrally located Starbucks one day?

Kelly S

It would be a real treat to meet over a cup of coffee with some worm wranglers who know what they're doing. My father always told me that "No one is completely worthless; they can always serve as a bad example." So I could provide at least that much to the conversation! Name the time and place, and I'll do my best to make it.

Peter

Peter,

Your father has a lot of wisdom . I never thought about that way. I'm impressed!

Sylvie

This has very little to do with location ..unless anyone wants to drop into Victoria, Australia, for a cuppa!

Back to the wooden Box ...We are having a hard rubbish collection in my suburb soon ... O how I love this recycling time. My next project is to make a worm bin out of wood.

A few people on this forum have refered to Kelly,s basic wooden bin. Now as a guide line, can anyone point me in the right direction, '"Would't mind checking out Kelly's bin" Now onto my 4th bin .. my worms are moving in the right direction...... no one told me worms could be so addictive.

Cath.

Hi Cath,

The box I built was almost identical to the one described in 'Worms Eat My Garbage.' Here's a link to the plans. I built mine out of 'found' lumber, some of which was past its prime, so I don't know how long the box will last. But it was pretty simple and fast to put together, and the cost was almost nil.

Peter

Here is a link that might be useful: University of California

Peter
This morning, my 7 yld. son hid the car keys which happened to have the key to get into work ... he didn't want to go to school. Managed to survive that one. Then I went to a few book stores looking for "Worms Eat My Garbage" Got two different stories ... not available in Australia.

Yesterday found drowned worms in my C.O,W ...BUT THE LIGHT OF MY DAY ... my printer was just out of coloured ink and I printed out your info.

Thanks Heaps.

Cath.

Cath..Go to "wormwoman.com". You should be able to buy the book there.

Cath, does Amazon.com provide service in Australia? I know they carry the book.

Thanks Guys,

Wormwoman.com. What a treasure.

This will do me for awhile.

Will get the book ... thanks to you guys, heading me in the right direction.

Cath