Plastic sterilite is the most moisture retensive, portable, and inexpensive. I have about 12 of them of varying sizes, at various stages of harvest-readiness, and I usually just partially harvest bins by splitting them up, etc.

Do you do the one inside the other for collection bin?

Sometimes, but since I want to collect the cocoons, I still go thru them somewhat, I still believe that the less compacted, probably near anaerobic materials the worms live in, the better off they are.

My worms are constantly evacuees, or refugees, or displaced worms...depending on your definition of mass relocation. The worms don't really want to leave, but they are pretty good about it since they always wind up in a better place.

Not necessarily the way things go at the human level of society.

Chuckiebtoo

Chuckiebtoo

I have lots of plastic bins, bins made of straw bales, but my favorite are the bins I have made out of cinderblock. (I'm starting to sound like "The 3 Little Pigs"). I like these bins, as they are in contact with the ground, and bigger. This makes them more stable and forgiving, I think. Check out the pictures I put on photobucket.com. (Best viewed as a slideshow).

Here is a link that might be useful: Cinderblock bin

SQH!- thats HUUUUGE! how many families food do you digest? or do you cold-compost yard waste too?

Swampboogiequeen- I dont have a favorite bin yet, but I know my least is a shallow (6" wooden) bin!

I have 4 bins set up, but I really prefer larger bins. They are easier to manage and the worms seem to prefer them. They can always find somewhere in the bin to their liking. I use a plastic compost bin that my city gives away; round, about 3 feet high and three feet in diameter. I started with about half a pound of worms a couple of years ago and now have maybe 30 pounds. One warning, in the summer when it is warm (but not too hot) they can eat 100 pounds of food a week. I feed kitchen scraps, grass clippings and paper from my office shredder. With worm bins, bigger is better if you can find a way to feed them.

Dick

Susan: I have 4 raised veggie beds, and converted one to a worm bed in about May. I dumped in one of my plastic bins with maybe 1500 worms. The bed is 4X8 and 1' deep filled with partially composted horse manure. The sides are made of Hardiboard and it is bottom-lined with hardware cloth. It is in partial shade most of the day but gets full sun a couple of hours total a day. The worms died/disappeared for the most part and just have not done well there. Would the heat be a factor? (90-100 degree days normally) Did I not keep it wet enough? (Watered it about twice a week)

Pretty disgusting, since they do so well in the plastic bins in the same backyard environment about 50 feet away.

Chuckiebtoo

Garnetmoth.. I personally only digest my food..:) Since I sell worms and vermicomposting systems here in Raleigh, I need to keep my worm population up. I also have been doing a school vermicomposting project at my daughter's elementary school. The cafeteria kitchen staff would put all the pre-consumer food scraps aside for me. Sometimes..no, lots of times there was way more food than the school indoor bins could handle, so I built the first cinderblock bin for overflow. This bin was so easy to manage that I built a second one. My local grocery store now puts their discarded produce aside for me whenever I call and I feed the worms with it. More food + more space = lots more worms!
Chuckiebtoo...That's a big bin for a pound+. If I were to guess your worms are there, just spread out. Do you have any kind of cover for it? I had to put lids on those cinderblock bins to keep marauders from picnicing nightly. I seed my outdoor bins, sometimes, with extra vermicompost after sorting out worms for people's new systems.

When I put the plastic bin contents into the raised bed, I placed them in the middle of the bed after digging a hole into it...figured the worms would stay with the foodstuff. I made a fairly thorough search thru it finding few worms and fewer cocoons. It is covered with a sheet of plywood.

Chuckiebtoo

Ok, I pulled the 25 gal rubbermaid 'roughneck' out of the garage, drilled a bunch of holes in it (not at the bottom though). I'm gonna try not to use any drainage holes. Any last words before the worms go in without drainage?

IMHO, you should put some drainage holes in it. They should only be used as an indication of the proper amount of moisture in the bin. The bins shouln't drain...just a tiny amount of moisture, if any at all, appearing underneath them is all you want. BUT, if for some reason excess moisture happens, (sometimes you can over-moisturize with certain kinds of foodstocks) it can get out.

Chuckiebtoo

clever SQH! ;-)

my local grocery wouldnt agree to setting aside produce when my fiance asked, liability I guess. makes me mad cause its just more waste. I wouldnt even necessarily get into the worm business with more food, just give more to the community garden...?

garnetmoth..I met with a lot of oppostion at the food stores. The management said it was a corporate thing. I guess they were concerned I would eat the discards or something and they would be responsible for ill effects. I finally got some of the younger night managers to help me with my composting project and now have no problem. I can even go in in broad daylight, (not skulk around at night) and they box it very nicely..:D

Theres a Wild Oats Id think might be more receptive, but its about 20 min drive- If I get a job in the area, ill try it. congrats!

Hey Vermifolk,
What is this thing you call a "RUBBERMAID'? I live in Australia and we do have your normal plastic rubbish bins, am I close?

Whats!s your favorite bin? I'm pretty new at this and takinkg in heaps of info from this forum and loving it. For me now I think it's a matter of trial and error.

Just bought a C.o.w and sussing it out. Have left over bedding with cocoons in a pollystirene box and a compost bin open to the soil which gets the most neglect and most food scraps and is booming with worms. Might try a Cinderblock one .... what are cinderblocks anyway. You Americans have weird and wonderful ways!

Keep the good info coming, even if your lingo is a bit strange

Cath.

The Rubbermaid type are totes for storing household goods. "Rubbermaid" is just a brand name that most people here recognize. Cinderblocks are building blocks made of concrete. Check out the bins I built out of cinderblock and you will see them. I have many COW's too, imported from Australia..:) By the time they make it here, they are the most expensive bin I have or sell.

Here is a link that might be useful: cinderblock bin

I thought a Rubbermaid was an inflatable doll! Kinda like "Otto Pilot" in the movie Airplane! ;o)

Just kidding folks! Please don't educate me!

Watch it, Justmee, or you'll be standing in the corner right beside "me" (:0)!!

bruce

Now I know The Rubber Maid does't do house work as well as house the worms .. you can keep'em.
Great photo's Susan ... a lot of work in that little progect of yours.
My Can of Worms is working O.K and feeding watermelon as a kind of Settling In Bin Warming.

Cath.