LOL. Yup.

Storing a stolen statement here for future use: "This is all so interesting. I imagine my theorem will be dispelled, I can't believe EVERYONE believes the wrong thing... I just can't disprove it ...yet"

This post was edited by equinoxequinox on Sun, Feb 1, 15 at 23:24

It is amazing how much misinformation there is out there. And it is amazing how a little thing like feeding my worms orange peels can get such strong reactions from people. (A different forum)

One of the problems this activity has is that there is not ONE video on Youtube claiming to show how to set up a new bin that does it right. I think Bentley comes closest.

Of course, a lot of that is differences in style. You can do things differently than I do and your worms just might survive.

So -- sbryce have you posted already how you do it ?
I infer, trust, you have : - P

Sorry to crash your party-- Certainly Bently gives decent info on starting your bin. I spent a lot of time on you tube seaching info of kinds of setups and bedding before I ever started, but still I started wrong-- at least a lot of so called experts would consider wrong. I started with plastic homemade--wrong. Plus it was not opaque -wrong again,,, not very deep--wrong again. In the end the reason it worked for me my bins are in a walk in closet which is mainly dark or can be kept dark. Still these homemade bins triple stack provide me with more compost overall than my factory or at least seems that way.

Bently's overall bedding start is ok but I found that by using coir I had stringy strands at harvest so now I prefer not to use it. A base for me now is Peat , which I have lots on hand because I do so many cuttings and cuttings from cuttings[plants]. I also add some sifted compost, sifted coffee grounds, shredded paper and torn cardboard and mixed together well, then add a little juiced food in a corner and that covered in another nice layer of hand shredded newsprint and the whole ball of wax misted down with a bottle mister. [ the peat of course gets thoroughly soaked and squeezed out before mixing in]. Wa la new bin start.

In the beginning I drilled 1/8 holes as suggested then later when I added trays I made windows with screens which have since been covered up with duct tape. But I did cut out the bottoms of each tray and replacing with hardware cloth which im guessing gives enough airflo. I have to keep lid on top of this bin or the burlap with dry out too fast. This lid cover has no holes--wrong again and now only leave the slightest of cracks that you can only barely see thru. And now with all the wrong I have done my worms are not dying seem quite happy are not trying to escape for lack of air-- yes we agree to disagree.

Have I posted how to do it? Of course not. If I had, then I could no longer say that nobody has a video on how to do it right.

And I don't have the equipment to make videos, or the need to make another bin right now.

sbryce: I recently read those two topics you are referring to on another worm board. I was reading along comparing the quality of their posts to our posts. Ho hum. Boring. And then I read a couple of things that really rang the bell and made me wonder if these other boards do have some information I need. "It is amazing how much misinformation there is out there. And it is amazing how a little thing like feeding my worms orange peels can get such strong reactions from people. (A different forum) One of the problems this activity has is that there is not ONE video on Youtube claiming to show how to set up a new bin that does it right." Oh. I just read that on another board. I think what I read elsewhere and really liked was written by you. I have not searched to be sure but if a rose is a rose then your worm posts I like no matter where you post them, they ring true. Nice to know i do not yet have to switch boards because my favorite posters are right here. Other than those two posts I did not learn anything from a read of the other board.

Wow, I sure hope my worms don't catch wind of the fact that I am not doing it "right" and decide to protest. Despite my near exclusive use of white office paper and oak leaves for bedding and my refusal to cook, refrigerate, slice or dice their food (except for the 15 pound whole pumpkin I had to quarter to fit) the are eating, pooping and having orgies faster than I can keep up with this winter.

The thing is, worms don't know whether we are doing it right or wrong. They just seem to do their thing either way.

And, Ray, you are going to have to explain to us what it is that you are doing wrong.

The internet is full of worm myths, half-truths, misinformation, and poor advice.

Worms are survivalists. They are amazingly resilient.

I've read worms are the most studied but least understood creature.

I've read there may be 8.7 million different species.

There seems to be very few absolutes when it comes to worms.

Needing a new feedstock for my squirm, I stumbled upon this.

Here is a link that might be useful: worms and contaminated soil

.....and you will raise some worms, Ray. But you won't raise nearly the numbers of worms, and all the benefits that go with that, with that plan.

My motto: "Moderation, Diversity, Patience" was developed because my years of doing this proved to me that those 3 descriptions of what you do are absolutely the best way to do it.

That's not to say that it is the ONLY way....just the best way.

Overloading bins with excessive moisture-prone stuff will cause possible probs with excessive moisture....DUH!

Using only one, or only a couple of things, in your bin as food and/or bedding is just adverse to preventing potential probs.

Being Patient with your anxiously-awaited results of growing your worm herd will prevent making bad decisions about Moderation and Diversity.

We make this thing we do waaayyy more technical and complicated than it really is. These wormies are incredibly successful within lots of different situations. That is why we all can argue about techniques and situations.

Good luck, and bring back to us your experiences.

chuckiebtoo

Moderation, Diversity, Patience

I can raise more worms my way than the "right" way. It will not be as dense a population, but because I don't worry about cooking and prepping and seeking ideal ratios, I manage far larger beds than I could otherwise manage. This yields a larger, though less dense, population.