Steve,

I do have a top layer (about two to three inches thick) of shredded moist paper. On top of that, I have a complete section of newspaper that I lay on the very top (this is also moist/damp...I assume this would be similar to your burlap). I leave a one inch band around the full sheet of newspaper because I have always thought that it just allowed for more air circulation.

This is hurting my brain.

Too wet? Too warm? My 360 tower never has worms outside of their bedding area. The rubbermaid bin often does and I find it's usually because it's too wet or too full of castings. It seems to me your worms are running away from *something*. No idea on the baby worms.

Update: Just spoke with the manufacturer of the Worm Factory and the person helping me, Elsie, feels that I am not feeding them enough.

Mary,

Bin is definetely not to wet. If anything, it would be to dry...but I dont think it is. It is damp. Also, it is not to hot. I heat with only a woodstove and we have had a cold winter and I have to fight to keep the bin at 60 deg. which is basically around where it stays.

I might try upping the food.

byrdmando, I am glad you called the manufacturer of the Worm Factory. That is the first time I have ever heard of somebody doing that. It was a smart idea. Those who search for answers tend I think to be successful in vermicomposting... and in life in general. The manufacturers really need to step up a bit with their information in with the product because boy do we see lots of people with lots of questions on their bin$. I can pretty much guarantee that in the history of vermicomposting the only bin that ever was under fed was one of a person who was no longer alive. Most all vermibin problems can be fixed by adding more dry bedding. To solve worms crawling out of the bedding and on to the cover... this can be solved by taking off the cover. Many of us run without a cover. Or you can simply set the cover on a bit a jar. "a source online that said the little pieces of "dirt" on top of the lid are actually baby worms." Sometimes little pieces of dirt on the top of the lid and on the sides are actually individually deposited vermicastings. I think they look a bit like wet cigarette tobacco shreds. These worms on the lid, are they all size worms or only tiny baby worms? You have already gotten some great replies and will no doubt get many more. You are at the right place for answers. The worms may be happy on the cover. It is OK to leave them there. Maybe each day it is a different set of worms. Also it is a great way to harvest worms if you so desire. Think of them as volunteers. :-) Your Worm Factory seems to have been very productive for you in a short amount of time.

Thanks for the help Equinox. Regarding the size of worms on lid...they are all different sizes. I like the idea of leaving the lid off but I am positive my 14 month old and 4 year old would love it equally and it might be the last straw for my wife if my girls were dumping my worms all over the kitchen floor. I did add about 2-3 inches of very dry bedding. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Now on another note, when I was talking with the manufacturer, they told me that a pound of worms should eat a half a pound of scrap...this I knew but It got me thinking that I really dont feed them anywhere near that much food. Something for me to think about I suppose. I guess I was so scared of OVER feeding that I was really not feeding all that much.

Now, my next goal is to expand some because I would love to be able to give some of the people in my community a 5 gal. bag of compost for a gift. I could easily get rid of 30 lbs...but that is probably best left for another day when I have a better grasp on my "small" scale venture.

Have a great weekend all.

Byrdmando

I can see why you would not leave the cover off now. I think the happiest worms are the ones on the cover. "a pound of worms should eat a half a pound of scrap" Yes that's what they "many sources" say. I don't know why. "5 gal. bag of compost for a gift" is a lot. Most people who have not done the work to produce it have no idea of the work that goes into it to value it appropriately. A quart freezer Ziploc full would be very generous. I have to keep mine in the cellar where it is too cold. You are lucky to keep them in the room temperature kitchen.

Wow, a 5 gallon 'gift' of worm castings would be very generous and for myself I have far too many nutrient starved sq ft of ground to consider such a thing. Very nice thought though.

As far as feeding and how much to feed the idea of moving from one corner to the next sure makes a lot of sense as you can check the last fed corner to see how they are coming along with things. Doesnt have to be corners either, imagine a grid of 9 spaces three by three in the bin for example and work your way through them, wormies wont have to travel so far to the next meal and gives you many more feeding locations. If I were doing bins I would use a marker for the last fed location and work the same pattern through each time moving the marker over the newly fed spot.

You want the old spots to be well consumed before the worms abandon it but then you also want the new locations to be in various degrees of decomposition before they get there so it is readily available to them as opposed to the poor devils having nothing but some fresh carrot peeling to gum on. Many stand by reducing the feed manually by shredding, chopping, juicing, blending or whatever means you might have. Also freezing will help break down cell walls causing the food to hasten its way along with the deconstruction.

Thanks all for the great advise. I put a thick layer of DRY bedding on the very top and it seems to have kept lots off the lid. I think I will just take comfort in the knowledge that the ones on the lid are the happiest and just learn to greet them with a smile.

Also, five gallons may be a bit ambitious. Honestly, I have never used castings so I am not really sure how far it should go but a quart or two or probably plenty...especially since it took me about 7 or 8 months to get the 4 gallons.

I have the Worm Factory people in my speed dial and I will not be hesitating to call with questions and concerns.

byrdmando
Your replay from the company also got me to thinking especially about my factory 360 that bin seems to be growing at a good rate and Im wondering if maybe I should be feeding them more. Im not having any of the problems you have suggested but still it does make sense that it might not hurt to up the anti a little even though I have already done that to a certain degree. But the constant supply of newsprint does give them something to munch on in a pinch.

Quick Update:

I added much dry bedding at the top and it has greatly slowed down (but not eliminated) the worms on the lid. It did not happen overnight but each day I saw a bit more decrease in numbers hanging out on the lid. Last night, there were only maybe 5-8 worms on the lid.

Thanks for all the help.

Byrdmando

I do believe thats the idea of this site to compare and help each other to get the most out of worm farming. I would say it takes some time to get everything right and in a good routine for the worms it doesnt happen overnight. I will say now days Its a rare a occasion to find even one worm on either of my bin setup lids. Thats where I want them in the bedding doing their work. But anytime I remove one of my tier trays there will be worms hanging from the bottom which is normal.

This has been a very interesting thread. I'm curious about the number of trays you mentioned. I've just rotated my first tray out after gradually (over a couple months) filling two other trays wig coffee ground and partially composted kitchen scraps (from my outdoor tumbler). I was surprised how heavy the two new trays were. The first tray was very densely compacted. It started out with a little food material, but mostly coffee grounds and coconut core. There wasn't a single worm in the first tray. Did you find a lot of worms in your bottom trays? Are they really densely compacted?

duaroger

I have 4 working trays and 1 top tray filled only with dry shredded paper. When I harvest the bottom tray there usually will be a few worms in it 50 or less. Most have moved up where there is a lot more material to process or eat. Yes when I left or move say a couple of trays Im surprised at the weight and that is a good feeling better heavy than not.

My daughter gave me my worm factory as a Christmas gift this past holiday. Had it operating a few days after Christmas with 1000 worms from Uncle Jims. I have three trays, 2 in operation and 1 waiting to be put into service. I used the coconut coir and grit (provided by Jim), along with lots of shredded newspaper bedding on bottom and top. I covered the feeding tray with a 2-page layer of damp newspaper and then the worm factory top. For food my initial feeding tray has pumkin (too dry), banana, apple, perssimon and potato peels, lettuce, and coffee grounds. When the first feeding tray was with an inch of the top, I added the second tray with the same coconut coir and grit (provided by Jim), along with lots of shredded newspaper bedding on bottom and top. Currently I only have one corner of food in the second tray where a few worms have migrated. Most remain in the first feeding tray where it is very active; worms are happy. I keep the factory in my basement where the temperature is about 62-65 degrees. My plan is to continue this process until the third (top) tray is full within 1 inch of the top and then harvest the first tray. Questions: 1) What is the most efficient, least messy method for harvesting the vermicastings/compost? 2) How do you store the castings/vermicompost? 3) Have I done anything wrong?

I dont know that there is any wrong way as long as you dont add certain things- no meat , dairy, cheese, or oils. When a person is just starting on the that first tray and it becomes rather dark and most material is used or even there is still debris in it yet worms are moving around and maybe find some out of the tray its time to add that second tray. But from there in I dont judge on how full a tray is instead its how dark the material is, how much material/debris is unprocessed ,, how many worms are left in the harvest tray. All those tell me when the tray needs harvesting, but I still may or may not let it go longer before harvesting.

As far as harvesting goes Im not aware of any non messy way of doing things. Someone else would have to relate that to you. Some people take a plastic sheet and dump the vc out on it and separate the worms using the pyramid method by making several piles and by doing this in a place where plenty of light is shining on the vc the worms go down and scrap a little off the top till you see worms again then you take a little break let them go down further, eventuallly you have a mass of worms at the bottom of the pile. Some people rotate the bottom tray to the top put a bright light over it till the worms go down into the next tray.. Personally I made myself seiving box out of 2x4 and 1/4" screening I made mine about 2' x 3' . I put this over a wheelbarrow and dump all the finished vc inside of the home made screener. This screener also comes in very handy for seiving contents that go in plant mixes such as peat and compost. While you are screening the vc its easy to lift it up on occasion to see any worms that have fallen thru as they will be on top. I will put any worms I find in a separate container to go back in the worm bin .

Depending on how much of hurry you are for the vc you can at your liesure let the worms continue to work the harvest tray till you are ready to take it. No matter how long you wait it seems there will always be some stragglers still in the harvest tray.

Heres a shot of my well used screener

Hummersteve - I like you sieve method. I am going to try it. Do you store the vc before you use it? Since there could be worm eggs in it, I was going to store it in paperbags and run it through the sieve again after a couple of weeks.

charlie

Yes I store my vc in 5 gal buckets covered lightly , I like to keep my material moist. You can run the material thru the screener as much as you like now or later depending on how you like it. I dont separate any eggs too time consuming. By using the tiered style of bins I feel like by the time the top tray becomes the bottom they should have had enough time to leave the eggs. Some eggs will get by me and into the bucket which is ok with me. When I view the worms in my "360" feeding tray I can see all sizes of worms from the smallest on up and by that Im satisfied things are going well in the bins. I presently have about 25 gals of vc stored. Those with trained eyes can spot the castings.

usually always worms on top of the burlap as I have another tray sitting on it

I wanted to give a quick update regarding my upping of the worm feed. If you recall, I was told by a Worm Factory employee that I may not be feeding enough. Well, I am now feeding maybe 5x the amount that I was previously and I would have to say that the worms are thriving. They are all over the place and I am making compost faster than I ever imagined.

Because I do not have a scale to weigh how much I am feeding I will tell you that I am feeding about 1.5 heaping handfuls (I do have fairly small hands...think 14 year old boy size) everyday and they are going through it with no trouble. I do chop it up fairly well with a clever but I dont go crazy. I have also resorted to misting the farm with water every so often as I finally realized that even with all the food, the worm farm was a bit on the dry side and they really seem to like the additional water.

I still get worms on the lid and I dont see anyway around that so I am learning to accept the usual 20-30 worms on the lid. Just the way it is.

Hope this helps someone.

Byrdmando

Coleman Falls, Va.

Birdmando - I am also in Virginia, a ways from you in Fairfax County. Got my worm factory as a present from my daughter this past Christmas and set it up right away. I am glad you metioned the 1.5 handfull daily feeding regimen; I was wondering if I was feeding enough. I have been feeding less than that. I am going to up my daily amount. Thanks!