You don't need more worms or more bins, you need more time. Two months is not long enough for a bin to get up and running efficiently. That's because the worms work in conjunction with a lot of microscopic biota that take a while for their populations to fully build up and distribute through the bin. Keep doing what you're doing, don't overfeed, and you should be gradually able to increase the amount of food that you give them. About six months seems to be when things really kick fully into gear, depending on a lot of factors like the style of bin, temperatures (the system works faster at temps around 70-80 degrees), moisture oxygen type of food etc etc etc.

I started with a similar setup and I have been at it a few months now. It's slow going-- I am coming to terms with that. Be patient. It keeps picking up more and more all the time. Spotted my first cocoon the other day!

Yes to everything that's already been said... We all began the same way, just like you, full of excitement, with mental images gathered from the internet of what it will be like... the part that was missing is an understanding of the timeframe in which this will take to achieve. Many of us attempt to speed things up and usually some worms suffer or die in the process of our discovery that nature just takes time to happen. However there are small things you can do that might help to speed things up a tiny bit.

Start by helping to open more of the foodstuffs up to bacteria, fungi, et al in the bin either by freezing it and then thawing before placing into the bin or by running it through a blender first. This will tear the plant cells apart exposing more of them and also rupture many cell walls thus spilling its contents and making it available to many more bacteria (and the other microbiology) as that is what the worms actually eat. Part of a bin's ecosystem is composed of critters sometimes referred to as "shredders"... these are much larger creatures than bacteria and thus take MUCH longer to multiply up their numbers to match the food quantities being added in the early stages of bin development and therefore can limit the bacterial growth within the bin. Remember, all ecosystems are about balance so if you can help shred the foods before you add them to the bin then the bacteria will be able to multiple closer to their optimal speed (which is amazingly fast) and thus provide more feed to more worms sooner.

Another thing, if you don't mind adding more diversity to your worm bin, is to add compost from an outdoor pile... even some composted manure. And like all foodstuffs added to the bin, keep it in one section of the bin so if it should heat up or is too concentrated in one way or another, the worms can choose to avoid it until its "ripe"... you should always leave the worms an "escape route" with any additions. You have a lot of worms already, you just need to give the rest of the ecosystem a boost to balance it all out. You basically can shorten that time a little by supplying greater numbers of the "other guys" in the bin from outside sources... such as from a compost pile.

In the end it will still take time for your worm bin to mature... to become a balanced system, so the best you can expect is to "goose it" a little but it will not all happen in a month or two or three even... I like theparsley's estimate of about 6 months, give or take a month or two either way depending upon other factors. As previously been said in an earlier posting, temperature will have an accelerated effect on all the bin inhabitants, with higher temps increasing growth rates (up to a point... like around 75F being the optimum for red wiggler growth).

Welcome to the hobby of worm ranching... Good luck and have fun, yeehaw!

I ran a recent experiment concerning worm castings and cuttings you might find interesting. I used the same good potting soil in each. I added only about 25% casting to the mix. The images should speak for themselves. The second photo was taken one month later. The one on the left did not have WC.

Gorgeous!!

hummersteve, what kind of plants are those........they look like my comfrey plants?

I have a question regarding harvesting. When you harvest do you reintroduce any of the partially composted material into a new bin in order to help the fresh bedding develop helpful MOs? Any thoughts on that.

When I started my Rubbermaid bin, I took a handful of the compost from my Worm Factory and put it in a week before my worms arrived. They settled in nicely so I think it may have been helpful. They are eating a lot already.

I think it's a helpful thing to do, particularly if it's a whole new container rather than the trays that worms can travel between like on the Worm Factory. I always think it's helpful to worms in a new bin if you transfer them in a big helping of finished or near-finished vermicompost, placing it in the new bin without stirring it around or dispersing it. The worms seem to be most comfortable staying in or near the finished material at first and then gradually dispersing out from there to find new food, spreading the helpful microorganisms with them as they go.

Emily-- Thanks

Harry-- The test plants are salvia black and bloom.

One thing newbies fail to realize is that bedding is also food so the worms will do well even when not feeding for a period of time. It does take some time to get it all right. We all go thru this . For a period of time I used a potato feed sack as a covering. In a few months that sack was used up , gone., thanks to the worms.

Once you feel like everything is going well , worms are happy your food is disappearing and your herd is growing you may want to consider giving your worms a power snack which may help to vitalize and fatten your worms. Go with 1 part corn meal, 2 parts oats. I usually grind up my oats into a flour mix with the corn meal. I use a cheap coffee grinder I got at walmart for this. You can also add powdered egg shells done the same way. I put the mix in an old parmesan cheese shaker which already has holes in it, works well to sprinkle the mx across the top of your bin. Then water it down with spray bottle

I meant to say the test plants are salvia black and blue, you probably knew that.

I think we are start worming cheaply at first rubbermaid or whatever. Also if you start that way , occasionally turning the mix a bit so it does not become anerobic. Otherwise it just sits there in the one container. I now use only the worm factory and its a very efficient system. I get enough that I can share with my brother and sister and they are very appreciative.