How to create a cheap wormbin

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By rnewcombe
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Want a cheap way to compost? Do you live in an apartment and want to compost but you can't do it outside? This will show you a cheap way to create an indoor compost pile with the help of Red Worms. These worms are famous for eating and rewarding you with rich soil you can even use in a garden from the same bin!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Two 8 or 10 Gallon Bins (Rubbermaid for example) Must be dark color no clear containers.
Drill (with 1/4" and 1/16" bits) for making drainage & ventilation holes
Newspaper
Aprox. 1 pound of Red Worms (Equal to 150-200 worms)
A cool reserved area, such as a Basement or a Closet

Step 1

With your drill and 1/4 bit drill approximately 20 evenly spaced holes in the bottom of both bins. these holes will serve the purpose of drainage and allow the worms to move to the second bin when you are ready to harvest the castings. (What your compost pile will turn into)
Step 2

On the side of the bin itself, drill ventilation (air) holes on each side of the bin near the top edge. (Just underneath the lip where the lid latches) Use your 1/16 inch bit.
Step 3

With the same 1/16 inch bit, drill about 30 holes in the top of just ONE of the lids.
Step 4

Shred the newspaper into 1 inch wide strips. This will need to be moist but not drenched or soggy. Soak the newspaper in water, squeeze out all excess water.
Step 5

Cover the bottom of the bin with your wet newspaper using about 3 to 4 inches of the bin bottom. Fluff the newspaper. If you have any old leaves throw some of those in too, then add some dirt to help the worms digest the food.
Step 6

Finally add your red worms. These red worms can be purchased online, a local farm from a manure pile, or even can try using a wet piece of cardboard outside during the night by laying it on the ground. The red worms live in the top 3 inches of organic material
Step 7

Cut a piece of cardboard, get it wet and cover the worms and their pile. Worms will eventually break this down.
Step 8

Place your bin in the Laundry Room, Basement or any shady room. Place the bin on top of bricks, cups to allow for drainage, you can use your other lid to place underneath so the liquid that drains on the lid can be collected and later used as fertilizer for your plants.
Step 9

Feed your worms slowly at first. The worms will multiply over time. Bury the food in different spots, this will encourage the worms to travel the bin and they will eat along the way. Feed your worms a vegetarian diet. Most things that would normally go down the garbage disposal can go into your worm bin.
Step 10

Win the bin is full and there is no more food scraps or materials you can recognize, place new bedding material in the second bin and place the bin directly on the compost surface of the first bin.
Bury your food scraps to the bedding of the second bin. In one or two months, most of the worms will have moved to the second bin in search of food. Your first bin will contain (almost) worm free vermicompost. (You can gently lift out any worms that might remain, and place them in the new bin, or put them into your garden!)

Comments

rnewcombe said

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on 7/5/2008 To my understanding you "could" but it is not recommended. One reason being is Night Crawlers are not really designed for composting, although they could, they are slower then the red worm. If you kept adding to your compost based on the amount of worms you have vs. the type of worms you have you'd create a "crazy" environment and the worms will either die or make attempts to escape.