Multi-Layer Vermiculture Bin

The following is a step-by-step process in building and maintaining your own worm compost system.

Step 1: Getting Started

Acquire all materials and create small workplace out of doors.
  Materials List:

Two plastic bins, one with lid.
(You should assess how much compost you will generate on a monthly basis to determine capacity. We’ve used 15 gallon Rubbermaid bins in anticipation of expanding our system.

One tray (to place under stacked bins as liquid catchment)
*Third bin or lid can be substituted for tray

Drill and 3/8” hole bit

Two food containers i.e:) yogurt or cottage cheese containers

Approximately one quart of dried leaves or mulch from yard

Few sheets of newspaper (no color ink)

Approximately one quart of soil

Couple dozen red wigglers (Eisenia foetida)

Comments

[mhuston1]

My neighbors dog keeps knocking the lid off mine i've tried bricks and tie downs. I even put the dog back on the chain in their back yard, he eats my compost and I'm pretty sure he got his teeth around my worms to :( SO much for my compost/fishing worm farm guess i'll have to figure out a dog proof way to do this.

[drumlin]

The juice from the bins is highly concentrated - use this juice by mixing 3 parts water to 1 part juice.

[ttlvsfrogs]

My two year old and I made ours today!!  She is in love with the wormies now.  This was a great project, thanks!!

[peacenique]

I think you'd have worms crawling through the holes.

[FazJaxton]

This is a good project, but it needs more description of how it is used.  Could you please expand a bit upon what kinds of kitchen scraps are appropriate, how much should be added at one time, when the upper layer will be ready, etc.  There are no air holes in the bottom bin, so is it intended to be stacked into the top one once it's compost has been used?

[kmh182]

Worms are not picky eaters. They can brake down nearly everything from cardboard to melon rinds. The only waste i would not put in this bin is meat scraps or feces. These can contain pathogens that potentially could be carried through the process into your compost. As far as how much kitchen scraps your bin can process; it depends. It depends on variables such as how many worms you have, and what kind of kitchen scraps your putting in. My rule of thumb is not to put in anything or amount that will take longer than three days for my worms to decompose because that is how long it takes for fruit flies larvae to mature and hatch. Fruit flies and other unwanted pests will be attracted to sitting scraps and lay their eggs there if they believe it will be around in a few days to feed their larva. you do not want pests in yoour compost. If your system begins to smell like rot it's a red flag that the system is going anaerobic and you have an imbalance that needs to be dealt with.
As far as the air hols on the bottom bin, good call. It is the intention of the design to rotate bins from top to bottom. so, yes. you should drill the same air holes in the bottom bin as well. smaller holes are alright because you dont want flies to have ultra easy access to your operations within.
hope this helps :)

[Dunhausen]

So when the dirt in the first bin is ready to be used, do you then empty it and put it on top of the second bin?

How much food waste is acceptable to be adding to the bin?

[kmh182]

When the bottom layer has been broken down adequately, you will begin to place fresh kitchen scraps in the bottom of the second bin (the one above, on top.) The worms will naturally migrate up from the finished compost into the top bin eliminating the common need to seperate worms from finished compost. It would also be a good idea to mix a little of the finished compost with the fresh scraps in the top layer while the worms migrate up. This will provide them with some material to live in other than the "hot" composting kitchen scraps. Hope this helps :)

[SvenskChef]

Sorry, but I am a bit confused here.  You say use a 3/8 inch bit for this and the next step, but from the pictures, they don't seem to be the same size.  Any chance that either this one is smaller than 3/8 or the next is larger?

[kmh182]

The holes should all be 3/8 inch. You have a keen eye ;) we originally made smaller holes but they should all be uniform.

[Cylvre]

Looking at the pictures a spade bit is being used so I think the smaller holes were made with smaller center spike and the full size holes are the entire width of the bit.  Just a guess though.

[kmh182]

see above :)

[vistal]

1 thing i would add is a Bottom 1 with a Tap they excrete liquid and you can collect this and use it while they break down the waste.

[dimtick]

Vistal
the tray on the bottom is for collecting the liquid.  a tap, instead of the tray, would be better if you want to collect the liquid into a watering can or spray bottle.