Worm bin bag for indoor vermicomposting and easy separation of worms from compost

Step 25 Harvest some compost

Hooray! Here is where your work will really pay off (and the unseen work of your worms). After a few weeks, open up the bottom by sliding the cord stop out and loosening the cord. Lovely, rich compost will come out. If you want more, squeeze on the bottom part or pat/hit it lightly and more will come out. If you start seeing some uncomposted parts or more than a couple of worms coming out, you should cinch it back up and wait some more weeks. Just throw the uncomposted bits and worms back up in the top of the bin.

Use this finished vermicompost to sprinkle on your houseplants and around your garden. You'll never need to buy that stinky steer manure or chemically fertilizers again!

Comments

[Admirabilia]

I LOVE the continuous flow system and have set up several bags for friends... the problem that i have had however is that despite efforts to trap and deter mice they are a fact of life in our old apartment and they loved the worm bag as much as i do... they chewed a door into it and made it their new nest.... GROSS!

So, sadly my progress was for naught but i am going to post up a 'step can' tutorial for those who might have similar problems.

I am converting a steel stepcan into the new vermienvironment and its sturdy construction should keep out any little critters.

cross your fingers for me, but for those of you who also co-habitate with mice on occasion, this is fair warning. :(

[amyoungs]

That is not something I've had trouble with myself, so I appreciate your experience here. Great to hear you have invented the solution to the problem already! The stepcan conversion sounds to me as if it will provide perfect security against mice. The only thing I'd be concerned with would be aeration of the steel can. Do they make these perforated? If not, I'd recommend drilling small holes into the side of the can to allow air flow. Please do post a picture when you make it, I'd love to see it and hear how it works!

[shabbysquire]

Great set-up, and I like the easy continuous flow design. This beats stacking systems as you have to 'dump' & 'sort'.

[denine]

This is really cool - we bought a composter last year and have it out in the yard, but I looked into using worms first. Unfortunately, all of the user reviews of the pre-made versions said the worms were drowning in the liquids that pooled at the bottom. I love that everything drips down and if the worms come out, they land safely in the bin!
http://www.weknowstuff.us.com/

[vee77]

 I just made a worm compost using your instructable concept.  I am new to composting and thought this was very asthetic.  I used a friends donated hamper bin legs, a $10 black canvas laundry bag. It had shoulder straps so I just flipped it cinch-side down, tied the shoulder straps around one side and knotted the excess straps to the other side for tension to hold the legs up.  I cut a flap opening at the top and made a little string knot to open and close it.  Reinforced the knots, holes and bindings with electrical tape, just to use electrical tape and keep holes from splitting.  I'll get a picture up later. Great instructable.

[amyoungs]

It sounds like your hamper bag is pretty inventive. I'd love to see a picture, when you get a chance. Happy vermicomposting!

[Lyngrl]

Thank you for this tutorial. I live in a very cold climate so it is great to hear that these do well inside. I can't wait to start on this project. Thanks again

[avie93309]

Love this instructable! Great instructions. If only I had printed out the full direction for the frame, my hubby and I would not have ended up arguing at OSH. I copied down 8" & 6" instead of feet. After the argument, I decided to just go with the laundry hamper idea. The fabric was on sale at Joanne's for $2.99/yd so I bought enough to make 2 chutes. I cut out a square at the bottom with a vertical saw to access the chute when harvesting the future compost. I replaced the laundry hamper cover and Voila! Thank you for this great idea!

[nashville]

What a great idea, did you cut these hampers in half?

[CarolynW]

Hi I didn't fully understand the laundry bag one, do you make a hole underneath the laundry bin? does this laundry bin come with a cover? Does the material have to be thick?

[avie93309]

Sorry for late response. I didn't cut a hole on the bottom - only on the back side of the bin for easy access when harvesting, also for aesthetics. The cut out area holds my gloves for harvesting & checking the wormies. This bin came w/ a cover as do most of them. I made 2 of these - I use the other to place the harvest - let it sit there for another week and wait for the baby worms. I place the baby worms back to the main one so they can make me more worms. I make compost tea with the manure using DIY Deuley's Texas Tea Brewer - happy composting

[amyoungs]

I like your plastic hamper innovation. Much easier than having to do all the wood construction. Plus, a decision that reduces fights with spouses is always a good one, well done! -amy

[Arlie]

Thank you. 2 questions: Do you keep the composter in your living area? & Other worm bed builders spoke of what sounded like a large amount of liquid by-product that was released and if not drained would turn the compost into smelly mud....is this an issue with this bag composter??? thank you again for the info.

[amyoungs]

If the worm bin/bag is aerated, the a liquid that can develop does not smell. It is a nice "worm tea" which is a great plant fertilizer. If you have a plastic worm bin that does not allow for enough aeration or drainage, smells can develop. With this worm bag, there is plenty of aeration due to the bag being made of fabric rather than plastic. If the worm bag does get very damp, the extra liquid just dribbles out of the bottom into the rubbermaid tub. This rarely happens for me, unless I put a lot of water into the top of the bag or feed them a bunch of wet foods at once. I keep a worm bag in my art studio and another 2 in my basement. I used to keep a worm bin under my kitchen sink, which was super convenient for feeding, but my current kitchen does not have the space. Good luck with your vermicomposting adventure!

[Chapu]

I second that, great great tutorial! Just about to make an indoor vermicompost solution, and this one is by far the most attractive I´ve seen so far, very clever the textile-bin. It gets a lot of air, so no chance it gets to wet. Almost the opposite I suppose. I just saved a laundry frame from a dumpster, great! As for the fabric, I´m gonna try out a dark thin nylon , must try to get everything as light as possible as the laundry frame isn´t to sturdy. Thankyou..

[cfhaynes]

Brilliant - both the text and the visuals. Congratulations on one of the best tutorials available anywhere and in any format.