How To Start A Worm Bin

Worms need the following things:

• Container A 10 or 15 gallon Rubbermaid bin with holes drilled in the sides for ventillation
• Bedding Shredded newspaper with only black and white print, colors are poisonous to earthworms, and /or straw and leaves.
• Moisture The bedding needs to be moist. After shredding newspaper, place it in a bucket and wet it. It is properly moist, if it holds together when squeezed but does not drip.
• Darkness Keep the lid on the bin.
• Food Using the earthworm gourmet food list, bury the food under a layer of bedding.
• Sand Add a ½ cup of sand for digestion.
• Egg shells Rinse egg shells and let them dry. Then crush them in a baggie with a rolling pin. These are a needed for calcium.
• Temperature Between 55 degrees and 80 degrees.

After you have put your bin together and added the worms, continue to add food as they consume it.

New Bedding
The worm’s castings are poisonous to him. In about 3 months time you’ll have to start new bedding.

Method One:
Move the compost over to one half of the bin and add new bedding to the other half. As you add new scraps to only the new bedding the worms will slowly migrate to the new side and the old bedding can then be removed and added to the garden.

Method Two:
To quickly change the bedding, you can take the compost out and form about 10 piles on plastic. As you scrape away the top layer of each pile the worms will keep moving lower to get away from the light. Eventually, you will have a pile of worms at the bottom.

Worm casting tea:
Take a handful of castings and put them in cloth and tie it. Then put it in a bucket of water. After a day or two it can be used to water you house plants.



[ Home Page] [ Our Site At A Glance] [ Little Sprouts]

Have any questions? Drop us a line.