The ideal temperature for the worm bin is 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 12. 8 to 23. 9 degrees Celsius. Store the worm bin in a closet, laundry room, or other storage room. If you have a large kitchen and are not worried about potential smells, keep it in the kitchen to easily throw food in it.
This container holds the bedding, food scraps, and worms. It also regulates the amount of moisture in the bedding and blocks light. Make sure that whichever container you buy has a lid. Otherwise, you’ll have to improvise and cover it with black plastic, like a trash bag.
Drill five holes each in the lid and the bottom, and at least three holes on each side of the bin. The worms won’t leave through these holes because of their aversion to light, but you can cover the holes with wire screen or mesh if you want.
Call local organic-gardening or other garden stores to see if they sell worms. If not, research online. You’ll find many companies or individuals to order worms from. Worms are generally sold by the pound, and one pound (. 45 kg) tends to be around 1000 worms. 1000 worms is generally enough to start a worm bin.
Paper from a phone book also works well. Don’t use glossy paper or paper with ink other than the ink used for newsprint. It may be harmful for the worms. Torn up strips of toilet paper or paper towel rolls and cardboard egg cartons work great, too. Regardless of the material you use, the strips should be 1 inch (2. 5 cm) wide.
It may work best to shred the bedding and then soak it in water in a separate container for 15 minutes or so. It’s better for it to be slightly too wet than too dry. Don’t wet the bedding until you are ready to fully construct your worm bin. Otherwise, it may dry out and need to be wet again.
Soil is necessary because it adds grit to the worms diet which helps them digest the food better. If the soil is dry, be sure to soak it completely with water before adding it to the bin.
It’s especially important to avoid adding meat or bones and any type of dairy product. Also avoid bread and excessive amounts of citrus. Research what is good for vermicompost before you put it in the bin. If you have something you want to add but you aren’t sure, check before you add it.
If you’re worried about the smell, set the bin outside for this initial decomposing period. Once the worms are in the bin, they help keep the smell down.
If this feels like they are too cramped, make two holes in the bedding and put about half of the worms into each hole.
If you produce more food on some days, save the food scraps and add them later so that it averages out to about four pounds (1. 8 kg) total for the whole week. These worms reproduce in the worm bin, so you’ll eventually have more than 1000 anyway. However, the rate of reproduction is inconsistent and you can’t count the worms very easily.
Again, this is not an exact figure. You may have some compost ready after two or three months. If you want, harvest the compost a little bit at a time rather than taking it all out at once.
