Composting with worms-building a worm bin

I wanted to get a worm bin for a long time, so last year I finally built one after I came across a nice bin design which was using Rubbermaid bins you can easily get at any Target or Hardware store. Making your own is just the right thing for the person who wants to try worm composting without making a big financial commitment.

 

What are the benefits of worm composting?

For one the worms can recycle your kitchen-waste into one of the best soil amendments nature gives us, which are the worm castings, during the winter when your compost pile outside slows down or stops composting. Worm castings are supposed to have 7 times the nutrients than your outdoor produced compost. There is no turning and no watering, although you are supposed to keep it at a certain moisture level, not too wet and not to dry. You also will get some nice compost tea, which you can drain to water your house plants with.

I am diluting the compost tea half with water and water my house plants with that, since it seems to be so rich and my houseplants are responding nicely to it.

Another benefit is, you can do it indoors or outdoors, as long the temperature is between 40° and 80° F, which allows even apartment dwellers a way to compost their kitchen waste.

And if you like to go fishing, you will have always a nice supply of worms for that, because if the worms are happy, they will happily reproduce but there is only so much room in the bins for worms. And you also need to periodically separate the worms from the finished compost or they could die off. You can  pass on the left over worms you don't need to other people interested in trying worm composting or your fishermen friends, or add them to your compost pile. Or you could just make a second bin if you have the room.

Some people advise to get your Red Wigglers from outdoors, but the worms you will get outside are certain to be Night Crawlers and they thrive only in unimproved soils they’re NOT adaptable to worm bins and will die in them. They are the typical bait worm and are an invasive species introduced to the Americas. The Red Wigglers or Eisenia fetida for compost bins is also an European import but will not survive outside temperatures below 40 degrees or higher then 90, so are no thread to the environment. 

Let me show you how my bin is made.

Here are the parts you need, you should be able to get them all at your hardware/garden store:

  -2 solid color Rubbermaid bins, which need to be at least 14" deep. They need to nest into each other and still leave some room on the bottom for the compost tea to drain into.

  -2 - 2" screened louvered vents

  -10 - 1" screened louvered vents (we couldn't find 1" vents, so we used 6 - 2" sized, half the amount recommended)

  -O-ring hose washer

  -1 Male hose adapter, 3/4" x 1/2"

  -1 Metal hose shut-off valve, spigot

-Teflon plumbers tape

tools:

  -Motor drill

  -1/4" drill bit (regular)

  -1" drill bit (blade type)

  -2" drill bit (cup type)

  -measuring tape

Assembly of the worm bin:

Bin#2: Installing the screened louvered vents and drainage holes

 *Before you drill the holes, you should make an indentation with the 1" drill bit point to help guide the drill. You will have less slippage that way.

 *Turn the bin upside down and drill about 20 - 1/4" holes in the bottom of that bin, which will be for drainage.

Make sure to remove all bits of plastic residue from the holes, so they are clean and free of plastic curls. The plastic chips could make your worms sick.

 *Turn the bin on it's side and drill 5 - 1" holes if you have the 1" vents, or 3 -2" holes if you use the larger vents, along the upper edge, use the 2" cup type drill bit for the larger size. Locate the holes 1 3/4" from the top edge, spacing each hole about 3" apart.

 *do the same on the other side of bin

 *Now you need to insert the louvered vents into the holes from the outside of the bin

 *Make sure the vents are flush with the outside wall

Bin #1 Install the shut off valve spigot

 * Drill a 1" hole right at the center, end wall (the smaller side of bin) one half inch from the bottom of that bin

 *Stretch and push the O-ring onto the threaded end of the male hose adapter

 *You need to make sure the O-ring is in the groove all the way to the end of the male hose adapter

 *Wrap the threaded end of the male hose adapter with Teflon plumber's tape, which will make it fit tight and prevent leakage

 *From the outside of the bin, screw the shut off valve/spigot on to the male hose adapter tightly

 *The valve/spigot control know should be on the topside of the spigot so you can use it easily. Keep the spigot always in the closed position so you won't have the compost tea leak out.

 Lid # 2: Installing the screened louvered vents

 *Take the lid of the bin #2 and place on top of the #2 bin.

 *Mark two locations of the lid for the 2" louvered vents. A good place to put them is in the middle of the bin which is a bit indented. You do not want to put the holes across the border area from the indentation to the smooth area. The vents would not fit properly then.

 *Drill the 2" holes carefully into the lid using the cup drill bit.

 *Again clean off any plastic residue or plastic curls

 *Insert the 2" louvered vents from the outside of the bin, just as you did the side vents

 *Assemble the bin according to the picture of the finished bin at the beginning of this article. Stacking Bin #2 inside the Bin #1. Put the lid with the vents on the top bin.

Don't snap it closed, just lay it loosely on top of bin.

Use the other lid #1 as a drip tray underneath the whole set up. It helps to put two or three bricks underneath the bins to raise them up higher, it makes the job of draining the compost tea into your water can or container you are using easier.

So now you have your very own, home built worm bin and you are ready to get some Red wigglers and start composting. In my next post I will share how you prepare your bins for the resident worms and how to care for them. I promise it will be easy

part two: Taking care of your worm bin