I add a handful of coco coir or aged bedding that has dried up to overly wet bins. The aging bedding sits for weeks and every time I feed the worms I turn that bin of aged bedding up, so the top layer dries out. It’s easy to adjust the bins if they need more moisture or if I need to give them the dry stuff on top. I keep a tub of aged bedding underneath my flow through systems, so they catch excess moisture from the bins. Sometimes I need to add dry shreds to it if I don’t want to make a 33 gallon batch. I like using warm water initially with the shreds, as well as coffee, egg shells, blackstrap molasses, Azomite and humachar. Adding all that stuff mixes well and I’d prefer it heat up a bit to quicken the composting and build microbes.
I think the worms will be fine and dandy in your garbage can bin. It may be slower than shredded paper/cardboard and pulverized foods, but the worms will certainly take care of it. I personally stopped pulverizing food for the worms a couple years ago, I do freeze it, not so much in the summer. I almost bought an Urban worm bin, instead I bought 2, 50 gallon grow bags (fraction of the price). My leaf mold bin turned into a huge worm bin from last fall. I needed large volume containers to keep my worms over the winter. I have a cold basement, so I laid down a 2" foam board insulation, so far the temps in the bins are in the 60'sF. Personally, I use shredded leaves for bedding, I like the additional nutrients and biology the leaves offer. Enjoy your videos! Stay Well!!!!
good early morning for the micro food can you use unfished castings / bedding for your starter in your cardboard beds like in a sourdough bread thank you for sharing chuck checotah ok
I understand there are some ethical questions about the production of coir fibre, but how do you feel about using that instead of peat moss which is at best a limited supply at worst destruction of bog environments. I use coir in my two worm farms it seems to work very well for the past 10 odd years
Hello to sydneygardener540. I'm just curious as to what "ethical questions about the production of coir fibre" are you referring to? I have used coco coir also for several years always mixed with either leaves or cardboard. Maybe there is something I don't know that you could tell me. Thanks. I appreciate it.
@@rico99586 yes I use it too, and it is increasingly used in the trade. Basically, the majority of coir is produced by Sri Lanka , Pakistan and India. The wages given and work conditions are not ideal. No western country Union would put up with those conditions . So I pick coir because the environment cannot be turned back but better work conditions can be obtained
Coco coir has a large footprint as most of it is shipped here from tropical areas. Same with peat moss as it all comes from Canada. These products are not sustainable for most people. If a person is getting into worm composting to lower their footprint on the environment. These are not good products to use. There is usually a local source that can be used instead of buying something that has to be shipped. In my opinion
@chipmooree595 I agree if that someone is able. Many are not able to do somethings and find it more convient to use coco coir or peat moss. It doesn't bother me either way as long as it works for them.
Sorry if you explained in earlier video, why do you call this cardboard only when there are fruit and maybe grit added? Are you saying the brown added is cardboard?
From the pictures, it appears that this cardboard was machine shredded. I'm hoping for a video which shows how to make a usable slurry without a shredder. The cost of that equipment is hard for me to justify as a pure novice/hobbyist. And I also don't want to spend hour after hour tearing up cardboard by hand.
We have used shredded cardboard but now we just take a 55 gallon drum and fill with water and add cardboard boxes. Let it sit a bit and then use a drill with a paint stirrer wand on it and make a slurry. See other video. You could use a 5 gallon bucket too
@MemesWorms ahh haha, a paint mixer. That's the missing piece of the puzzle. I will definitely experiment with this technique now. I'm sure the ratio of cardboard to water will make a difference in how well it shreds. Thank you, Samantha.
Yes you need more water to make slurry then drain off the water. I use a box i made with a screen bottom to pure it into. You can use a kitchen strainer for small batches too!
This is not good. Sure it will work but there is little nutritional value to card board. Sure your still producing worm castings but very poor quantity casting.
We are nor trying to produce castings we sre building our worm population! However checkout planet obsessed video she uses mainly cardboard to produce castings for her garden. I suppose if you are trying to produce castings to sell to others then it might be more benificial to use other products. But to say it not good isnt what the worms are telling me.
@MemesWorms It's not good go only or mostly cardboard for castings. Your castings are only as good as what you feed your worm. Cardboard is made from treated saw dust. Anything beneficial has been leached out. It's ok as a bedding, but even that, you can use much better material that will give you high quality castings. It's just like you. You your self could survive on cardboard but its nothing but fiber, has no nutritional value.
I add a handful of coco coir or aged bedding that has dried up to overly wet bins. The aging bedding sits for weeks and every time I feed the worms I turn that bin of aged bedding up, so the top layer dries out. It’s easy to adjust the bins if they need more moisture or if I need to give them the dry stuff on top. I keep a tub of aged bedding underneath my flow through systems, so they catch excess moisture from the bins. Sometimes I need to add dry shreds to it if I don’t want to make a 33 gallon batch. I like using warm water initially with the shreds, as well as coffee, egg shells, blackstrap molasses, Azomite and humachar. Adding all that stuff mixes well and I’d prefer it heat up a bit to quicken the composting and build microbes.
Thanks for sharing
I think the worms will be fine and dandy in your garbage can bin.
It may be slower than shredded paper/cardboard and pulverized foods, but the worms will certainly take care of it.
I personally stopped pulverizing food for the worms a couple years ago, I do freeze it, not so much in the summer.
I almost bought an Urban worm bin, instead I bought 2, 50 gallon grow bags (fraction of the price). My leaf mold bin turned into a huge worm bin from last fall. I needed large volume containers to keep my worms over the winter. I have a cold basement, so I laid down a 2" foam board insulation, so far the temps in the bins are in the 60'sF.
Personally, I use shredded leaves for bedding, I like the additional nutrients and biology the leaves offer.
Enjoy your videos! Stay Well!!!!
Thank you for sharing!
Keep those worms happy.
After seeing your first bin I realize my bin is way to dry.
Thanks, your worms are the best, I haven't killed them yet.
Thats awesome
Worms are loving that cardboard 🪱🇳🇿
Yes they do!!
Loved seeing your worker worms that power through your cardboard. I suppose as your temperatures cool, the bins don't dry out quite as much.
~ Sandra
Yes it really helps keep the moisture in.
your videos are loaded with great info! keep it up :)
Thanks Andrew
Love your videos.
Thank you!
worms like the high moisture but you control it in order to keep odor down which can attract pests. but the worms will be fine in the high moisture.
You never want standing water.
Do European night crawlers try to leave the bin? Can you go w/o lights at night?
Hi they can leave under certain cicumstances. Like quick temp drops, to wet, to dry, to hot, too cold etc.
What happened to part 3 of the wheatgrass/cardboard experiment.
@johannesklein1308 It comes out Dec 4th stay tuned!!
good early morning for the micro food can you use unfished castings / bedding for your starter in your cardboard beds like in a sourdough bread thank you for sharing chuck checotah ok
Yes you can chuck. You can add cardboard to any bedding or just use it by its self
I understand there are some ethical questions about the production of coir fibre, but how do you feel about using that instead of peat moss which is at best a limited supply at worst destruction of bog environments. I use coir in my two worm farms it seems to work very well for the past 10 odd years
Coco coir is fi e to use. Just make sure its a good quality. It needs to be rinsed well.
Hello to sydneygardener540. I'm just curious as to what "ethical questions about the production of coir fibre" are you referring to? I have used coco coir also for several years always mixed with either leaves or cardboard. Maybe there is something I don't know that you could tell me. Thanks. I appreciate it.
@@rico99586 yes I use it too, and it is increasingly used in the trade. Basically, the majority of coir is produced by Sri Lanka , Pakistan and India. The wages given and work conditions are not ideal. No western country Union would put up with those conditions . So I pick coir because the environment cannot be turned back but better work conditions can be obtained
Coco coir has a large footprint as most of it is shipped here from tropical areas. Same with peat moss as it all comes from Canada. These products are not sustainable for most people. If a person is getting into worm composting to lower their footprint on the environment. These are not good products to use. There is usually a local source that can be used instead of buying something that has to be shipped. In my opinion
@chipmooree595 I agree if that someone is able. Many are not able to do somethings and find it more convient to use coco coir or peat moss. It doesn't bother me either way as long as it works for them.
Sorry if you explained in earlier video, why do you call this cardboard only when there are fruit and maybe grit added? Are you saying the brown added is cardboard?
Yes the cardboard is the only carbon source
Hi Meme. What do I use to separate the worms from the worm bin?
What type of bin do you have?
@@MemesWormsit's an homemade Rubbermaid container.
There are several ways to harvest. The light method, the migration method, or sift them. I can get you links to my youtube videos if you like?
Thank you Meme for the info. I appreciate it.
You are most welcome!! Thank you for your support
What do you use for microbial food?
Hi Emily you can check it out on our site. Www.memesworms.com its proprietary to Memes as far as the formula.
Do you get mites in your cardboard?
Sometimes
Oh okay, thank you!!
does diatomaceous earth work as grit?
@lawsonone6015 it does
I believe sand also works
Meme you like the bin wet eh ?
Yes for breeding you need the moisture to be alot wetter but remember no standing water!
From the pictures, it appears that this cardboard was machine shredded. I'm hoping for a video which shows how to make a usable slurry without a shredder. The cost of that equipment is hard for me to justify as a pure novice/hobbyist. And I also don't want to spend hour after hour tearing up cardboard by hand.
We have used shredded cardboard but now we just take a 55 gallon drum and fill with water and add cardboard boxes. Let it sit a bit and then use a drill with a paint stirrer wand on it and make a slurry. See other video. You could use a 5 gallon bucket too
@MemesWorms ahh haha, a paint mixer. That's the missing piece of the puzzle. I will definitely experiment with this technique now. I'm sure the ratio of cardboard to water will make a difference in how well it shreds. Thank you, Samantha.
Yes you need more water to make slurry then drain off the water. I use a box i made with a screen bottom to pure it into. You can use a kitchen strainer for small batches too!
Use GLOVES 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
I like the feel of the worms too m7ch to wesr gloves. However, its up to anyone who feels they need them. I wont pass judgement lol
This is not good. Sure it will work but there is little nutritional value to card board. Sure your still producing worm castings but very poor quantity casting.
We are nor trying to produce castings we sre building our worm population! However checkout planet obsessed video she uses mainly cardboard to produce castings for her garden. I suppose if you are trying to produce castings to sell to others then it might be more benificial to use other products. But to say it not good isnt what the worms are telling me.
@MemesWorms It's not good go only or mostly cardboard for castings. Your castings are only as good as what you feed your worm. Cardboard is made from treated saw dust. Anything beneficial has been leached out. It's ok as a bedding, but even that, you can use much better material that will give you high quality castings. It's just like you. You your self could survive on cardboard but its nothing but fiber, has no nutritional value.
@@bendanyluk9717 this video is not about producing casting!
Hi Meme, have you ever brewed worm tea? I brew a little bit and pour it on the beds to try to get the microbes going. I tell myself it works anyway
I haven't tried doing teas yet!!
Good worms🎉🎉being cute for the camera. Is that oyster flour like a wheat flour or is it more like sand? I'm not sure I have heard of it before. 🪱👍🏼😁
Its ground up oyster shell. We grind it into a flour. We use it for grit. You can also use it for ph.