Man oh man these worms don’t even know how good they have it over there. This is like a all inclusive five star resort! I love it I wish everyone was more like you
Thank you so much for sharing your "tried and true" information. Now I understand why my previous attempt at worm composting was unsuccessful. I can hardly wait to get out into the garden, gather some worms (I have so many in the garden that a handful of dirt will have 4 - 8 worms in it) and begin again. I look forward to watching your other videos. I think worms are little, wiggling, miracles! And my tomatoes agree.
Sounds like you are doing well with your worms. I like to freeze my normal wet kitchen scraps then run them thru a processor and in that way the bacteria can get to it faster and this is what the worms really eat and they can eat it faster.
Like you I also add a layer of homemade compost and the dry food mix. then a layer of bokashi the worms love the dry mix. Will keep feeding that to them. I also will do one side of my bin at a time. Mine is inside in a large walk in closet so it stays at 65 in the winter and warmer in summer and the worms are happy.
Wow! What lucky worms! So much more info than "Take a rubber maid bin and throw your stuff on top and you're good. Don't forget to hit like and subscribe!" Thank you! Happy harvests!
At 4:18 you mention mites. I was told it's because the soil is acidic. You can counter this by adding egg shells. I love your video. It's quite well done and informative. Thank you so much for sharing.
Derek Lang that could be the reason. I add egg shells every time I feed but I might could add more to that bed and see if it helps. They seem to like that bed better then the vertical migration bed I never see any in it. Thanks Derick! I'm glad you enjoy the videos.
Thanks for sharing! One thing I've learned is that you can leave your food scraps out for about a week and before feeding and then once microbacteria has begun it's course feed the food to worms!
Hi Josh, Your worm videos are THE BEST!!! Thank you :) Do you ever "fluff" your bins? or regularly add water? How about others...what do you do with fluffing or watering? Thanks!
I do fluff my tote bins when they get compacted. The stackable bins don’t seem to need it though. I believe it is due to the worms migrating upwards constantly and the trays keep the material from compacting.
Thats a good way to do it but takes longer . If you process you food scraps into a chow it will be ready faster for the worms to eat. Microbes break the food down first and that is actually how and what the worms eat , not the food as you dump it raw into the bin. But I do like your method with the dry ingredients and only feeding one side at a time. With a worm chow mix worms will process it in 1/3 of the time. I already sort of do what you do as I mix raw oats, corn meal and egg shells as a super feed.
I have made 4 -5 gallon red wiggler worm bins and do get the worm tea from each. It appears that my larger worms have disappeared but can see many small baby like worms. Did I do something wrong or is this a natural part of the evolution. Was it something in the products I was composting? Would appreciate your insight from you and your group.
One of the biggest issues with modern agriculture is food diversification. You are covering the issue very well. I wonder if giving them a single vegetable per feeding would improve their diet more? A single vegetable should protect your environment from rot smells, molds, and other results from bad composting methods. Especially if you took a head of lettuce, broke it apart into smaller pieces, and spread it around. But maybe that is best for soil growing mediums.....
so putting dry cardboard opposed to using moist cardboard on the surface is better? i was under the impression that moist was what you wanted! anyway thanks for the videos
Kevin Anderson I add moist bedding when I feed most of the time. Either live bedding or moistened cardboard. The dry bedding on top acts as a mulch and holds the moisture down. It also helps keep the worms down because they don’t like to crawl up through it. It also helps keep fruit flies out of the bed because they have trouble getting down the the food waste to lay their eggs.
I know my worms seem to like sweet stuff like bananas and banana peels, peaches, apples, etc. I never thought about using pineapple in my worm food mixture. I blend my food scraps in a power blender before feeding it to my worm bed. They break it down pretty quickly
Consider adding Azomite or some other pulverized granite material. Its loaded with trace minerals and the worm processing makes it more accessible to plants.
Thanks for the very thorough video on feeding the worms. I started my 1st bin ever about 2 months ago. I haven't killed them yet (complete luck) but definitely need to refine my process. Question though....I saw where you seem to keep a dry layer of shredded paper/cardboard on top? You're pulling that back before feeding and then replacing after feeding? So other than that, you really don't add the cardboard/paper each time you feed, correct? So the cardboard/paper is mostly for on top when your starting a new bin or starting over on 1 side? Just trying to figure where the cardboard/paper comes into play on a regular basis. Also, I really like the horizontal bin. Do you have a video that shows how to build with exact materials and measurements....for my husband? ;-) Thanks!
Teri Roberts Marshall The cardboard is mostly just put on top. However when I feed the worms I leave a layer of the cardboard and paper under the food to help control the moister in the bed. The cardboard on top that makes contact with the damp bedding draws moister and then is available for the worms to process so the cardboard is actually used by the worms and they go through it quite fast. I usually put a few handfuls back on top ever time I feed them. Unfortunately I do not have a video of how I built either of my beds. I built both of them before I started making videos about my process. The horizontal bed is basically a big container. you can do the same process with a large storage tote or even a old bathtub or feeding trough.
Worms don't care if you feed them citrus or not they will eat anything that you feed them. There has been numerous people that have done experiments on feeding them citrus & onions. They will eat that just like they eat everything else that you feed them.
What are the dimensions of your worm bins? I've been wanting to build one, but I can't seem to find one that I like and would fit my needs.However, I really like your set up, especially your larger bin.
The larger horizontal migration bin is 2 foot by 4 foot. The stackable vertical migration bin is 2 foot by 2 foot. I am planning on doing more videos on them and how they are set up and maintained this winter. It has been a busy summer here and I haven't had much time.
Great video on worm composting. I'm trying to increase the amount of worms I have, seems they take a long time to produce compost for me. Is it really safe to feed worms manure? I have some chicken manure that I purchased from a local hardware store that is not being used at the moment, do you think I can add some without harming my worms? I made some worm chow using your method and will be starting to add it to their feedings. I'm just looking for ways to speed up the process and make more worm compost. Thanks for sharing.
Maricela Hinojosa thank u so much for your nice comments. Composted manures are safe. The manure I use is composted with the sawdust bedding used in the barn. Chicken manure is a really hot manure and needed to be composted and well aged before using it. After composting it will be good for your worms in small quantities. They don't make castings really fast but the more worms u have the faster they will process the food scraps. It also helps to split your bins and make new ones once you get a good population going. They slow down reproduction when they get crowded out or don't have enough food to support more.
Thanks for your quick response! I don't know how old it is since I purchased it in a bag. I will have to think about it and maybe just use it small amounts. How would you suggest using the chicken manure to finish composting?
jessica augustine with bedding or some kind of carbon material a couple months should be good for goat manure. Basically whenever it stops the heating up stage of composting and is down to a good temp for the worms it is safe to use.
I just found you, +DownToTheRoots, I do a lot of juicing about a big coffee container per day - since it is coming up cold weather will I be able to use up my pulp In an Apartment?
Nancy Caccioppo u should be able too. just feed them in a different spot each time so they can run from it if it heats up to much. Check the last feeding each time before u feed them again to make sure u don't over feed them. If u need to u can freeze the pulp for later use just thaw it good before adding to the bin.
Tools & More DIY most earthworms won't work in a bin because the go down so deep. Composting worms is what you are looking for. The worms in your garden might work. The worms found in a manure pile is what you are after. You will have better success if you order your worms online to start out your bin or find someone nearby that has a bin that would give you some.
Worms like it very moist. You may have better luck if you use a watering can or something like that and soak the top of your bedding. It won't attract fruit flies unless there is exposed rotting material.
I have never had my castings tested Chris but my garden plants love them. Any casting are better then no castings. But the more food sources u give your beds the more diverse the microbial life and macro and micro nutrients will be. If u give your worms only lets say aged manure and dry worm food the casting will only have the nutrients that those sources already had. The Vermicomposting process concentrates the nutrients and adds plant growth hormones making it easier for plants to take it up. The worms don't create nutrients on their own they just make it better and help to increase the microbial life in your soil.
congratulations for the very informative video. I would like to know what white powder is. they are eggshells. thanks and greetings from Giovanni da Roma
Tushar Kathuria all the food waste I feed is old food. If I remember correctly the feeding in this video included a old jack o lantern that had set outside for 2 weeks, old lettuce that was browning in the fridge and old oranges that where mushy. You can feed it to them either way but I would rather feed it to them before it set out and started smelling bad just because I don't want to deal with nasty food waste.
Linda Johnson I have never tried any to know for sure but I find that most things we can eat or drink are perfectly fine for the worms. The flavorings in most coffees are water soluble and meant to be taken up by the hot water as it passed through the grounds. Knowing that I would say the remaining grounds have little to no flavoring left and will be great to use in your bin. Just to be on the safe side like I do with all new food sources I would try some in a corner of the bin and see how the worms react. They know what isn't safe and will ignore the grounds if they are harmful.
Hello very good vermicomposteras, I have a doubt that it is the white powder that you put before the fresh food?. And after the fresh food you put coffee wells
Ariana Alanis I feed the worms usually once a week depending on how fast they process the feed waste. I will hopefully be doing a video on the vertical migration bed in the near future.
Hey! I know this video is from years ago, but maybe you can still answer a question. I just got started a few days ago and I fear I have killed the worms. Not all, but some. I only got half a pound One small clump basically. I have a rubbermaid that I mixed homemade compost, shredded paper, dried leaves, a bit of regular dirt, crushed egg shells. then I added my worms. They all dove down and I'm not sure if there is just a lot of space, or what but I can't find very many. It's not too wet, they aren't climbing up the sides, and none on the floor. The lady I bought them from said I set it up all wrong : ( People make it look so easy! Should I wait a while and try to lure them with a treat like melon, or do you think they have a lot of food already with the bedding I made? Any help for this rookie is much appreciated . Thanks,
After a bin is established, and if you feed properly, does the moisture content stay pretty steady? Or do you continually have to check closely and adjust the moisture level?
John Graham The moister level will usually stay pretty even if u feed it properly. The plastic bins like a Rubbermaid tote and my horizontal migration bin that is lined with plastic hold a lot more moister. I have to keep a eye on it a little more. If u pay attention to what u are feeding them and add dry bedding under the really moist foods like Watermelon the moister level should stay fairly even. From time to time I will dig down a few inches into the compost zone and make sure the moister is good.
mix lix I usually get around 3-5 gallon buckets or castings from each bin when I harvest them. I like to do the horizontal bin 3 times a year and the vertical bin 2-3 times. So I get roughly 15-18 buckets each year. At .67 cubic feet per 5 gallons that is around 10-12 cubic feet or 1/3 a cubic yard per year.
Hi, I'm wondering if you get any compost tea and do you have a tap to release in your bins? (Love the bins btw) If not, what happens to any compost tea? Thanks. :)
Alicia Bruce Hi Alicia. I never have any compost tea in the bottom of my bins. If the moisture is kept at the right level u won't have any drain off of the castings. To keep form having this I put plenty of dry bedding in to soak up the moisture form wet foods and rarely add water unless the compost zone starts to dry out. I do make compost tea with the finished vermicompost though. 😉
Apparently the right way to make compost tea is to take finished casting, put in a porous bag and brew it in a bucket with aeration. That way you get an aerobic and bio-active tea.
Thank you for your nice video, i have just a request and one question to you; can you list for me all the food used to feed such worms, this is b'se i am not very much good in spoken English. Why don't you like to feed your worms with water as far as liquid worm fertilizer is very much essential to plants?
Majaliwa Maingu I don't use water in my beds because the food waste has plenty of moister to keep the bedding damp. However I do use to castings to make liquid fertilizer. As far as food list goes it is easier to list what they won't eat. They don't like hot peppers, onions, and any kind of meat or dairy products. Nuts take to long to break down because of the high fat content. But any kind of fruit or vegetables is perfect worm food. They really love melons, squash, leafy greens, and tomatoes.
If your “alive” material is dry then it’s probably dead.. most of the beneficial microbes need water to stay alive. That’s awesome that your feeding fruit and veg and not all that processed crap that everyone feeds.. you must have good quality casting 👍🏽
👌🏻👌🏻... Great vid... Tks, just subscribed 🍀... would you let me know what kind of worms are you raising? California Red? If so, your supplier... pls.. Tks in advanced.
Tools & More DIY awesome! Thanks for subscribing! To be honest I have no idea what type they are. I bought 2 lb of "red wigglers" from uncle jims worm farm when I first started but it was actually a mix of blues reds and a couple others. I mostly see reds now so I think that is all that is left. My bins environment isn't favorable to the blues and some of the others because of the cold temps in winter so they all died off leaving only reds.
John Graham They will survive for a few days on a 95 degree day in the shade but won't do real good if it lasts to long. They do best around 70-80 degrees but can survive higher and lower temperatures for a short amount of time.
To get started, can I use a little bit of potting soil from like Home Depot for a little base, then shredded cardboard and food scraps after they are established?
BrazilBuzz You can use potting soil as long as it has no fertilizers added to it. Most potting soils are just peat moss or coconut coir with a little perlite mixed in. It would probably be cheaper to buy a block of coconut coir which can be ordered from Amazon if you can't find it locally. I would recommend coir over potting soil or peat moss.
BrazilBuzz You can put the coffee filter in but they take a while to break down. I usually just put the used coffee in and toss the filters in my compost.
DownToTheRoots I followed another youtubers advice and started my bed with straight peat moss. I didn't know it was low Ph and I don't think my worms like it to much cause they have been trying to escape! Could I add in some coconut coir to balance out the Ph or would you recommend restarting my bin?
MrNoucfeanor good question. You could add a little coco coir and powdered egg shells and it should help. Or add some egg shells and a little bit of garden lime. You shouldn't have to start over though. Best of luck.
To fatten your worms for fishing it's not so much a matter of what to feed them, its what type you have. Supposedly there is an African species of earthworm that is up to an inch in diameter and 5+ feet long
There are ateast 40 species of worms and for fishing which I dont do, yet ;) I'll tell you from what I've heard it's the Canadian nightcrawlers that you want for fishing. I've had some for fishing before, they were hearty. Little did I know the dirt they were sitting in was black gold.
I'm a fisherman thats getting ready to start my own worm farm for personal use and eventually a small business..I've used Canadian Night Crawlers forever but while doing my research for my worm farm discovered Super Reds European Night Crawlers. They are bigger than regular red-worms, like these in this video, but smaller than Canadian Night Crawlers. Thats what I'm going to be using and will make a video for my Fishing Channel soon
What if you don't add your worm chow? I dig they could consume *more* scraps (and is not it a goal)? Also you add a lot of compost. Would you say the worm castings would be more diluted by that than those that come strictly from food scraps and cardboard bedding?
MrJesseh24 thank you! The oyster shell does contain some chitin but not a lot. I have recently been adding crab meal which contains high amounts of chitin alone with some other amendments like rock dust to make the quality of my castings better.
I make my dry food by mixing one part of wheat flour with one part ground oatmeal and two parts of cornmeal, some ground egg shells and used coffee grounds. Mix them in a blender and put in a plastic tub. Feed about a quarter cup per feeding or more based on the size of your bin. After I lay the dry food down, I will spray to dampen with water. Then cover and let them chow down
Autumn LaVarta if u are using only shredded cardboard and no manure or compost for bedding then u can put damp cardboard over your food scrapes when u feed. It does help to have a 3-4 inch layer of dry bedding over the damp bedding and castings. Having the dry bedding helps keep the worms down so they won't crawl up and out of the bin and it helps to keep pests like fruit flies from getting to the damp material and laying their eggs. I rake the dry material to the side to feed and leave a little bit of the dry cardboard under the food scrapes to help soak up the moister that comes from them so the bed won't get to damp.
I think the dry material on top like you do also occasionaly gets below and starts to decompose over time which is another benefit. On top of those two I think it adds a buffer for the worms in cold temps.
this is one of most impressive worm bin operations, and the best explained that I have seen on you tube. Thank you.
Penny Ueeck Thank you Penny! 🙂
I agree, Excellent presentation and thorough explanation.
Man oh man these worms don’t even know how good they have it over there. This is like a all inclusive five star resort! I love it I wish everyone was more like you
Thanks for taking the time to show how you feed your worms, its greatly appreciated
1800cc your welcome! Im glad it was helpful!
Enjoyed the video. I have a couple bins now and want to grow more. I appreciate the good southern accent. Thanks from TN.
Thank you so much for sharing your "tried and true" information. Now I understand why my previous attempt at worm composting was unsuccessful. I can hardly wait to get out into the garden, gather some worms (I have so many in the garden that a handful of dirt will have 4 - 8 worms in it) and begin again. I look forward to watching your other videos. I think worms are little, wiggling, miracles! And my tomatoes agree.
HEY KAREN,CORN MEAL MAKES WORMS BIGGER,TOBACCO KILLS RODENTS DISHSOAP AND BEER KILLS SNAILS AND SLUGS.AND VINEGAR KILLS WEEDS.
Just got my first worm bin, love you tip on feeding just spent the evening watching TV and tearing up a cardboard box for my bin...Thanks.
Noel Sowerby Awesome! If u have any questions feel free to ask. Best of luck!
Sounds like you are doing well with your worms. I like to freeze my normal wet kitchen scraps then run them thru a processor and in that way the bacteria can get to it faster and this is what the worms really eat and they can eat it faster.
Like you I also add a layer of homemade compost and the dry food mix. then a layer of bokashi the worms love the dry mix. Will keep feeding that to them. I also will do one side of my bin at a time. Mine is inside in a large walk in closet so it stays at 65 in the winter and warmer in summer and the worms are happy.
🌤I really like the way you take care of your worms! I'm thinking of starting my own worm bin , I'll be watching more of your videos.🍍🍌🌟
Robert Patrene thanks Robert! If u have any questions feel free to ask. Best of luck!
Just started a small worm bin, and this video was very helpful for how to layer the bedding and food!
Beautiful worms bins no mites and very clean 👍🏼
Wow! What lucky worms! So much more info than "Take a rubber maid bin and throw your stuff on top and you're good. Don't forget to hit like and subscribe!" Thank you! Happy harvests!
Great Video! very informative. I also enjoy your accent lool. I'm going try find your video on the Stackable Bins
Fantastic video! Really clear explanations and instructions. You’ve got a new subscriber!
Great video, very knowledgeable and I like your dog! :)
milly thank you! He follows me everywhere. Haha
Thanks for the vid. I like the way you talk.
At 4:18 you mention mites. I was told it's because the soil is acidic. You can counter this by adding egg shells. I love your video. It's quite well done and informative. Thank you so much for sharing.
Derek Lang that could be the reason. I add egg shells every time I feed but I might could add more to that bed and see if it helps. They seem to like that bed better then the vertical migration bed I never see any in it. Thanks Derick! I'm glad you enjoy the videos.
Great voice! Beautiful song! Wishing you the Best!
What a nice feeding. The little fellows can really eat some food.
thank you! really enjoy your videos bc u show step by step...please make more
Awesome! We love our wigglers. Very cool video. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Really nice worm bin, very well made, very happy worms
Thanks for sharing! One thing I've learned is that you can leave your food scraps out for about a week and before feeding and then once microbacteria has begun it's course feed the food to worms!
I didn’t know that thanks. I am about ready to get my worms so that is good to know.
I just started and really appreciate!
Wow. Just found your channel. This is a great video, a lot of details. Thank you 🙏 very much!!!
Hi Josh, Your worm videos are THE BEST!!! Thank you :) Do you ever "fluff" your bins? or regularly add water? How about others...what do you do with fluffing or watering? Thanks!
I do fluff my tote bins when they get compacted. The stackable bins don’t seem to need it though. I believe it is due to the worms migrating upwards constantly and the trays keep the material from compacting.
Thats a good way to do it but takes longer . If you process you food scraps into a chow it will be ready faster for the worms to eat. Microbes break the food down first and that is actually how and what the worms eat , not the food as you dump it raw into the bin. But I do like your method with the dry ingredients and only feeding one side at a time. With a worm chow mix worms will process it in 1/3 of the time. I already sort of do what you do as I mix raw oats, corn meal and egg shells as a super feed.
Great video if you started with 2,000 worms I would love to know how many you have now thank you Larry
I have made 4 -5 gallon red wiggler worm bins and do get the worm tea from each. It appears that my larger worms have disappeared but can see many small baby like worms. Did I do something wrong or is this a natural part of the evolution. Was it something in the products I was composting? Would appreciate your insight from you and your group.
I've had my bin for a couple years, good info on your video thanks,
One of the biggest issues with modern agriculture is food diversification. You are covering the issue very well. I wonder if giving them a single vegetable per feeding would improve their diet more? A single vegetable should protect your environment from rot smells, molds, and other results from bad composting methods. Especially if you took a head of lettuce, broke it apart into smaller pieces, and spread it around. But maybe that is best for soil growing mediums.....
Gorgeous dog
so putting dry cardboard opposed to using moist cardboard on the surface is better? i was under the impression that moist was what you wanted! anyway thanks for the videos
Kevin Anderson I add moist bedding when I feed most of the time. Either live bedding or moistened cardboard. The dry bedding on top acts as a mulch and holds the moisture down. It also helps keep the worms down because they don’t like to crawl up through it. It also helps keep fruit flies out of the bed because they have trouble getting down the the food waste to lay their eggs.
This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
I know my worms seem to like sweet stuff like bananas and banana peels, peaches, apples, etc. I never thought about using pineapple in my worm food mixture. I blend my food scraps in a power blender before feeding it to my worm bed. They break it down pretty quickly
I heard blending it makes the containers really wet
really helpful difenetly have to try this worm composting✌
"I like duh way yew tauk."
Tks a lot for your reply, Hope to keep in touch, "once I begin for real my worm farm. Would really appreciate future advise.
Best to you!
Jay
Your welcome Jay! I'll be glad to help you when you get started.
I got it...Dry worm food right?
Consider adding Azomite or some other pulverized granite material. Its loaded with trace minerals and the worm processing makes it more accessible to plants.
How much azomite do you add?
Thanks for the very thorough video on feeding the worms. I started my 1st bin ever about 2 months ago. I haven't killed them yet (complete luck) but definitely need to refine my process. Question though....I saw where you seem to keep a dry layer of shredded paper/cardboard on top? You're pulling that back before feeding and then replacing after feeding? So other than that, you really don't add the cardboard/paper each time you feed, correct? So the cardboard/paper is mostly for on top when your starting a new bin or starting over on 1 side? Just trying to figure where the cardboard/paper comes into play on a regular basis. Also, I really like the horizontal bin. Do you have a video that shows how to build with exact materials and measurements....for my husband? ;-) Thanks!
Teri Roberts Marshall The cardboard is mostly just put on top. However when I feed the worms I leave a layer of the cardboard and paper under the food to help control the moister in the bed. The cardboard on top that makes contact with the damp bedding draws moister and then is available for the worms to process so the cardboard is actually used by the worms and they go through it quite fast. I usually put a few handfuls back on top ever time I feed them. Unfortunately I do not have a video of how I built either of my beds. I built both of them before I started making videos about my process. The horizontal bed is basically a big container. you can do the same process with a large storage tote or even a old bathtub or feeding trough.
Very great so much different food sources👍But I don´t use cardboard anymore cause it contains mineral oil..
What's the purpose of putting so much cardboard bedding on the surface? Love your video. And the accent!
Worms don't care if you feed them citrus or not they will eat anything that you feed them. There has been numerous people that have done experiments on feeding them citrus & onions. They will eat that just like they eat everything else that you feed them.
Cheryl Taft I think it’s probably more so that it doesn’t smell or alter the ph levels too much
By mistake I sad my worms too much lemon but they are still alive
Tks a lot for your advise 👌🏻
Really enjoy your video...thanks😊
Thank you for this very helpful video!
Thanks for sharing. Please tell me, when and how much water do you use?
Lilly Day I don't use water in my bins. The food scrapes have enough moisture to keep the bedding damp.
Thank very good videos but ;I’am not understand the white powder what it is . Please tell me
Is your live material worm castings or compost?
You can buy mites and nematodes that will control fungus flies and further enrich your compost.
What are the dimensions of your worm bins? I've been wanting to build one, but I can't seem to find one that I like and would fit my needs.However, I really like your set up, especially your larger bin.
The larger horizontal migration bin is 2 foot by 4 foot. The stackable vertical migration bin is 2 foot by 2 foot. I am planning on doing more videos on them and how they are set up and maintained this winter. It has been a busy summer here and I haven't had much time.
Great video on worm composting. I'm trying to increase the amount of worms I have, seems they take a long time to produce compost for me. Is it really safe to feed worms manure? I have some chicken manure that I purchased from a local hardware store that is not being used at the moment, do you think I can add some without harming my worms? I made some worm chow using your method and will be starting to add it to their feedings. I'm just looking for ways to speed up the process and make more worm compost. Thanks for sharing.
Maricela Hinojosa thank u so much for your nice comments. Composted manures are safe. The manure I use is composted with the sawdust bedding used in the barn. Chicken manure is a really hot manure and needed to be composted and well aged before using it. After composting it will be good for your worms in small quantities. They don't make castings really fast but the more worms u have the faster they will process the food scraps. It also helps to split your bins and make new ones once you get a good population going. They slow down reproduction when they get crowded out or don't have enough food to support more.
Thanks for your quick response! I don't know how old it is since I purchased it in a bag. I will have to think about it and maybe just use it small amounts. How would you suggest using the chicken manure to finish composting?
What kind of chicken manure is it? Is it a commercial product or something someone is just cleaning out of their coop and selling it in bags?
DownToTheRoots what about goat manure? how long will it need to age?
jessica augustine with bedding or some kind of carbon material a couple months should be good for goat manure. Basically whenever it stops the heating up stage of composting and is down to a good temp for the worms it is safe to use.
Really good info man!! Just curious where you get the oyster shell from?
Thanks man! I ordered it off of Amazon.
I just found you, +DownToTheRoots,
I do a lot of juicing about a big coffee container per day - since it is coming up cold weather will I be able to use up my pulp In an Apartment?
Nancy Caccioppo u should be able too. just feed them in a different spot each time so they can run from it if it heats up to much. Check the last feeding each time before u feed them again to make sure u don't over feed them. If u need to u can freeze the pulp for later use just thaw it good before adding to the bin.
how often do you feed your worms? how quickly do they get through this much?
it's quite a feast!
Per 1 pound of worms, they go through a half pound of food a day.
Thanks for the video! Alot of good tips.
What's the advantage of having two layers of food instead of just one?
Wao.. tks I've been mistaken all my life, I might as well harvest some earth worms I've seen underground when working on my yard; would that be ok?
Tools & More DIY most earthworms won't work in a bin because the go down so deep. Composting worms is what you are looking for. The worms in your garden might work. The worms found in a manure pile is what you are after. You will have better success if you order your worms online to start out your bin or find someone nearby that has a bin that would give you some.
Worms like it very moist. You may have better luck if you use a watering can or something like that and soak the top of your bedding. It won't attract fruit flies unless there is exposed rotting material.
Do you dig heavily in micro- macro nutrients and good microbes in your castings?
I have never had my castings tested Chris but my garden plants love them. Any casting are better then no castings. But the more food sources u give your beds the more diverse the microbial life and macro and micro nutrients will be. If u give your worms only lets say aged manure and dry worm food the casting will only have the nutrients that those sources already had. The Vermicomposting process concentrates the nutrients and adds plant growth hormones making it easier for plants to take it up. The worms don't create nutrients on their own they just make it better and help to increase the microbial life in your soil.
congratulations for the very informative video. I would like to know what white powder is. they are eggshells. thanks and greetings from Giovanni da Roma
Is the vegetable and fruit waste fresh when you add or you let it decompose for few days and then add?
Tushar Kathuria all the food waste I feed is old food. If I remember correctly the feeding in this video included a old jack o lantern that had set outside for 2 weeks, old lettuce that was browning in the fridge and old oranges that where mushy. You can feed it to them either way but I would rather feed it to them before it set out and started smelling bad just because I don't want to deal with nasty food waste.
Can you use flavored coffee grounds, i.e., the kinds you find in the Kuerig cups, or do they have to be straight coffee grounds?
Linda Johnson I have never tried any to know for sure but I find that most things we can eat or drink are perfectly fine for the worms. The flavorings in most coffees are water soluble and meant to be taken up by the hot water as it passed through the grounds. Knowing that I would say the remaining grounds have little to no flavoring left and will be great to use in your bin. Just to be on the safe side like I do with all new food sources I would try some in a corner of the bin and see how the worms react. They know what isn't safe and will ignore the grounds if they are harmful.
This is great :)
Thanks.
Can we have a worm update?
Your worms are in hotel with 5 stars
Hello very good vermicomposteras, I have a doubt that it is the white powder that you put before the fresh food?. And after the fresh food you put coffee wells
How often do you feed the worms? && when can you make the video of how you made the worm bins ?
Ariana Alanis I feed the worms usually once a week depending on how fast they process the feed waste. I will hopefully be doing a video on the vertical migration bed in the near future.
does the new layer get hot when it start decompose? more power to your channel!
If the food is layered on top and not buried it doesn’t heat up. I have over heated bins before by burying the food to deep though.
Hey! I know this video is from years ago, but maybe you can still answer a question. I just got started a few days ago and I fear I have killed the worms. Not all, but some. I only got half a pound One small clump basically. I have a rubbermaid that I mixed homemade compost, shredded paper, dried leaves, a bit of regular dirt, crushed egg shells. then I added my worms. They all dove down and I'm not sure if there is just a lot of space, or what but I can't find very many. It's not too wet, they aren't climbing up the sides, and none on the floor. The lady I bought them from said I set it up all wrong : ( People make it look so easy! Should I wait a while and try to lure them with a treat like melon, or do you think they have a lot of food already with the bedding I made? Any help for this rookie is much appreciated . Thanks,
What is this Powder? Why do you use it?
CORN MEAL MAKES WORMS BIGGER,
After a bin is established, and if you feed properly, does the moisture content stay pretty steady? Or do you continually have to check closely and adjust the moisture level?
John Graham The moister level will usually stay pretty even if u feed it properly. The plastic bins like a Rubbermaid tote and my horizontal migration bin that is lined with plastic hold a lot more moister. I have to keep a eye on it a little more. If u pay attention to what u are feeding them and add dry bedding under the really moist foods like Watermelon the moister level should stay fairly even. From time to time I will dig down a few inches into the compost zone and make sure the moister is good.
Do you have a video on how you built your stack-able bin?
No not yet. I plan on making one when I build the last tray for it. Hopefully in a month or so.
Do you use wet or dry coffee grounds?
Hi -if you should guess how much vormcasting do they produce say in a year with your set up? And how often do you harvest?
mix lix I usually get around 3-5 gallon buckets or castings from each bin when I harvest them. I like to do the horizontal bin 3 times a year and the vertical bin 2-3 times. So I get roughly 15-18 buckets each year. At .67 cubic feet per 5 gallons that is around 10-12 cubic feet or 1/3 a cubic yard per year.
Awsome! Thanks for your quick respones, btw good videos to - thank you :) I just ordered me som red wigglers, can`t wait to get started!
mix lix Your welcome! That's great! Best of luck!
How are the worms coming along?
Don't see food scraps.. only food
Hi, I'm wondering if you get any compost tea and do you have a tap to release in your bins? (Love the bins btw)
If not, what happens to any compost tea? Thanks. :)
Alicia Bruce
Hi Alicia. I never have any compost tea in the bottom of my bins. If the moisture is kept at the right level u won't have any drain off of the castings. To keep form having this I put plenty of dry bedding in to soak up the moisture form wet foods and rarely add water unless the compost zone starts to dry out. I do make compost tea with the finished vermicompost though. 😉
Apparently the right way to make compost tea is to take finished casting, put in a porous bag and brew it in a bucket with aeration. That way you get an aerobic and bio-active tea.
Can you give us the ingredients and how much to put?
I heard citrus was bad for worms is it true?
Very helpful but what name of the white thing,can there be writings of narratoration on the screen.
@ArmchairWarrior If you have a vegetable garden you can crush all your egg shells and add them to it & that will add calcium to the garden plants.
it was either ground up eggshells or ground up oyster shells.
What is the way to remove heat of fruits
Thank you for your nice video, i have just a request and one question to you; can you list for me all the food used to feed such worms, this is b'se i am not very much good in spoken English.
Why don't you like to feed your worms with water as far as liquid worm fertilizer is very much essential to plants?
Majaliwa Maingu I don't use water in my beds because the food waste has plenty of moister to keep the bedding damp. However I do use to castings to make liquid fertilizer. As far as food list goes it is easier to list what they won't eat. They don't like hot peppers, onions, and any kind of meat or dairy products. Nuts take to long to break down because of the high fat content. But any kind of fruit or vegetables is perfect worm food. They really love melons, squash, leafy greens, and tomatoes.
How often do you give them the worm chow?
I give them a little ever time I feed them food scraps.
also how do you keep it from getting too moist? i live in a small apartment and will keep it under my sink
If your “alive” material is dry then it’s probably dead.. most of the beneficial microbes need water to stay alive.
That’s awesome that your feeding fruit and veg and not all that processed crap that everyone feeds.. you must have good quality casting 👍🏽
Freezing your scraps breaks them down real fast. I freeze the stuff in Ice Cream buckets.
Paul Robinson I do that some times too. It helps them process it a lot faster.
Very nice!
At 9:34 a piece of cardboard just below the center of the screen looks like a golden retriever head until you mixed up the material.
Man... you feed your worms better than I feed my kids. That food looks awesome. I question your judgement, if you have any...
👌🏻👌🏻... Great vid... Tks, just subscribed 🍀... would you let me know what kind of worms are you raising? California Red? If so, your supplier... pls.. Tks in advanced.
Tools & More DIY awesome! Thanks for subscribing! To be honest I have no idea what type they are. I bought 2 lb of "red wigglers" from uncle jims worm farm when I first started but it was actually a mix of blues reds and a couple others. I mostly see reds now so I think that is all that is left. My bins environment isn't favorable to the blues and some of the others because of the cold temps in winter so they all died off leaving only reds.
There is no such thing as California reds. All worms in the US come from Europe! They are manure worms aka Elsinia Fetida aka red wigglers
How about high temperature? Will they survive on a shaded porch on a 95 degree summer day? Thanks.
John Graham They will survive for a few days on a 95 degree day in the shade but won't do real good if it lasts to long. They do best around 70-80 degrees but can survive higher and lower temperatures for a short amount of time.
I use earthworms and feed em cricket food it works amazing and makes then chunky and great for fishing 👌
olimc_ 40 it's the same as worm chow
To get started, can I use a little bit of potting soil from like Home Depot for a little base, then shredded cardboard and food scraps after they are established?
BrazilBuzz You can use potting soil as long as it has no fertilizers added to it. Most potting soils are just peat moss or coconut coir with a little perlite mixed in. It would probably be cheaper to buy a block of coconut coir which can be ordered from Amazon if you can't find it locally. I would recommend coir over potting soil or peat moss.
Can you put the filters from the coffee pot in there?
BrazilBuzz You can put the coffee filter in but they take a while to break down. I usually just put the used coffee in and toss the filters in my compost.
DownToTheRoots I followed another youtubers advice and started my bed with straight peat moss. I didn't know it was low Ph and I don't think my worms like it to much cause they have been trying to escape!
Could I add in some coconut coir to balance out the Ph or would you recommend restarting my bin?
MrNoucfeanor good question. You could add a little coco coir and powdered egg shells and it should help. Or add some egg shells and a little bit of garden lime. You shouldn't have to start over though. Best of luck.
What's the best food to feed them to fatten them up for fishing
To fatten your worms for fishing it's not so much a matter of what to feed them, its what type you have. Supposedly there is an African species of earthworm that is up to an inch in diameter and 5+ feet long
There are ateast 40 species of worms and for fishing which I dont do, yet ;) I'll tell you from what I've heard it's the Canadian nightcrawlers that you want for fishing. I've had some for fishing before, they were hearty. Little did I know the dirt they were sitting in was black gold.
I'm a fisherman thats getting ready to start my own worm farm for personal use and eventually a small business..I've used Canadian Night Crawlers forever but while doing my research for my worm farm discovered Super Reds European Night Crawlers. They are bigger than regular red-worms, like these in this video, but smaller than Canadian Night Crawlers. Thats what I'm going to be using and will make a video for my Fishing Channel soon
What if you don't add your worm chow? I dig they could consume *more* scraps (and is not it a goal)?
Also you add a lot of compost. Would you say the worm castings would be more diluted by that than those that come strictly from food scraps and cardboard bedding?
I would think adding the compost would just help with increasing the worm population early, good question.
They need some grit to digest their food. That's why he adds his worm chow.
Lucky worms!
Interesting video thank you !!
Do you not at Chitin into your bin or is that in your Oyster shells ?
MrJesseh24 thank you! The oyster shell does contain some chitin but not a lot. I have recently been adding crab meal which contains high amounts of chitin alone with some other amendments like rock dust to make the quality of my castings better.
How often do you feed your wormbin
what is the worm chow? how do you make them?
Shie Limfueco the worm chow is a homemade mix I have came up with. I have a video on it in my worm composting playlist if you want to look it up.
I make my dry food by mixing one part of wheat flour with one part ground oatmeal and two parts of cornmeal, some ground egg shells and used coffee grounds. Mix them in a blender and put in a plastic tub. Feed about a quarter cup per feeding or more based on the size of your bin. After I lay the dry food down, I will spray to dampen with water. Then cover and let them chow down
You've got dry cardboard on top. In my bin I wet all the shredded cardboard that I keep on top. Is dry better?
Autumn LaVarta if u are using only shredded cardboard and no manure or compost for bedding then u can put damp cardboard over your food scrapes when u feed. It does help to have a 3-4 inch layer of dry bedding over the damp bedding and castings. Having the dry bedding helps keep the worms down so they won't crawl up and out of the bin and it helps to keep pests like fruit flies from getting to the damp material and laying their eggs. I rake the dry material to the side to feed and leave a little bit of the dry cardboard under the food scrapes to help soak up the moister that comes from them so the bed won't get to damp.
I think the dry material on top like you do also occasionaly gets below and starts to decompose over time which is another benefit. On top of those two I think it adds a buffer for the worms in cold temps.