Part 3 of the beginning worm bin series. A short video showing how I introduce worms into a new bin. Help support my channel order from Uncle Jim's (affiliate) unclejimswormf....
Interesting about keeping the bedding dry at the top. I just started. Built my bin the day I got my worms. I moisten the top once or twice throughout the day with a mister. Everytime I pull back the cardboard blanket a hand ful are on top of the bedding and food roaming. Not in a bunch just like individually munching. The only time they tried to leave was the first day I put them in but the top was really wet and they were used to the dry coco.
Very good video. There are so many bad videos out there. You explained your process very well. You managed the filming great & enjoyed the time lapsed.
Truck Taxi Yea, English is not my native tongue and when he said to put lead on top, I was like what! That’s toxic. After a while I got it, he said lid 😁
OMG you saved me! The instructions on my new worm bin say to keep the bedding at the top moist - this was causing all my worms to want to flee! I tried your method and they settled right down. THANK YOU
Thanks for posting, Josh. My ANC's came in today (1/11). I bought them from Tim Campbell ( He sells colonies-worms at different stages-from cocoons to adults.) The worms seem to love their new environment and none has staged a prison break. The lid has been off all the time. I'll try to keep up with you. I'm looking forward to the feeding video. Cheers!
the best way to use a lid on a worm bed like that is to cut a 6 X 6 in hole in the top & silicone a screen on it from the bottom of the lid & it works great.
Gayle Harrelson I might have to try that. I have been having trouble with the lid collecting moisture and the worms wanting to climb up the sides. The better ventilation with a large screen would probably stop that.
DownToTheRoots I never have any probs with ventilation OR them crawling out & I always make sure they have plenty of dry corn meal & dry oats & uncooked grits to eat on 2 X's a mon, I don't feed mine ANY scraps I keep the tote just damp enough to keep them cool & I put a wet old THIN shirt over the top that keeps them in the tote & damp.
I have holes along the tops of the four sides of my worm bins but to prevent the worms from escaping, I hot glue window screening over the holes. Landscape fabric will work, too.
May I ask if you can tell us how you prepare the box for the worms before you bring them in ? And I also wonder if you know what you are doing correctly while so many others seems to fail. I would love to start with worm compost but only when I have enough knowlegde .
Browntown Homestead that’s awesome! I’ve been doing it for almost 13 years now. My dad did it for close to 40 before he retired and I took over last year. I have chickens garden beds and everything out next to my shop. The worms are in my supply room/office.
enjoyed the series as I'm setting up my first bin. I was fortunate enough to be given some red wiglers. along with shredded cardboard and paper I want to use dried shredded leaves. is there a mix ratio or using whatever I have is good? my concern is that I don't want to create a hot compost and hurt my worms. of course I'll be feeding them scraps, finely crushed egg shells and putting in finished compost to start. thank you and keep up the good work. :-)
Jack I’m glad you have enjoyed it! Any combination of cardboard and leaves will be fine just keep them damp and not soaking wet. As long as the bin is mostly carbon rich materials it will not heat up to much for the worms. The main thing to remember is to add the food waste a little at a time to avoid adding to much nitrogen which will heat up the bin. Another thing that helps is to only feed one side of the bin at a time just Incase it does heat up the worms can move to the colder side until it has cooled back off.
I used NW great worms. Don't want to disagree with you but I turn my worm over about three times a week. I have 6 bins and a nursery with over 3000 eggs in it. I have an approximate total of 60 k worms.
Catherine Fredericks I have never really tried it to be honest. My thoughts was that they don’t get mixed around in nature so it would be better to let them just do their thing. What is the benefit of turning the beds that often?
It gives them more air and your castings don't get packed which can happen when you don't have enough air. I never put lids on my bins but don't let it get deeper than about 4-5 inches. I also use the migration method in my bins. So they only get one side to eat on. I put a small amount of bedding on the other side so they can move out should anything go wrong in the bin, which has never happened.
Catherine Fredericks that does make sense. I have had some beds compact in the bottom when I have let them go for to long without harvesting. I plan on starting another bin or 2 in the future. I might try that on one of them to see how it works out for me. 🙂
I would switch out all that card board with natural dried leaves packed with minerals fungus and more and broken up dried p8ne needles. You have alot of worms for 1 bin. I can make 10 bins out of it.. i had 10 worms escape becsuse of having the soil too high. But after feeling the hot ground i put em bsck in but lost 7.. In my super soil worm bin mix I have sandy soil. Coco coir. Azomite. Oyster shell powder. Banana skins ashed. Chopped. Sweet potatoe skins ashed n chopped, fruits from apples to pear bits. Molded bread. Mychos. And a few other bugs to help the worms out.. i usually add 5 gallons of native soil from under a tree root and only give my worms rain water and a few cups of brown sugar to speed things up
Diane Ladico I’m glad you enjoy my videos! The moist bedding is around 3 to 4 inches to start. It will be almost double that when it comes time to harvest.
Thank you for the quick reply. I've made my bin like you showed in your 'bedding' video and I'm letting it age for a few more days before I pick up the worms. I just sterilized the egg shells and I'll make your worm chow so hopefully they'll have a happy new home. So nice of you to share what you know to help others. Looking forward to your other videos.
Dear Josh, I keep watching your videos over and over and I am sure I could have missed some of them but I have questions that I feel need to be addressed that NO ONE is addressing. So I watched someone's video, not sure who's, but it was about redworms living close to the top of the soil while nightcrawler tend to deep dive into the soil. I have watched some videos that didn't have 2 inches of material of any kind but was full of worms. Please tells us how to differentiate which worms need more privacy(deep diving into the soil) & which are more social (living an inch or two underground). I am in my beginning stages but I don't want to assume all worms live together or in the same complex but different condos. We need to know the difference. Thank you
Gonna follow. Ordered my worms today. What are the size bin recommendations? I got a pound of African nightcrawlers coming. And also what about drainage ?
Should be fine to move them anytime really as long as you take their bedding and all to the new bin. They won’t notice the change as long as their bedding is the same that they are use too.
That time lapse of them settling down into the bedding was awesome.
I’ve watched many videos and read a bunch about starting a worm bin and this is by far the best I’ve found. Thank you for making this series.
I’m glad it was helpful for you! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
That time-lapse is everything!!
Watching that fast motion was awesome! Thanks!
Interesting about keeping the bedding dry at the top. I just started. Built my bin the day I got my worms. I moisten the top once or twice throughout the day with a mister. Everytime I pull back the cardboard blanket a hand ful are on top of the bedding and food roaming. Not in a bunch just like individually munching. The only time they tried to leave was the first day I put them in but the top was really wet and they were used to the dry coco.
Very good video. There are so many bad videos out there. You explained your process very well. You managed the filming great & enjoyed the time lapsed.
Wow that's one thick accent, I found myself consciously translating certain words.
Thanks for the video
Truck Taxi
Yea, English is not my native tongue and when he said to put lead on top, I was like what! That’s toxic. After a while I got it, he said lid 😁
Mann you’re the guardian of the galaxy of worms. 👍
LOVE the timelapse :D
Me too it was so cool
OMG you saved me! The instructions on my new worm bin say to keep the bedding at the top moist - this was causing all my worms to want to flee! I tried your method and they settled right down. THANK YOU
👍👍 a great follow up video. The time lapse was a great idea 👏👏👏👏.
Thanks for posting, Josh. My ANC's came in today (1/11). I bought them from Tim Campbell ( He sells colonies-worms at different stages-from cocoons to adults.) The worms seem to love their new environment and none has staged a prison break. The lid has been off all the time. I'll try to keep up with you. I'm looking forward to the feeding video.
Cheers!
Ernest Bunburry that is great! I’m glad they are doing well!
Great job!
Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
thanks,i'm building me a worm bed tomorrow before it gets to hot.the card board is a great idea....thank you so much.
the best way to use a lid on a worm bed like that is to cut a 6 X 6 in hole in the top & silicone a screen on it from the bottom of the lid & it works great.
Gayle Harrelson I might have to try that. I have been having trouble with the lid collecting moisture and the worms wanting to climb up the sides. The better ventilation with a large screen would probably stop that.
DownToTheRoots I never have any probs with ventilation OR them crawling out & I always make sure they have plenty of dry corn meal & dry oats & uncooked grits to eat on 2 X's a mon, I don't feed mine ANY scraps I keep the tote just damp enough to keep them cool & I put a wet old THIN shirt over the top that keeps them in the tote & damp.
Thank you for sharing your experiences
I have holes along the tops of the four sides of my worm bins but to prevent the worms from escaping, I hot glue window screening over the holes. Landscape fabric will work, too.
I like it, good job.
Good job...👍👍👍👍
Great job thanks 🙏
Great video series! Once the worms are settled and start breeding, what weight of worms would that size tote support comfortably? Thanks
i have my worms inside my house have had them for about a year and a half now none of mine have ever tried to escape.
May I ask if you can tell us how you prepare the box for the worms before you bring them in ? And I also wonder if you know what you are doing correctly while so many others seems to fail. I would love to start with worm compost but only when I have enough knowlegde .
This was helpful
I love nw redworms
I think I heard you mention you work in a body shop? I'm a painter and also raise worms. Been in the body shop for nearly 28 years.
Browntown Homestead that’s awesome! I’ve been doing it for almost 13 years now. My dad did it for close to 40 before he retired and I took over last year. I have chickens garden beds and everything out next to my shop. The worms are in my supply room/office.
DownToTheRoots yep, we garden pretty heavily, raise chickens, hunt and fish. Check out our channel sometime. Thanks
How many worms do you have now?love your accent.
enjoyed the series as I'm setting up my first bin. I was fortunate enough to be given some red wiglers. along with shredded cardboard and paper I want to use dried shredded leaves. is there a mix ratio or using whatever I have is good? my concern is that I don't want to create a hot compost and hurt my worms. of course I'll be feeding them scraps, finely crushed egg shells and putting in finished compost to start. thank you and keep up the good work. :-)
Jack I’m glad you have enjoyed it! Any combination of cardboard and leaves will be fine just keep them damp and not soaking wet. As long as the bin is mostly carbon rich materials it will not heat up to much for the worms. The main thing to remember is to add the food waste a little at a time to avoid adding to much nitrogen which will heat up the bin. Another thing that helps is to only feed one side of the bin at a time just Incase it does heat up the worms can move to the colder side until it has cooled back off.
I used NW great worms. Don't want to disagree with you but I turn my worm over about three times a week. I have 6 bins and a nursery with over 3000 eggs in it. I have an approximate total of 60 k worms.
Catherine Fredericks I have never really tried it to be honest. My thoughts was that they don’t get mixed around in nature so it would be better to let them just do their thing. What is the benefit of turning the beds that often?
It gives them more air and your castings don't get packed which can happen when you don't have enough air. I never put lids on my bins but don't let it get deeper than about 4-5 inches. I also use the migration method in my bins. So they only get one side to eat on. I put a small amount of bedding on the other side so they can move out should anything go wrong in the bin, which has never happened.
Catherine Fredericks that does make sense. I have had some beds compact in the bottom when I have let them go for to long without harvesting. I plan on starting another bin or 2 in the future. I might try that on one of them to see how it works out for me. 🙂
I would switch out all that card board with natural dried leaves packed with minerals fungus and more and broken up dried p8ne needles. You have alot of worms for 1 bin. I can make 10 bins out of it.. i had 10 worms escape becsuse of having the soil too high. But after feeling the hot ground i put em bsck in but lost 7..
In my super soil worm bin mix
I have sandy soil. Coco coir. Azomite. Oyster shell powder. Banana skins ashed. Chopped. Sweet potatoe skins ashed n chopped, fruits from apples to pear bits. Molded bread. Mychos. And a few other bugs to help the worms out.. i usually add 5 gallons of native soil from under a tree root and only give my worms rain water and a few cups of brown sugar to speed things up
what kind of worms are great worms? is it related to the nightcrawlers?
Süper video başarılar ✨️
Thanks for the videos. I'm just getting started and your information has been a great help. One question: how deep is the moist bedding? Thank you.
Diane Ladico I’m glad you enjoy my videos! The moist bedding is around 3 to 4 inches to start. It will be almost double that when it comes time to harvest.
Thank you for the quick reply. I've made my bin like you showed in your 'bedding' video and I'm letting it age for a few more days before I pick up the worms. I just sterilized the egg shells and I'll make your worm chow so hopefully they'll have a happy new home. So nice of you to share what you know to help others. Looking forward to your other videos.
Diane Ladico that’s awesome! Best of luck! 🙂
👍👍
Dear Josh, I keep watching your videos over and over and I am sure I could have missed some of them but I have questions that I feel need to be addressed that NO ONE is addressing. So I watched someone's video, not sure who's, but it was about redworms living close to the top of the soil while nightcrawler tend to deep dive into the soil. I have watched some videos that didn't have 2 inches of material of any kind but was full of worms. Please tells us how to differentiate which worms need more privacy(deep diving into the soil) & which are more social (living an inch or two underground). I am in my beginning stages but I don't want to assume all worms live together or in the same complex but different condos. We need to know the difference. Thank you
Gonna follow. Ordered my worms today. What are the size bin recommendations? I got a pound of African nightcrawlers coming. And also what about drainage ?
Red wrigglers bro. Drill holes in the bottom to catch all the worm pee
New sub thanks for sharring
I only bought 100g of tiger worms, I read that they multiply quick which I'm really hoping....
Can you use wood shavings as a bedding ?
Josh, where do you get the shredded cardboard material?
Great video, thanks! But I have concerns with your use of that knife! How is it that you have not lost a finger or two? LOL
KyRock1968 thank you! 🤷♂️😂
What I do is cut out some of the lid and make a frame and wire tie it to the lid.
Is that a light weight cardboard your using. I’m not sure my shredder would hand to big of a box
So how many are in a pound?The site I found sells by number.
Is their wholes in the bottom.
My worms are always sluggish when they arrive
What is the name of the worms and where you bought them
Could u use barley straw instead of cardboard?
I had problems with worms coming out from the side and the bottom. Do you drill holes on the bottom?
Another great video, thanx alot. Do you ever water the worms or bedding?
I just got my worms a week ago. I have since come up with a new bed design. When do you think I can move them?
Should be fine to move them anytime really as long as you take their bedding and all to the new bin. They won’t notice the change as long as their bedding is the same that they are use too.
How to make the small chips of cardboard?
How many times a week do you feed them? Thanks for sharing.
When food is gone, add more
You don't want food to sit in there so long it rots, but enough to last a couple days
can i use straw for bedding instead of the shredded paper?
Hw much was that? weight wise? number wise?
every thought of just using a 20 gallon cloth pot for there home
Did you move? U used to have a bunch of bins didn't you. Big ones if I remember correctly.
Catherine Fredericks yeah I moved recently and wasn’t able to bring the worms with me. I’m starting over now.
What about insects?
Where are you from? I love your accent
sounds like Alabama
We sound like that here in Arkansaw also :)
Do you have to use red worms? Can you use earthworms?
Earthworms are not composting worms and will die.
What do you use to shred cardboard?
Size 12+ paper shredder
What do you use to shred the smaller pieces of cardboard?
Michael Tolbert I have a 14 sheet paper shredder I use to shred all my cardboard.
@@robinettefamilyfarm3510 Thank you!
Where do you'll order your RW from?
It;s possible the worms crawled up and out of your soil because it was acidic.
F
R
I wish he was speaking English!