Unique Worm Bin Bedding Technique + Cocoon Nursery Check In | Vemicompost Worm Farm
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2022
- Worm babies & cocoons are abundant in the nursery & the worm tower gets a totally unique form of bedding as we check in & feed the top tray of my Vermihut worm bin. Each of the four trays on this stack are in a different phase of worm composting as these red wiggler & blue worms make nutrient rich worm castings for my garden.
The bedding & food scraps are quickly turning into castings in the top tray and it is getting very full. This will probably be the last feeding before I start a new active tray on top. We also run into some old food scraps & lots of worms as we dig through & aerate the bedding in preparation for this weeks feeding.
Epigeic worms or composting worms are fascinating natural composters & fertilizers that are in most homesteaders bag of tricks to make free organic fertilizer & soil amendments. If you've ever thought about vermicomposting or composting with worms to make organic fertilizer & natural soil amendments with your plant based kitchen scraps or food waste, this is the channel for you. I have 3 worm composing bins which you can watch from start to finished worm castings on the 3 playlists following each worm bin. If you haven't started yet, get started now and vermicompost with me!🪱🪱🪱 Visit my Channel at / vermicompostlearnbydoing
Happy Vermicomposting Everyone!!!🪱🪱🪱
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel!
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
#Vermicompost #wormfarm #vermihut #redwigglers #selfsufficiency #homesteading #vermiculture #wormcastings #baitworms
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel!
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
"It's so FLUFFY!"😍
😂🤣😂
Woah... 42lbs?? That's a whole lot of black GOLD !!! That drink tray wool will go FAST!!
I went to pick it up & I knew I had a some heavy business in there😂 I don't think I'll be adding the 5th tray, probably just keep it as a sifter. I'm interested to see how the drink tray wool goes...I guess if it's not in there next time it's a success!! It's a little labor intensive compared to shredding cardboard but just another thing I can add in!! Thanks so much for watching!!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost I would have and I have added it whole. They still consume it. I guess if you have the extra time you can shred away 😄😆 spoiled little things 🪱
@@deewormsvermicomposting Totally spoiled😂🤣😀
Good to see you here Dee Worms.
@@DragonflyAcres2022 thank you 😊
I need to up my nursery game. It's amazing how much of that paper gone with only a couple of worms, microbes on overdrive!!
I put sunflower stocks in our bin, they ate all the interiors of them !!
Have you noticed the populations of Red wigglers have stayed stable over the last year? You noted in this video that it was about 50/50.
That wooly material it crazy !!
Awesomeness Brother !!
Cheers J&C 🪱🌱🪱🤜🤛👍
That's pretty wild they ate the interior out of the sunflower stalks...probably similar to what the y do to broccoli in my bins! I feel like the number of worms ramped up fast the first year, but I still feel like they are increasing. I have only counted a portion of them once so I don't have anything to go on but "feel". It is amazing how many are present in such a compact area...worm towers really help get a lot going in that respect. Great intriguing questions as always!! Let's go!!!🪱🪱🪱
I have been experimenting with all sorts of nutrient forms for our mealworms that we keep. Was super interesting to see how you do your worms! Fun to see other peoples ways! -Erinn
Thank you! That's fantastic!! Do you feed your mealworms to your chickens? I'm sure they would love worms too. Can you use the aged chicken manure as food for the meal worms? I have so many questions😂 Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & comment!!!🪱🪱🪱
I love the drink tray idea. I tore some up into pieces but still sitting in my bin. Not broken down
When I put it in the magic bullet I have to shake it around to get them to stay down and get blended but the results are pretty amazing! Three feedings later I still see some of the drink tray pieces I tore into small pieces so I'm gonna blend them from now on. Thanks for watching the video!!!🪱🪱🪱
Awesome advice and cuteiii babies
Nice video... Good one
Thank you my friend!! I agree they are so cute! I appreciate you stopping by to watch & comment!!!🪱🪱🪱
Oh wow 👌 brilliant advice on the drink tray or egg carton 👩🌾👍
Thanks! It should be fun to see how it does! It is a little more labor intensive then shredding cardboard, but I can see doing it for a treat here or there!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!!🪱🪱🪱
Nice job rising worms.I alway watch full videos.nee friend
Thank you! I really like what the worms have been doing for my garden!! Always good to have new friends to learn from!! Your channel has some great how to videos I'm gonna dive into!!🪱🪱🪱
I need to try out that wooly stuff. Never thought of using my coffee grinder to do that. I know it's not sustainable on a big scale with a coffee grinder but seems fun and easier for the worms to go through it. Interesting video, keep them coming
Thank you!! It was a fun little experiment and great for helping a moist bin dry out a little as well! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and Leave a nice comment!!🪱🪱🪱
Love the video mate 👍
Thanks so much!!🪱🪱🪱
Bin is looking great. Interesting, I’ve ripped up egg cartons before never thought about blending them to shred them
My poor magic bullet is really getting a work out!! I'm looking forward to the results to see if I might include it in my cocoon nurseries or as supplemental bedding. Thanks so much for stopping by to watch & comment!!🪱🪱🪱
I don't acquire many drink trays, but I do have a steady supply of egg cartons. I am definitely trying the Magic Bullet on them. That is the best tip I've seen in months.
During the summer, I put coffee grounds in the Sun to dry. In the winter, I run them through the microwave a couple times. I dry them out for storage between feedings. There isn't enough room in the freezer for everything. Looking forward to your next vid.
Thanks so much! It takes a little finagling and shaking to get the egg carton/drink trays to get started in the blender but the results are great in the worm bin! Thanks for the tip on the coffee, I always like to hear from other worm farmers experience!! Thanks so much for talking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost I ground up the egg carton today. I found, as you said, I had to shake the blender pretty good. But, it worked! Now to see how it goes in the bin!
👍 Definitely pass an update after you try it out!
It's good that the blue and red worms are working well together. That blended drink tray is a good idea. I bet the worms are just gonna love it.
I've heard the blues can outcompete other worms so I'm happy the red wigglers are thriving!! The blended tray should work out well...now I'm wondering what else I can put in that little blender : ) Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost one way to find out. Just be prepared to buy a new just in case. 😁
@@WDWormsnGarden 😂 yep!
All your smaller bins gives me a little more hope and confidence that my first failed bin can bounce back a d survive. My bin often smells like fresh cut lawn even though there's not much greens in it.
Smaller bins can be a little tough because when the parameters within the bin go a little off, it affects the whole bin and the worms don't have anywhere to go to get away. The tower system & 20 gallon fabric pot outdoor bin are the most forgivable for me because they shed moisture almost guaranteeing that you have the perfect moisture in the bin. They also have some size to them so the worms can get away from hot/cold or fermenting parts of a bin that aren't doing well.
If your bin is not smelling right to you, I would reduce moisture by adding more bedding and skip a couple feedings. If you fear the bin is failing you can give the worms a "bath" by sorting them out and putting them into room temperature water and reintroducing them into a new bin with fresh damp bedding with a handful of castings or garden soil mixed in. I had a bin that was failing once and this was how I recovered it. Thanks so much for watching & commenting!!!🪱🪱🪱
The blending the cup holder tray was a great idea. Take care.
I'm glad blacksmith779 offered it up! I can't believe all the odd things I've put in that mini blender😂Thanks for stopping by to watch AJ!!🪱🪱🪱
Its been found that worms not only eat microbes and fungi but will actually eat what ever will fit in their mouths. Using the magic bullet on your food scraps will speed up the process of decomposing and also allow the worms better access to the food itself. Keep in mind that this method will produce a lot of liquid. So I highly recommend straining it a bit or allowing it to dry out some before feeding.
It is so refreshing to hear that! So many people say worms only eat microbes & fungi and I don't know where they get it from. Early on I used to blend the food scraps for them when I wanted to make sure the bin got off to a good start. I still occasionally blend food and it is a great idea to speed up all the processes in the bin. Thanks so much for watching and passing on the good information & tips!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost there were a few studies done way back in the 1940s. I cant remember the name of the guy but he was a big time naturalist. Not sure how the info got twisted. And i haven't found anything that actually factually debunks it. And i have to assume worms like a little variety in their diets as well. Lol.
Very interesting that shredded drink tray. I wonder how the worms like it. I'm still experimenting with the blended peanut shells. :D There are things only worm bin owners will put into a blender. :D
😂🤣😂 Luckily they are relative inexpensive but I haven’t broke one yet. It would be very hard to explain to a non worm farmer what goes into this tiny blender!!! I’m very interested to see how the peanut shells do in you bin!! Thanks for stopping by the watch & comment!!!🪱🪱🪱
Those blues I have seem to compost faster than the wigglers, but the wigglers seem to reproduce faster. Nice video. Thanks for posting.
That’s a very interesting observation!! It makes sense based on what I’m seeing in this worm tower. They do compliment each other very well in my system!! Thanks so much for watching & for the kind words!!🪱🪱🪱
Love the blended egg carton idea! I put the flat lids through my shredder, but this looks much better. Thanks for passing on Blacksmith779’s advice!
Thank you! That was a great idea blacksmith had. I haven’t tried sending them through the shredder but I’m gonna give it a try!! If it can shred credit cards, egg carton tops should be no problem!! Thanks so much for watching & taking time to leave a comment!!🪱🪱🪱
Always wondered if worms came from eggs or what. We have night crawlers here, they get the size of small snakes. That sure would make great compost for my raised beds.
It is pretty cool how they reproduce!! Night Crawlers would be a fun worm to raise and they do well in bins! My raised beds do very well with the vermicompost and worm compost teas I make, I'm sure they would do great on an even bigger scale in your raised beds!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & comment!!!🪱🪱🪱
I'm looking forward to seeing how the drink tray works!
Thanks! Not something I thought I'd every put in a blender but I think the worms are gonna like the increased surface area! I really appreciate you stopping by to watch and I look forward to exploring your channel more!!🪱🪱🪱
I tried shredding the carton material once too. It was some time ago, so I can't recall the outcome. I would imagine that it'll be well received... 👍🏻
I'm willing to try different foods & bedding materials but they have to meet some specific criteria: 1. The worms like it 2. It's free 3. It requires little to no preparation...It a yes for 2. and a no for 3. so we'll see if the worms like it!! I may search your archives to see if I can find the video!🪱🪱🪱
I can see the noncompliance with rule #3 as being one that can be disregarded when there's an experiment-like scenario going on 👍🏻
PS: there was a prep video ua-cam.com/video/4DXPpptiWAU/v-deo.html and then the actual use of the stuff is seen in the extended version of the 3-chamber carbon-only time-lapse at day 125 (wow - three hyphenated words right after each other) - here's the link for that ua-cam.com/video/HepGHIY-zIw/v-deo.html
@@A-V Exactly...of course if, through the experiment, I discover a more efficient way to do it then were back in business!! I'm sure your workflow is amazing with your experience and how many bins you run. I'm getting into a grove but always looking for improvement!!
@@A-V I just had a serious Back to the Future moment right there...Future you asked present me to watch past you show how you blend the egg cartons : D That was pretty cool seeing you blend cardboard and paper too!! Who knew those little blenders could be so useful!!! The time lapse was pretty cool as well!!!!
I've used blended paper for bedding. it's amazing for helping you control moisture levels. it absorbs water like a sponge so it immediately helps with excess moisture.
That is pretty cool!! I never thought about blending other bedding...but I'm definitely gonna try it now! I imagine all the extra surface area really helps the moisture control. Did it get matted down at all when you blended it? Thanks so much for stopping by to watch & pass on the tip!!🪱🪱🪱
I have my 1st worm bin and it's a little over a month old. I don't understand about the tray method you use. Is there some place that I could go to learn about that. You went through it way too quickly for my ADD brain. Lol! I suppose a lot of your viewers know all about it, but I have mostly just watched videos about having worm bin, and so that's what I have. Thank you for your very good videos.
Thank you! No problem! I have a worm tower called a VermiHut that uses individual stackable "trays". Each individual tray is almost like it's own worm bin, but each one is on top of the other. There are holes on the bottom of the trays so the worms can move freely up and down between the trays. I only feed the top tray, which is where the majority of the worms are. After about 60 days, I put a new tray on top and start feeding that while the one below it stays under and gets the last little bits consumed by the worms and eventually gets harvested of its castings. Worm towers are great at controlling moisture because they have a drain on the very bottom incase the bin gets too moist. I have a few videos that explain how a worm tower works and how I use it: This explains what is in each level ua-cam.com/video/Q2Mangz9fHs/v-deo.html
and this one takes a look at how a worm tower works and how to maintain them.
Here is a comparison between my 3 different kind of worm bins ua-cam.com/video/yuCoQjiUxJg/v-deo.html
I hope this helps! It is so exciting to worm farm!! I'm so glad you are enjoying it!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost thanks so much!!!
Have you ever used dolomite in your bins? I read on Reddit that someone uses it in his bin in place of eggshells. Its a certain type of limestone that seems to be a mixture of calcium and magnesium. Its supposed to be pH neutral so as not to harm the worms. Thoughts?
I have not personally used dolomite in my bins but I follow some people that do and they say it works well!! I would have no problem giving it a try. I use egg shells because I have an essentially free source that would otherwise go into the trash. I believe it provides a similar pH buffering situation. I'd say give it a try and let us know how it works for you!!🪱🪱🪱 Thanks so much for watching and for the question!!
@@Vermicompost I was actually thinking of buying magnesium tablets from the store and grinding it up with the eggshells. However, its not the carbonate form and I don't know how much that will affect it. Dee says she adds oats to "fatten them up" so I might give that a try as well. If it does something miraculous or incredible, I'll let everyone know!
Thanks for the advice. Its interesting to watch the different things you try. Keep up the good work!
@@ckmbyrnes Thank you I appreciate it! Looking forward to hearing what you come up with!! Dee is great!!
How do you dry your coffee grounds before feeding?
I have a Keurig individual coffee maker with a reusable paperless K-cup filter. Each time I make a cup of coffee I dump the ground into a storage container and leave the lid off. The grounds naturally dry but retain enough moisture each time I dump more in & a little mold grows in them to help start breaking them down. Sometimes before I feed I put the lid on and shake the coffee grounds up to make sure I get some old grounds going into the bin. I like them going into my bin dry so they spread out and don't clump up. Thanks for so much for watching & thanks for the great question!!🪱🪱🪱
I have been experimenting with all sorts of nutrient forms for our mealworms that we keep. Was super interesting to see how you do your worms! Fun to see other peoples ways! -Erinn
Thank you! That's fantastic!! Do you feed your mealworms to your chickens? I'm sure they would love worms too. Can you use the aged chicken manure as food for the meal worms? I have so many questions😂 Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & comment!!!🪱🪱🪱