The Worm Farm

When I started vermicomposting in August, I went to a bait-shop, and got a couple of boxes of live worms. One contained 12 "trout Worm" (red wigglers?) and and the other 12 "Big Reds" (European night crawlers?) in a small Styrofoam box. I weight the worms to about 6 ounces, and decided to feed them 6 ounces of food scrap everyday. I filled the box with shredded news paper to the top, mixed in a couple of handful of potting soil, and added about 6 ounces of food scrap.  This was a first try - enabled by my partner - to see if we could manage a compost bin without foul odors.

The shelf "temp control"

The worm crate

After about a month no problem of odours or other happened, so I build a composting bin. I then built a wooden bin out of 2 veggie crates found in the garbage, a few feet of corner wood molding to make feet and  and landscaping fabric to avoid bugs to come in and out. I also made a support inside the bin to be able to put a shelf to put a bottle of frozen water to help controlling the temperature on toasty days.

The grate

The flap

I decided to go with a flow trough "design", using a grate at the bottom to keep the material from falling through, but allowing to collect it from time to time. Since my partner would hate to see any of the "bugs" (she does not want to use the word "worm" - not sure why ...) I have installed a couple of layers of landscaping fabric, which allows for access to the compost, and in the same time, make it look closed.

When I counted the worms during the "transfer" from the Styrofoam box to the worm crate, I found 26 worms, most of which were about the same size (3 inches or so) as well as 10 cocoons (small yellow balls). Also, the bottom contained what I though was worm casting. I was pretty happy to see that, but was quite impatient to add more food, so I ordered 1/2 a pound of worms from Lower East Side Ecology Center. That week I introduced about 1/2 of red wigglers. These look different from the worms I started with (way smaller and darker red, in comparison the first set i started with looked pink), I am wondering what I got from the fishing bait shop ... When i added the worm, I dumped them on the top, and left the top opened, with a office lamp over it. The next day I removed the lamp and closed the bin. To this day, I have not had any problem of worms escaping (neither from above or from below).

The "bedding" is made of shredded corrugated cardboard, toilet paper roll tubes, junk mail, some leaves collected in the nearby park, and some of these compressed wood-dust litter pellets that my cat does not like. When i add food scraps, I dig a little and spread it, then cover with the material I moved. On the top, I have a layer of dry-ish bedding (it gets wet sometimes, but sometimes it stays dry) and a journal.

I have fed the worms using food-scraps, tea and coffee grounds (used) blended in the food-processor with some water (otherwise it does not blend). Before feeding I add some dry fresh bedding to absorb the extra moisture. I progressively have increased. I have progressively increased the amount of food I add, from 1/2 pound every 2 days, to every day ect. Before adding food scraps i always check if the surface of the crate is warm, and when it is, I don't add the food, and check the next day, until It cools off. This week I added 1.5 kg of food scraps (over 3 pounds) and today it was warm. In total since I started, I have added over 14 kg (30 pounds) of food-scraps. I also removed about 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs of worm compost). The worm compost I removed smells earthy and slightly sweet, and contains a few pieces of uncomposted egg carton, but no food is identifiable, and again , no rotting garbage smell!