How To Start A Worn Bin Out Of An Old Storage Bin
Drill some holes in the bottom + on the sides of your bin. Worms breathe through their skin & leachate (a liquid caused by decomposition will drop out of the bottom, so plan for this.
Gather some moist (very moist!) bedding // carbon components. Leaves contain microbial networks that will keep worms happy and healthy. But, brown bags (Trader Joe’s bags have a compostable label & I’ve composted hundreds!), cardboard, a small amount of bark or wood chips will work too!
Add the worms to the bin + put in a cool place in summer + a warmer spot in winter. I compost outside, so I seek sun spots. In summer, I seek shady spots. I would start with a minimum of 250 & add castings as well as worms to inoculate your bin with microbial networks!
Add food once the worms look happy. This may take a few days up to a week. Add a small amount at first, see how long it takes them to eat that food, then add more as your wormies multiply.
Eggs look like little yellow dumpling that have a small tip at the top. It takes a couple of months for them to hatch, so if composting in your garden, be sure to look for predators like centipedes & remove them.
You’ll notice castings & you can remove them as you see them. It will take different amounts of time, depending on how many worms you start with, how much you feed them & how well their environment suits them. So keep it moist! Keep them fed & don’t forget that castings are so good for our soil health, in turn, our gut health. Hang in there + press on!!
Here are some benefits I’ve experienced from having a worm bin — https://thewildbungalow.com/the-blo/2024/4/29/what-are-the-benefits-of-worm-castings
Here’s what I feed my worms — https://thewildbungalow.com/the-blo/2024/5/21/whatdowormseat-my-red-wiggler-composting-worms-eisenia-fetida
Some pics to
