(Part 2) Best products from r/Vermiculture

Good on you for wanting to vermicompost as soon as possible!

My sis used a DIY Rubbermaid bin for several years. She generally treated it in two zones, left and right. She'd put down kitchen waste in the left side, and the worms would sort of migrate there. For the next trip, she'd put it down on the right side.

Her most frequent complaint is that the worms wouldn't leave the old zone for the new zone. (I find this true with our vertical bin also, to a certain degree: worms will migrate up to the fresh food, but many will remain on the lower levels until the food is completely consumed.)

We live in an apartment, and use this worm bin in our utility room.

Rats are a whole different issue. They're devious, capable, and smart, though I'm not sure that shredded compost would be their first pick for food. You could make vertical "stilts" to hold your bin, or you could suspend it from the ceiling. Rats are smart as hell though, and will likely figure out how to bypass any protective measures you put into place. Deal with them, and vermicomposting will be easy. If you're in an apartment, the landlord should provide pest control services.

Also, if you have a blender, consider getting one or two big, regular (not wide-mouth) mason jars. We generally have 2 on the countertop. Edible/tasty kitchen trimmings (ends of onions, celery greens, ugly but non-rotten bits of carrots, bell pepper piths, meat trimmings) go into a freezer bag for making broth later. Inedible stuff (used coffee filters, tough asparagus bits, wilted flowers, pinched-off ends from growing plants, that bit of the carrot that includes the remains of the green part) goes into a Mason jar as future worm food.

The recommended ratio of brown matter to green matter is 60% (brown) to 40% (green.) It's often a challenge getting more brown matter than green, since most kitchen waste is green. We have a paper shredder (crosscut shredder, $7 from Goodwill thrift store) and I bought a big brick of coconut coir from Amazon. Peat pots whose seeds don't germinate also go to the worms.

Good luck!

When I bought this it was $17: the digital heat sensors
https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Digital-Seedling-Thermostat-Controller/dp/B015F4VFGI/ref=pd_bxgy_86_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015F4VFGI&pd_rd_r=1HCKJXJJBBV0NW2W1AYK&pd_rd_w=fJNYN&pd_rd_wg=iKA5l&psc=1&refRID=1HCKJXJJBBV0NW2W1AYK


Here is the heat pad, it is always on full blast (you put it under the tray and the heat goes up, and put the heat sensor at the top so when the thing is fully heated, it turns off) :
https://www.amazon.com/Plant-Babies-Heating-Waterproof-Seedling/dp/B013HFKRMK/ref=pd_sim_86_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B013HFKRMK&pd_rd_r=1HCKJXJJBBV0NW2W1AYK&pd_rd_w=152tJ&pd_rd_wg=iKA5l&psc=1&refRID=1HCKJXJJBBV0NW2W1AYK

Or you can use this programmable controller the head:
https://www.amazon.com/bayite-Fahrenheit-Digital-Temperature-Controller/dp/B011VGASLW/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1481436370&sr=1-5&keywords=digital+heat+switch
But you have to do some wiring (outlet cord, and wire an outlet) and you have to read up on how to program it


I use the programmable timer for Quail and the timer above in the first link for grow trays/starts. Either combination should work. Can you post pictures of your worm farm? Thanks

Sure is!

https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Plant-Shrimp-Stratum-17-6-Pound/dp/B00JMA9S52

I rescued him and he’s now back with his comrades

I’ve just received my order of the DE. Was curious if you could recommend how to use it? Where to apply and what amount. We have a 360 worm factory: https://www.amazon.com/Worm-Factory-WF360B-Composter-Black/dp/B002LH47PY

I use that 10 gallon pump and it works fine. Combine the frequently bought together items with this air stone will come out around $20. A 5 gallon bucket canbe bought from any hardware store or I bet you can ask for one at a restaurant like Panda Express. They have a ton and I bet they could be willing to part with one. They're food grade so there is that to consider.

I was thinking something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Jardin-Aquarium-Ceramic-Diffusers-Diameter/dp/B0050HJ7Q6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1404514529&sr=8-4&keywords=aerator+stone

Stick a worm farm in stylish trashcan. You can probably find one at a Lowes, Home Depot, or Walmart. Just make sure it has ventilation, or drill some holes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017XNZMCW/

I can't help you with worms, but my bin is just a plastic storage tote (like this) with holes drilled in the top and side for airflow.

The Humanure Handbook is pretty much the bible of human waste composting.

The ones I bought

http://www.jetcompost.com/burrow/tbp1.htm I did something similar to this long read with a 22L bin. I put 50 %?coffee ground and 50 % potting soil into a spare bin and in went the worms! I have two urban worm bags as my primary bins Urban Worm Bag Worm Composting Bin Version 2 - Eliminates Need to Manually Sort Worms from Compost https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078RHPWZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mnVnDbP490KMY

This stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LE35F4W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_H6h5Ab3A9SDAN

This stuff got rid of my carpenter ants: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TXFE4RI

Drum sieves. You'll have to look around and find the coarse ones. it'll sift out the casting material from the worms, bedding, and unprocessed food. Of course this is only suitable for smaller amounts. http://www.amazon.com/Multi-Purpose-Interchangeable-Sieves-5Pc-Set/dp/B00F9MV9LS/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1420848071&sr=8-12&keywords=sieve

I bought this and when I sift, most everything goes through, including these rather large egg shells from my first attempt at composting.

Should I have gotten a smaller size? Or does anyone have any advice to make it more usable?

Achla Designs Compost Sifter Screen with Handles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QKP7HQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lt.5Cb2WS48AY

I have one of these, they work great!

I have the Amazon Basics 24-sheet and I shred all of my cardboard with it. I bought it two years ago and it's chugging along.

I am not happy with how wide the slot is, but the price jump up to "departmental business equipment shredder" is massive.

This is what I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XZPV2F4/ I don't want to say 100% that this works, but after I added a little baking soda, it did seem to cut the escapes back down.

could drop one of these in the bottom - https://www.amazon.com/Andersons-Professional-Cooling-Heavyweight-9-25-Inches/dp/B000HM9TGM/ref=pd_lpo_79_lp_img_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DE67ZP4QXC01N0CRQ3QC

WF360 = Worm Factory 360?

It is supossed to be 17.9 x 17.9 x 14.9 inches, right?

this is around 0.2 m^2 = 1 kg worms (5 kg/m^2)

Just get a regular bin 28.75 x 16 x 18.25 inches = 0.292 m^2

1.5 kg of worms

you can have a worm density anywhere from 2.5 to 10 kg/m^2, 5 is a good number.

If you are worried about winter, check this out.

Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and
Vermiculture

By Glenn Munroe
Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada

They talk a lot about harsh winters.

TLDR: worms will survive below zero temperatures, they will eat less, they wont reproduce as often.

Worms can be productive if you load them with food and plenty of space to move around and avoid dangerous areas.

Even if the walls froze they will be alright.

You can always insulate the bin with styrofoam on the outside.

>• Low temperatures. Eisenia can survive in temperatures as low as 0 o C, but
they don’t reproduce at single-digit temperatures and they don’t consume as
much food. It is generally considered necessary to keep the temperatures above
10 o C (minimum) and preferably 15 o C for vermicomposting efficiency and above
15 o C (minimum) and preferably 20 o C for productive vermiculture operations.

>• Effects of freezing. Eisenia can survive having their bodies partially encased in
frozen bedding and will only die when they are no longer able to consume
food 8 . Moreover, tests at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) have
confirmed that their cocoons survive extended periods of deep freezing and
remain viable (GEORG, 2004).

>• High temperatures. Compost worms can survive temperatures in the mid-30s
but prefer a range in the 20s ( o C). Above 35 o C will cause the worms to leave the
area. If they cannot leave, they will quickly die. In general, warmer
temperatures (above 20 o C) stimulate reproduction.

>• Worms’s response to temperature differentials. Compost worms will
redistribute themselves within piles, beds or windrows according to temperature
gradients. In outdoor composting windrows in wintertime, where internal heat
from decomposition is in contrast to frigid external temperatures, the worms will
be found in a relatively narrow band at a depth where the temperature is close
to optimum. They will also be found in much greater numbers on the south-
facing side of windrows in the winter and on the opposite side in the summer.

>Although composting worms O 2 requirements are essential, however, they are also
relatively modest. Worms survive harsh winters inside windrows where all surfaces are
frozen: they live on the oxygen available in the water trapped inside the windrow.