What do we know about WORM Bins?

[vash]

I dint have room to compost.

I’m thinking of starting a worm bin. I’ve seen DIY kits made out of roughneck plastic bins. I’m not clear on the concept. They stay in the mid level? Until food runs out and they migrate up to the top level where stuff is composting?

Can someone dumb it down for this city person? And what is the worm juice people siphon off the bottom? Worm pee? What is the main product of a worm bin? The liquid? Or are you dumping the mid level into the garden when they move out?

[Joe Bob]

You need to use a pitchfork to churn the....fill in the blank.

Just like compost piles.

[GH85Carrera]

My grandfather had two worm beds. The size of coffins. Throw most any kitchen scraps in and they ate it and made the soil so rich if you put a seed in the dirt you had to jump back. It was growing like crazy. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration.

[flatbutt]

I collect water from my compost , we call it compost tea.

[GH85Carrera]

This is the corner of our property and right now part of the parking area for guests of my driveway and is covered in spring garden projects. The barrel is a compost barrel. I dump in the law clippings and leaves from last fall. Just spin the barrel and it stirs things up to make easy composting. If you look close, you will see the silver spot that is an axle that the barrel rotate on. The trash bags are full of leaves from last fall. Mostly hidden behind the bush on the right is a trash can, with the bottom cut out. We pile in the leaves from last fall, and the worms crawl up in it and have a feast. We just add in more leaves as needed. Just lift the trash can, and the compost is on the ground full of worms and great soil.

The mound of leaves next to the barrel is a pile of compost. It is the easy and fast one to add to. If we lose an African cichlid from the aquarium in the house we just bury it in there and it just goes away. I have buried one rat snake that must have eaten a poisoned mouse or rat from some other house. We don't use poison. It was real sick and died in my back yard. So off to the compost and away it went. Poof, gone.

[jrj3rd]

With worm bins you don't need to churn the material. Worms will migrate and munch away. Used one for a couple of years for pet waste. Just keep adding new waste to the top and harvest the castings occasionally. Worked great until we had a very bad winter and I didn't move the unit to prevent it freezing. Worm Popsicles don't continue to eat. Never got around to ordering more red worms.

[Tobra]

If you take two pieces of rebar, stab one into the ground and rub the other up and down perpendicular to the one poking the ground, the vibrations will drive any worms in the area to the surface, which you can then scoop up and throw in your worm bin or bait bucket. It is really quite amazing.

[Aurel]

Worm bins are great to have a constant supply of fishing bait!