Ideally, your worm bin should be kept indoors. This means providing the bin with some form of shelter from the elements; a shed, barn, or garage. Temperature range is also important. The worms do their best work between 60 f - 85 f (15c - 29c).
There are three components that you will add to your worm bin: Bedding is a high carbon material that provides bulk to the feed waste to increase air flow and is referred to as 'brown' waste. Food is nitrogen based material and is called 'green' waste. It is important to put enough 'brown' waste into your worm bin to keep it balanced and free from foul odors. The last thing in your worm bin are the worms! We recommend the Red Wiggler - or Eisenia Fetida.
Worms breathe through their skin and thrive in a wet environment. The ideal moisture range is 60 -70%. For that reason it is important to have a water source near your unit (a hose with a mist sprayer), No drain system is required for our units.
It typically takes three to six months (depending on the size of system) from starting a worm bin to harvesting finished vermicompost. Once the harvest cycle has begun, it can be continued on a weekly basis if the worms are being fed on a regular basis.
Your vermicompost worm bin is a 'flow through' system; meaning you feed from the top and harvest from the bottom. Each bin is built with a grate and harvest mechanism. To obtain your yield, simply engage the harvest mechanism (hand crank on smaller bins, winch pull on larger bins) and the finished vermicompost will fall through the grate. Use a floor squeegee or any number of tools to collect your harvest.
Worms are living creatures and therefore require some care. They need air, moisture, food and a decent living environment to survive. The initial start up will require the most time as you find the perfect balance of food to bedding and moisture content to keep your worms lively and productive. Once that balance is achieved relatively little time and effort is required to keep your unit alive and healthy. Best of all, you will feel the joy and satisfaction that comes with turning your waste into nutrient rich, microbially active, humus filled, vermicompost!
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