A unique perspective on the archives.

Building a prototype is a great way to go.

"I have some questions before I jump in and start killing worms." That is the way I did it. Nothing like the smell of dead worms in the morning to get thee to the archive.

Does the top 5 gallon fit tightly into the bottom 5 gallon?
If so how does air get to the air holes?

Texas heat: A roof and sidewalls that allow no inch of sun to ever touch the bin would be of great help. Maybe strawbales as sidewalls of the bin would help. Maybe a plastic liner on the ground so as to retain moisture would be good. Plant more trees? Oh, I see now. "bins from totes" Big bins would be better to balance the moisture.

Many people do not scrounge for material and have worms just for their family composting needs. I still scrounge pumpkins or other low hanging fruit as treats. Do you have any cardboard egg cartons or coffee trays or a tiny bit of corrigated cardboard? This might balance the moisture and air infiltration and add some bedding.

If the worms can't get into the cool kitchen or take the Texas heat than maybe BSFL would work better.

"I'm amazed at the expertise around here." I agree.

I suspect we have written a masters thesis for a few students, and consulted for a few start up companies.

http://www.txwormranch.com

Talk to Heather! And tell her steamyb sent ya!

i'm no help when it comes to help with a Texan sun but i can suggest a few other things.

something sticks out in my mind that ants will tend to stay away from an area that is over moist - that and i have soapy water might works as a moat? :)

worms will eat a little or a lot depending on a bunch of things - check http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/how-much-waste-can-worms-eat/ for a more detailed explanation and always remember you are more apt to kill a worm with food than neglect

i have the same concern as equinoxequinox about adequate ventilation. i had some buckets like you describe and iirc i wound up rolling then around and digging them up a bit to keep air in the mix. they worked fine just make sure to keep them well aerated

by the sounds of your bedding layer you are lacking carbon. my experience with new bins is the more bedding the better. oppinions vary but i'd recommend 1/2 your bin in bedding to start. shredded cardboard, newspaper, dry grass clippings a good mix of material to retain water and resist compaction is essential for good bedding and overall bin health. best yet is add a handful of compost/castings and let this damp mixture age for a week before adding your worms - you really don't even need to feed your worms for a while after this. the bedding will provide sufficient food till they get settled.

there's lots of good info on starting bins out there so best not take just one person's advice

your grass piles will create heat and gases that will kill worms in a closed environment and send them running otherwise - grass is ok but be very careful to layer it very thinly to avoid any hot composting type temperature and gases

just some thoughts and again lots of good information out there

http://vermicomposters.ning.com/video/jugglebuckets-1

These buckets work. :)

As for ventilation, there is none getting in from the sides or bottom. The lid, which is cracked along the sides so it is impossible to seal also has five 3/4 inch holes drilled in it as well as a 2x3 inch hole from the cracks. So, effectively no lid at all. Is this enough?

As for carbon, I have damp paper towels that were used to either dry my hands or clean up coffee spills. Any paper towels that were used with some type of cleaner are discarded. Every pot's worth of of coffee grounds includes a paper coffee filter. I also tore up several bills and an entire checkbook to throw in there. Since there is no such thing as too much bedding, I'll tear up more paper tonight and toss it in and see if I have any "clean" cardboard to toss in.

Also keep in mind that I did not order a 1000 worms over the Internet. I purchased a Styrofoam bowl, the size of a small KFC gravy, from a local bait shop for $4.00. It couldn't have contained more than 30 worms at best. The goal is to see if I can keep them alive and maybe grow them into a decent sized community before getting a "real" setup. Like I said, my primary goal is to not kill them. Then again, I guess that's the primary goal in raising anything.

SteamyB, Heather's site is down. A Google search turned up that she is in Dallas. A bit far to drive so I'll try to see if I can locate an email address or something.

And I lied. I have been going through older posts, but I have not been able to find anyone who has successfully raised or slaughtered worms in the Texas heat. I've found many posts from people who have compost piles full of worms but nothing that would help me understand why mine is not one of them. Yes, I run a hot pile from time to time, but for the most part, it's relatively cool. My finished pile hasn't cooked in six months. It has grubs and a slew of other bugs, I've even found a couple of snakes, but no worms at all. I can only guess that the only worms in my area are earthworms that do better in red clay soil than in a nice, soft compost pile. There are tons in my garden where I've tilled in compost and even more where buried horse manure, but none in the actual compost pile that is, well, made of compost with horse manure worked into it.

Thanx again everyone for reading and replying.

http://vermicomposters.ning.com/profile/HeatherRinaldi
She may reply here.
There have been a few folks who have started with 'bait' worms and grew a herd out of them. It takes a long time. Most folks that have worms for the VC or landfill reduction need more worms than what you started with.
I have worms in a bucket under the sink that catches my scraps before I carry it to the garage to feed the worms. I have pictures of my worm set-up at the vermicomposters.ning.com site, but I will stay a hobby wormer. Check the map for someone close to you, there are worm folks in Tx. http://vermicomposters.com/

The juggle buckets look great.
Are they 2 1/2 gallon buckets?
The system looks like it has lots of advantages:
and no disadvantages.
I like them because unlike the 5 gallon buckets they are not as deep thus easier to work with and stack and unstack.
The system takes up very little floor space.
Is certainly cheep enough.
Household size.
The right size to add a new bucket when the kitchen bin needs emptying.
Nice size holes in the bucket means it will not get clogged
and leaves the buckets with structual stability.
Despite getting tall and using verticle space it does not look easily tipped over.
Nice handles on each section.
Despite still having to move the whole thing to get to the bottom ones that need harvesting... their smaller size make that way easier.
Able to take apart and peak at individual sections.
I like it.
The only thing I can't figure out is how air gets to the bottom and middle buckets? Also is the very bottom bucket solid? Is it filled with bedding or worms and food?

Jugglebuckets are 5 gallon (I got these 3/$1 off craigslist)
A spacer is used on buckets 2-4 (the spacer is part of another bucket-handle removed- that is cut off with a table saw and secured with silicone). Also, buckets 2-4 only have 3/4" holes in the bottom.
The bottom bucket or base bucket #1 has no holes in the bottom, but does have vent holes where the handle attaches. The base is used to catch any liquid. These operate just like a tray system, but much cheaper. These are easy to build and I sold some with worms last Earth Day for $40 to get folks started worming. I plan to sell more this April 16- Earth Day. We have found that by the time the worms are in the top bucket, the bottom bucket is just VC- No Worms- Sweet!

"A spacer is used on buckets 2-4" I'm with the program now. So the spacer stops the stuff underneath from becoming compacted. That is a tricky smart spacer. How full is a bucket before the next one is put on top? the spacer is great because it stops the one bucket stuck inside the other and they won't come apart easy thing from happening. I can deal with a 5 gallon bucket half full or a bit more. That I can lift. For $40 with some worms the folks got a nice system.

When the first bucket is full, just add another bucket. By the time the worms are through processing the first bucket, it will have settled and the spacer keeps it from being mashed. Also, this contact between the buckets allows the worms to move up into the higher bucket. The process to fill a bucket is really a lot longer than expected, because the worms reduce the material to about 10% of the original volume. So 4-5" in a 'finished' bucket, started out as 40" of scraps and paper. Just one reason I love them worms!
Wurmz iz e-z!

I live in Tucson, and my worms survived heat like yours last summer: temps over 100 for weeks on end. But they are in deep shade, and the woman who sold them to me warned me that they will not tolerate direct sunlight. If you want worms, you will have to provide them with shade. If there is none to be had, you will need to build a simple structure.

You can also build an in-ground "bin" by digging a pit and lining it with bricks or block, or even just sinking a plastic tote (with plenty of drainage/air holes) then layering in bedding and food; keep moist and cover with something that completely blocks out light, such as carpet scraps or a heavy blanket. Being in-ground will keep them cool, and if you keep conditions favorable they will stay put.

I have my worms in a Rubbermaid tote bin, under my carport, and under a table covered with a tablecloth. No direct sunlight ever touches the bin, unless I'm messing with it. I have a heavy piece of canvas loosely draped over the top of the bin, and a couple of old cotton t-shirts that I keep moist resting directly on the bedding. They are slowly being eaten. My worms were definitely stressed by the heat, but most of them survived.

From your description, it doesn't sound like your bin has enough drainage and air holes; it is likely to go anaerobic with too much moisture and not enough air, and the worms will die. Also not enough bedding. They eat their bedding, too, and breed in it. I prefer to feed my worms partially finished compost, as I really stressed them a few times in the beginning by giving them too much green/nitrogren-rich food. It heats up too much as it breaks down and sucks the oxygen out of the bin. It literally killed some of them.

Good luck, and have fun!

--Maureen