I know you said buy vs. make. So you need to find somebody to make you a flow thru bin out of a trash can on wheels or barrel if you don't have to move it. They are simple, fairly easy to harvest both worms and compost and process time/amounts are good. Good luck.

Plastic is photo-degradable, so ANY plastic bin left out in the sun will eventually give out.

That being said, I would investigate flow through bins of some sort. They are rather pricey, but so is just about any bin that you buy. I'd look into the worm swag, if there is a supplier in the US. But you will still need to protect it from the sun. Nylon will also degrade in sunlight.

Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with commercial worm bins, nor do I play one on TV.

But plastic comes in different levels of strength, no? The Rubber// maid containers don't even last a year. I did think of drilling holes in a trash can, but I also like the layering effect of the RM containers, were you stop feeding the bottom container, put a clean one on top, then start feeding that one, then harvest the stuff at the bottom,, and so on...

I spent about $15 on the 55 gal plastic barrel and conduit for my flow through. No need to roll the bin over and put stress on it. feed and bed the top and scrape the finished VC off the bottom.

I'm sure you're not leaving the bin outside in direct sunlight, without any shade - if Texas is anything like Africa that would be crazy as I would have thought that the heat would cook your worms quick quick. So the plastic must either be very inferior, or probably just too thin in the first place

I make my own layered units by drilling a few holes in a couple of robust heavy duty plastic 10 or 15 gallon storage bins - its not really DIY - all it takes is a few minutes with an electric drill and my bins have lasted for years without any sign of deterioration. They are kept outside, but always under shade - no direct sunlight.

If your plastic is so inferior and your light so harsh that that even indirect light is destroying them, then I guess you have no option but to use a "factor 100" sunscreen, by painting the outside white (or silver)to reflect the UV - but I've never had to do that.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Worm Farm

I have a Worm Rancher (3 mos)because I had an opportunity to indulge my gardening hobby. My worms are doing great in the second level and I have harvested about 2 lbs wet weight castings from the bottom. I think I can add the third level in a month or so.
I wouldn't buy the 5 level. If I had a do-over I would get the three level because handling the 5 is cumbersome- too heavy. I need the harvest more frequently and well, I am impatient. I don't have UV issues with it in my laundry room. I wanted good climate control in our hot summers. No smell except when opening to feed and that is only an earthy smell.
cd

rubber-maid roughneck container TM should be able to handle lots of sun. The steralite containers seem to want to crack even when new at the store. No sunlight should be touching a worm bin. The bins are designed to carry a variety of items, but probably not 100% water or rocks or lead or vermicomost.

Hmmm. My Rubbermaid tote has worked for about eight years now and is still going strong. It's always in shade.

Hey everyone, thanks for your replies. The vermicompost spot is near the back door, against the house.. and while it does get a bit or morning sun, it's mostly in the shade in the afternoon & evening, when it gets really raging hot/bright. (For everyone not living in TX- the hottest part of the day is not noon but usually 5pm!).. The weather here is really hard on everything... but plastic doesn't stand a chance. And it looks like I will need to do more research to find out what a flow-through bin is. All this being said, I did end up buying a Can-o-Worms layered bin.. (is that considered a flow-through...?) and so far it seems fine. Still getting the hang of it.. the instructions are written in such a complicated way (surely it must be much simpler than they make it sound...? My eyes glazed over halfway through their booklet)... and it does seem like a pain to lift off all the layers (which again, are HEAVY) in order to check on the bottom one, and to harvest it when it's ready... but, the plastic seems sturdier so I've got my fingers crossed it'll last more than a year or 2. So we'll see. Thanks again for your help!

The Hungry Bin. Made in New Zealand and available with free shipping in the USA.

There is NO better commercial bin, but it comes at a cost. $299 w/free shipping. Easiest to manage and harvest, and will last a lifetime...even in hot Texas. Process up to 4lbs of food per day. Mess-free harvest as well, with a lot of leachate on a daily basis to be used 1:10 with water to use in your garden.

Review at: http://www.wormcompostinghq.com/hungry-bin-worm-bin-review

Available at https://greentools.ca/usa/  

I am not affiliated...just a VERY satisfied owner! Shipped from California.

Here's a picture from their site:

The Hungry Bin certainly looks attractive, and I've seen some rave reviews, but I don't know how many people in this forum are going to go for a $300 bin. I see the majority of posters here are fans of the inexpensive DIY Rubbermaid bin set-up.

I started out with a DIY bin and eventually moved up to a Can O' Worms, and now I have a Worm Factory, but spending in the neighborhood of $100 on a bin is not something I do lightly, and only in anticipation of actively using it for a long time. $300 would really be a stretch. Maybe if I were processing the waste of a large household and had a large garden to fertilize, I could see it being more worthwhile.

Not sure I qualify since my bins are kept inside but they do go outside for turning over and cleaning at harvest time. Been using the factory 360 for at least 3 yrs never had one crack yet . I have 5 trays that I can use.

I have Can of Worms, and I like it very much. But I do wish the legs were sturdier. One problem is that the bottom "tray" isn't a tray at all. It's molded into a section that contains the legs. So harvesting the bottom one is awkward, and you can't move it up or down. It stays where it is. But I do like it very much.

I think the Hungry Bin looks awesome. It looks nicer than the can of worms. I wish I could get one. But I already have Can of Worms and a rubbermaid system.

Carol

I do remember those rickety legs on the Can-o-Worms. The Worm Factory has sturdier legs, but they're awfully short and stumpy - somehow, as time has passed, it gets harder for me to get down near the floor...and even harder to get all the way back up again. I will have to remember to stop by the thrift store and look for some kind of short table to use as a pedestal.

The Worm Factory also has a bottom level into which worms and castings fall, and it is hard to get the stuff out again. I have been known to refer to this as the "basement." The worms seem to like to go down there and loll about in the moisture that collects at the bottom. I decided to do what other posters on this forum have mentioned in the past - just throw some bedding down in there, and then plan to scoop it out periodically, worms, castings and all, and reincorporate into an upper tray.

Good idea!

Carol

I use ordinary recycing bins from my city recycling program,and manage the sun, heat and shade with container plants and shrubs, wet newspaper, foamboard panel insulation, or, in a major heat wave, a couple of giant insulated windshield screens, which I orginally bought at the Dollar Store for my minivan! Any/all of these tend to be much lighter to move and manipulate than a recycling bin full of worm dirt, water and whatever wet food, compost, household paperwaste, sand and bunches of squirmy worms are in them. Not the most attractive of components, but they do the job well.

I thought I'd share this handmade wood bin that I ran across on Etsy. Looks very nice - certainly more visually pleasing than plastic bins - and the reviews on the site seem to rave about the quality. It follows the basic design of the multi-tray systems like the Worm Factory or Can-O-Worms, but made out of pine and galvanized mesh (hardware cloth). It also comes in versions with 4 and 5 trays. At $90 the price is competitive with the Worm Factory and Can-O-Worms.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/64413244/3-bin-worm-composter-vermicomposter-in?ref=shop_home_active_4

I'm pretty sure a wooden worm bin would deteriorate over the long term, but I don't know how long that time period would be. It seems like a wooden bin would "breathe" a bit better than a plastic bin, but it would still be exposed to a lot of moisture over time. The maker recommends that you oil the wood, and I guess you could oil each tray again each time you empty it and clean it. Pretty meticulous care for a worm bin! But it does look awful pretty, at least when it is new.

It's beautiful, isn't it!!! That's pretty cheap for a wooden piece.

Carol

What about a rusty old cast iron tub off Craigslist? Should last a while, even in Texas.

Costs a lot more once you factor in the crew of young able-bodied people I'd need to hire to haul it for me, and the beer and pizza I'd need to buy for them afterward. :-)

I have a multiple bins that I have made and I still find the easiest is a small 10 gallon Rubbermaid tote with holes in the sides. I just have multiple bins and keep rotating them. I also have a trash can flow through and a large wood bin I built. The flow through bins are nice but so large you really can't move them easily.

Here are some videos to give you some ideas.

Here is a large outdoor wood bin.

I moved a claw foot tub myself but that was three years ago. Those suckers are heavy. They hold temperature very well though, worms would like that, but I would partially bury it close to the house and between some fig trees for protection in the winter. Won't even have to take it inside this time, just drag it to its final resting place. I'll probably just lift the drain from the top and feed the trees whenever too much moisture gets in, or if I'm washing my worms, as another poster here does and says it makes them vigorous.

Also, FWIW, my worm book from the fifties recommends wood or stoneware to house the worms, tongue and groove material if out of doors, and partially buried. It is called Let an Earthworm be your Garbage Man. Here is an excerpt concerning large bins:

[...] It should be at least 18 inches deep and if the other dimensions are 36 by 60 inches it will serve for several hundred large worms.The lid should be well fitting, with a projection to prevent flooding in heavy rains. It should set into the soil with the upper 2 or 3 inches projecting above the surface, in a fairly well-drained place, and should be shaded to prevent the temperature of the interior from rising too high in midsummer. A temperature of 75 degrees or higher is quickly fatal to earthworms under most conditions. In dry weather it will be necessary to moisten the soil in the box occasionally, but in doing so care should be taken to avoid flooding it, as too much water is injurious to the worms. In severe climates, prevent freezing which would kill the worms by piling a generous covering of manure, compost, or other such material on the box.

Although under such conditions earthworms can live for a long time without artificial aid, if there is little or no garbage going into the box it will be well to add a little protein fat and sugar in cheap forms. The box should be nearly filled with good soil which is damp but not wet. The richer this soil in organic material the better; as we have seen, worms like garbage. A very sandy soil should be avoided.

After the box has been stocked with worms, the surface of the soil may be covered with a layer of cut sods if desired, but a very excellent covering consists of well-decayed leaves or lawn clippings.

He's talking about raising nightcrawlers, not red wigglers. "several hundred large worms" in 36 by 60 inches! And soil, not bedding.

For your "designer worm bin" collection. It's European!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BDO17EE?psc=1

(Please do insert your comments below on how you build your own worm bins with your teeth from mud, rocks and 25 cents worth of popsicle sticks)

Now, I'm all for having things look nice, but the price tag is getting awfully rich here, and both those stylish light colors do nothing for me but cause visions of how they would look all bedabbled with worm poo and coffee grounds. I suppose this is the worm bin you buy if you're never going to actually get your hands dirty by adding worms, and instead wind up using the bin as a coffee table.

Several positive reviews of the "I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review" variety. How do I get that gig??

That's beautiful!!!! Looks a little small though???

Carol

Here's another new worm bin design I've never seen before. It looks pretty small. 18 inches diameter and only 24 inches tall? 3 circular trays, and a rolling base.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Exaco-8-gal-Eco-Kitchen-Worm-Compost-Bin-Wheels-/221912961422?var=&hash=item79426ce8a5

Looks attractive, but I can't help picturing what would happen if you try to roll it around, the wheels jam or catch on something, and the whole thing tips over and worms and vermicompost go flying everywhere. Well, at least that would likely happen in MY house.

I can't imagine this has enough capacity for most households, since it takes a fully stocked Worm Factory to handle food scraps for just my one-person household, and this has less working surface area. However, it does come in pink, which may be a worm bin first.

I have a hunch the designers of those pretty wormbins know vermicomposting only from literature, nothing hands-on.

Reminds me of a newbie post I once read (years ago) who wants to keep her bin CLEAN.

You guys are so funny!!!

Carol

If it is all done for you, you will learn very little. If you want tough, you need steel, preferably a steel container which tapers to the bottom. Since the bottom is where your guys spend the least time, this is where you need only the least SA. My old post of a prison incorporating vermiculture covers all of this. You can buy something pre-made but you will lose out on learning experience.

One of my "bins" is an old, unusually large, bathtub. I also have two concrete mix bins that are about 9" x 18" x 2.5'. I keep sheets of plywood or most recently, sheets of 1/4" plastic for lids.

Sometimes I use Rubbermaid bins, too, especially in a pinch - I can pick them up any time at the hardware store. I heat an icepick to put in a few holes for drainage and fill the bins with bedding and go about my business.

It's not really about buying a "professional" bin as much as simply using a container that works for the way you and the worms work.

Well, as always, I must add the disclaimer that I share "novel" commercially available worm bins here mainly for entertainment purposes. I don't expect to see some new design coming out that will revolutionize the world of worm-herding, but I find it interesting when vermicomposting is portrayed as a little bit "hip." And periodically the design students turn up in this forum to work on their assignments to design an idiot-proof, attractive, commercially appealing "turnkey" worm bin. I just don't think vermicomposting is all that adaptable to being turned into an appliance.

The only real innovation I've seen in worm bin design lately is the flow-through bin, which I'm curious about but haven't tried myself. I found my attempts at "roll yer own" worm bin making frustrating in the past, and I've had better results with the multi-tray pre-made systems (with some slight tinkering of my own), so that's what I went with this year when I restarted a new worm bin. I also can never do as much DIY work as I'd like owing to a physical disability which permanently limits my strength and stamina.

I can't agree that learning vermicomposting is primarily about learning to build the equipment yourself and that you're somehow not doing it "right" if you buy a worm bin. Plenty of people have limitations, whether of space, tools, time, skills, physical capacity, etc. that make buying a worm bin a practical alternative, although it certainly makes sense to learn about the available options before deciding to buy. I just wish commercial worm bins didn't cost quite so much for what they are, which is basically some pieces of plastic with no moving parts. (For those willing/able to go to the trouble and maybe wait a while, it's not so hard to find used worm bins for sale on Craigslist and the like, though I often see people trying to recapture part of their investment by charging a fairly high price, thinking that if they bought it new for $100 they should certainly be able to sell it for $80. Nope. Once worms have pooped in it the depreciation is a lot greater than that. :-)

I can't agree that learning vermicomposting is primarily about learning to build the equipment yourself

I think you make some really good points. I think that the um. . ."fashionable" worm bins are good for indoor bins and/or for those that have spouses that object on the grounds of "ugly".

Ya gotta start where you can.

Nothing wrong with wanting things to look nice, or at least neat and cared-for, but I don't think it makes sense to try and jam some kind of "styling" onto a worm bin that's totally at odds with the basic nature of the thing, which is a box full of worms and dirt. If I had to keep my worm bin within eyeshot and wanted a nicer-looking one, I might go for one of the handmade wooden bins instead of some new plastic shape.

Here is a new worm bin coming on the market from the Urban Worm Company, which is based near me. It's a flow through design (fabric "bag" suspended from a frame) similar to the Worm Inn. Not available yet but there is a pre-order special.

https://www.facebook.com/urbanwormcompany/posts/1065215946949098

Can't find info how much it holds.

The owner posted in response to my questions and said his Urban Worm Bag is comparable in size to the Worm Inn Mega (as I'd hope it would be, at that price point) but then I had to look elsewhere to find THAT information, which is that the Worm Inn Mega holds about 4 cubic feet. The regular Worm Inn, 2 cubic feet.

Worm Inn Mega retails for about $100 and the regular Worm Inn about $70. Urban Worm Bag pre-sale is currently $79, with free shipping. The frame to hang it from is included (not included with the Worm Inn)

Here's the rest of what he posted on Facebook:

***

...great to see another Philly person express interest! :) The Urban Worm Bag is similar in concept but differs in a few ways. It has greater surface area, but similar volume to the Worm Inn Mega. It is slightly less breathable, which is by design as I feel the Worm Inn breathes a little too well and dries out the castings. It includes a zippered top made out of the same material as the rest of the bag and the bottom is zippered as well as opposed to the drawstring. The lightweight iron frame is included whereas with the Worm Inn, you are expected to purchase build/purchase your own frame. I am offering free shipping as well!

The top would protect against rain in the short term, but I don't recommend keeping it exposed to the elements. Under cover in the summer is OK, but outside at all in the winter is not advised.

THX, Parsley.