Hi Scarlet

I live just a bit North of you in Racine. I really have not much to offer you other than encouragement. You really are severely constrained. But since you have the desire to do this I encourage you to proceed. My total experience has been with the COW(Can O Worms) system. Whether or not this could be adapted to your circumstances I cannot say.

Dave Nelson

I just finished harvesting my three "bins" (I actually use large flower pots) for the first time using the traditional method (where you end up with a bucket of castings and mass of wriggling redworms).

There's no reason you couldn't do that on a living room floor. I dumped the vermicompost onto an old shower curtain, so you'd have to clean that (mine I use for compost sifting so it's filthy). Just need to be able to walk the bin (you know, move the left side forward, then right, etc) close enough to the center of the sheet / tarp to tip it without spilling onto the carpet.

Take your bucket of castings and dump it on some neglected ground near your apartment. Guerrilla gardening!

Scarlet,

Given your constraints, here's my first suggestion for an indoor worm bin system. The second one will be a flow-through, but it sounds like you're already considering that.

* Two 10 gal. storage totes (just under 2 sq. ft. each) If you do not accumulate more than 6-7" of vermicompost (VC), these should be of manageable weight. Drain holes are unnecessary (more on this later), but a few 1/2" vent holes just under the rim will be needed. You can stack the 2 bins and cover with a cotton table cloth. It can double as a light "table" that will be a bit over 2 ft. high or you could hide them under a table or counter.

* 1 lb. E. fetida (red wigglers) in each bin. Once the bin ecosystem is well established (takes ~1 month), each pound of worms should easily be able to process 3 lb. of kitchen scraps per week. The two squirms of worms can handle your 5 lb./week of scraps.

* Prepare each bin with cardboard and egg cartons soaked for 24 hrs. Gently wring and tear by hand. Fill bins 3/4 full. Add a handful of "clean" (relatively critter free) VC to each bin. This will provide a starter colony of microbes for the ecosystem. If you don't have access to VC, then you'll have to wait for the worms to arrive. Try to find a worm seller that will include some of the VC the worms were raise in. Add a couple of handfuls of kitchen scraps that have been frozen for 2-3 days and let the bin sit for a week before introducing the worms.

* Freeze scraps for a few days to prevent fruit flies. Use (and re-use) 3 or 4 one gallon zip lock freezer bags (the ones with a zipper pull...Hefty brand?) in rotation. Once bag #1 (I mark mine with a Sharpie pen) is filled, place in freezer and put #2 on/under the kitchen counter. A few days later #1 can be thawed and fed to the worms. Rinse or wipe the bag and re-use. You should start freezing scraps weeks before the worms arrive.

* Mentally divide each bin into two feeding areas. Use the Sharpie again and number (on the rim or side) the areas 1 to 4. A gallon bag of scraps weighs 1-2 lb. depending on the type of scraps (bag of rotten tomatoes weighs more than bag of bean sprouts). Feed in order: area 1, 3, 2, 4 -- basically alternate halves in alternate bins.

* Feed less at the beginning since the microbial population will still be growing. Slowly ramp up the amount of food. Bury the thawed scraps under the damp bedding. Add additional dry bedding on top to control excess moisture from the scraps. The material will subside fairly quickly once the worms start processing it, so you'll need to add new bedding anyways.

* To check for excess moisture, tilt the bin slightly by wedging something under one side. Use a cardboard sheet and shove aside the material on the lower side of the bin so you can see the bottom of the bin. If liquid pools there after a few minutes, the bin is too wet. Either add dry bedding to soak up the moisture or use a sponge or turkey baster to remove the liquid.

* Once there is 4-5" worth of dirt-like VC in a bin, harvest half of the bin. I suggest using a 1/4" screen as a sieve. Most of the worms and larger material should stay above the screen. Throw those back into the other half of the bin. Add new bedding to the harvested half of the bin and put scraps there. The worms will migrate to the new material. Harvest the areas in the same sequence as you feed. If you do this regularly, there will always be a safe zone for the worms in each bin and you can keep the weight of the bin to a manageable level.

* Baby worms and cocoons will fall through a 1/4" screen, so you'll need to let the harvested VC sit in a dark, moist box with good ventilation for a few weeks to give them time to hatch. You can catch & remove the hatchlings by placing a melon rind as bait.

The main concern about indoor bins is flying critters, primarily fruit flies and fungus gnats. Freezing scraps should prevent the fruit fly problem. I'm not sure how to prevent a fungus gnat issue. Hopefully you just won't get them. Using paper-based bedding instead of old leaves or manure will help avoid too many of the creeping critters (centipedes, pill bugs, slugs, etc.). I don't think you can avoid things like springtails & mites.

Andrew

Here's an example of a flow-through that would fit in a kitchen: Medium-sized FT bin

Moisture control and harvesting are easier with the FT system. Unless you're good with tools, building it is a pain.

Andrew

thank you all so much!

where there's a will there's a way, and i'm pretty intent on doing this.

thank you for the very comprehensive, detailed system andrew! i'll be implementing it within a month or two, can't wait! seems like a really user-friendly way to get started. i hope to get comfortable with a bin system, then build a ft a while later.

freezing the scraps is probably a great idea, i do really hate fruit flies. not too worried about other critters. i think it would do me some good to have a few unwanted creatures around more often (as long as they aren't roaches!)

wish me luck!
-scarlet