Worm Factory

14 years ago

Hello all.

I'm a newbie to vermicomposting, and I have started out with a five bin worm factory and a pound of red wrigglers. I am two and a half months in and I just started my third tray yesterday. Things seem to be progressing well, maybe a little two well? I have read alot about the dangers of overfeeding and not taking it slow in the begining, but it seems as though I can hardly keep up with the little guys.

I feed the worms once a week, taking vegtable scraps, fruit cores and peels and blending them together. I then mix the slurry with carboard shredded by a home/office shredder. I add the cardboard until there is no excessive moisture present in the mix, and then I spread the mix in an even layer across the 16x16 bin. I cover this with moistened shredded paper, and four whole pieces of moist newspaper. I add coffee grounds every day.

I know much of this is unnecessary, but can it be a part of the reason my worm farm has exploded so quickly in the begining?

I keep the bin outdoors on my covered back patio in So. Cal where its usually warm. Do the warmer temps help or hinder?

Because it is outside I am not to bothered by the fruit flys, but they do buzz about when I have the lid off. Any suggestions on how to control them?

Thanks for taking the time to read all this. I am hoping some of you veterans can provide answers to my questions as well as any helpfull info or tips you may have.

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Comments (4)

beth_monsterworms
14 years ago
Wormy-d, It sounds like you have it all figured out and are well on your way! If it seems like it is a little wet, you can also try adding in DRY shredded paper instead of wet or damp. For fruit flies, we use apple cider vinegar with a squirt of liquid dish soap in a cup or bowl. The flies fly in and can't get back out.
Beth
wormy_d
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the feedback Beth. Things dont seem to moist, in fact I left the spigot open for a day and the next morning I saw ants exploring the bin, they usually pay it no attention. I remember reading in the manual that ants will keep away if the mositure level is correct. This is important as I keep the bins outside, and in So. Cal there is no shortage of ants.
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jimnyo
14 years ago
i'm in socal and around my 7th week and i still only have half a 2nd tray and i've only fed them once (chopped up banana peels) since the intial feeding. so you must be doing something right! i don't have a problem w/ants or fruit flies, though, so it's probably a tradeoff. thanks for the tips!
kgross
14 years ago
Congrats on starting a worm bin!! They are the best! Last Christmas I made boxes for my relatives. They thought I was joking when I said they were getting a box of dirt and worms. :)

To help my gift recipients out, I posted a few "How to..." articles. I kept getting the same questions, and it was easier to not have to keep repeating myself. :) These will probably help you too.

How to Build a Worm Box:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4769967_build-kitchen-worm-composting-box.html

How to Fix a Worm Box That Smells:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4770017_fix-worm-composting-bin-smells.html

How to Harvest Compost from a Worm Box:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4769994_harvest-compost-worm-box.html

Good luck and happy composting!
Kerry