Thanks cathy.

Could you go over your temp. extremes, and the measures you take at both ends of the spectrum? (and maybe an approximate number of days at each).

I'm guessing I won't have the issues you have with heat, but my concerns are freezing temps. (But the help with the hotter days certainly won't hurt!)

Sure. Let me begin by saying that my bins are based on some ideas I got reading Anna Edey's book, Solviva. She created an outdoor, above ground bin out of insulated board to accept waste water from her flush toilet, and piped the worm-filtered water to planting beds; she lives on Martha's Vineyard. She took extra measures for the cold, I adapted mine for the heat. If cold is your issue, you might want to take a look at her website: http://www.solviva.com/wastewater.htm for a photo and some interesting reading. She is a wealth of good ideas.

That said, last winter we had 11F for our low, and the bins made it through very well. Generally, lows are in the 30's, with freezes coming and going for about 4 months. I throw an old polyester king-sized comforter over the top and fold the edges around it like making a bed. On the coldest nights I turn on a string of little white lights under the bins. I have two side-by side, so they offer each other some mass. They are not in a cold-protected spot, but rather in the coldest spot I could find.

Where they endure Texas summers, which can be brutal. A couple of years ago we had over 60 consecutive days of 100°+. They get morning sun, afternoon shade provided by the roof overhang. The sinks are white, and so reflect heat.

I use them year round, and water them more or less as I need them. They just carry on, and make the job fun!

I really like the idea of a tea machine or water harvest method. I set up a RM tote per previous instructions from other thread (screen over drain w/ 2" of sand- worms and bedding) but it weighs a ton when water was added and needs a solid base. I am now looking for a utility sink to move the tote contents into. These sinks are now $34 + tax and this cost will limit how many of these I will have.

How fine would you say the bedding mulch you buy is? All the bagged mulch I am familiar with is rather coarse and chunky and not something I would find useful for bedding. Is there a specific brand you use? Your method sounds very interesting and worth trying.

Larry

Could similar results be obtained by merely placing an existing tub and putting it onto a stand, that allows for a 5 gallon bucket to fit under the bin? (Of course, a hole would have to be drilled - probably in a corner, with a slight tilt of the bin to allow for proper drainage.)

Obviously, this would need to be set up empty.

Hi Larry

the mulch is labeled "Native Texas shredded hardwood mulch", and is locally produced by Austin Wood Recycling. I believe it is mostly ashe juniper that has been run through a chipper/shredder twice to get that consistency. It's ubiquitous here; we can buy it in bulk or bags from local gardening centers. It's soft to the touch, with pieces up to 2" long, but thin and flexible, similar in consistency to some cypress mulches I have seen. Perhaps that's more available in your area?

and hello again, steamyb, you got right on that! Yeah, they are heavy; be good to your back moving it around. Sorry to hear the sinks have gotten pricey. They are pretty sturdy, though, and have held up well for years now. Don't know if you have a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in your area, but if so, they might be a good resource for a used one. When I was a kid going to the lakes in east Texas, it seems like a lot of gas stations sold worms for fishing bait, and had long, galvanized troughs to raise them in. I would love to get my hands on one of those one day! Or one of those old Coca Cola drink coolers to sell cokes on ice; anything built to last with a drain in it. Guess you could even use an old bathtub if you had a way to get it up high enough and make it look presentable. Just a little harder to build a nice screen with the rounded corners. (I'll bet my aesthetics-conscious husband just felt a ripple in the force and cringed without even knowing why!)

Would love to hear how these work out for both of you.
cheers,
Cathy

eaglesgarden, that would probably work fine, as long as you can get sturdy support under it.

Hi there! I am new to this idea, and my step mom has given me some red wigglers to start off with. My family owns a sawmill, and I literally have tons of sawdust in my backyard. This would be perfect for worm bedding, am I correct? Not to mention free from most any sawmill you can find, as long as you haul it and load it.

HI! I'm in the process of doing this now with an old sink. How often do you run water through it to collect your tea underneath?