Hi...

Your set-up sounds very similar to what I did 7 years ago at the direction of the local recycle center. My current bin is operating with offspring of those original worms, and I routinely share with friends when they start bins.

We used only a single tub...which did tend to make it harder to keep the moisture in balance...so the tub inside a tub set-up sounds good. The other physical difference was that we used an ice pick to poke a great many holes (probably about a dozen per side) around the top 4 inches of the edge of the tub (none in the lid.)

For bedding we put the worms, in a small amount of dirt (~2 cups) into the bottom of the bin, and then covered them with about 4 inches of damp newspaper. The wetness of the newspaper was about that of a lightly wrung out sponge. Truly wet newspaper sends the worms up the sides of the container.

I hope you enjoy your bin!

I am using 2 tubs with rocks in bottom of first tub to give more seperation and increase airflow. I use 1/4 inch drill holes in bottom and sides of container. I used to use landscape fabric at the bottom to prevent escapees but they do not escape at all, I do not know why. My primary bedding is cow manure, coir and peatmoss mixed with limestone.

Thanks for the quick response. Can I use fresh plant leaves and clippings for food, or can you only use kitchen grade food? I would eventually like to make a big bin when I get the hang of it, but I can't get that much kitchen scrapes. I can get a lot of yard type waste. Will the worms eat yard waste?

Sam

One thing you want to consider first if using yard waste is whether or not you use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in your yard. Also consider drift from your neighbors' yards.

Fresh grass clippings, leaves etc. work great in a worm bin but you should read up a bit on hot composting and how that works. A large amount of it can heat up some and make conditions unfavorable in your bin. When these materials are dried out there is less risk of this. I've used both as bedding material and like it a lot. It breaks down well and I have access to a lot of it. I generally bag grass clippings and leaves and store them in a corner of the garage to dry out.

A good mix of material is best. A bin full of grass clippings will tend to mat together and prevent good air and moisture flow. Grass clippings + shredded cardboard and misc veg scraps works much better. Most organic items will break down in a worm bin but some take longer than others. For example, I cut up flower stems and put them in the bin, mostly for the purpose of not sending them to landfill. Woody items like this will take longer but over time they do break down.

Sam, one of my wormeries is a bin setup just like that and it works fine. I also put dry shredded newspaper in the bottom bin to absorb any leachate that drips. Preferably you will prepare your bedding a week or so before the worms arrive. 4-8" of damp bedding is enough to start, but you'll be adding more on top of the worms anyway.

I personally prefer to use mostly cardboard (no plastic lining), toilet paper rolls (the core) and paper egg cartons. I soak the material in a bucket of water overnight and wring it out before tearing it up. Throw in some leaves if you have them, a handful of garden soil or compost and a few handfuls of kitchen scraps. Toss everything like a salad and let it sit or a few days. That should get a good population of microbes started so your worms have something to slurp up.

After you put the worms in, pile another few inches of dry bedding on top to discourage flies. I also put a damp t-shirt on top of everything. I cut up the shirt so that it's a single layer of cotton cloth. You can use burlap if you have it. Let the worms settle into their new environment for a week or so before feeding them again. They won't starve with all that bedding. Just move the cloth & dry bedding aside when you want to feed.

You can use plant clippings to feed them, but it needs to be decaying organic matter, not fresh. If you have a regular garden compost pile, you can use material that is halfway composted to feed the worms. You really won't need to feed them much at this point. Just remember that even kitchen scraps need to be decomposing (soft stuff like melons & pumpkin are exceptions) before they can start to process it. The often cited rule of thumb is 1/2 lb. of food per day for 1 lb. of worms, but that's in a well established bin with higher population density than you'll have at the beginning. Even in a mature bin it's more like 2 lbs. of food every 4 days for every pound of worms.

I just remembered something...take a look at the recent "how-to" posted here.

Good luck with your squirm!

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos and description of my worm composter