Worm Bin

starting-a-worm-bin

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Vermicomposting 101: How to Start a Worm Bin

Starting a new home worm bin is easy and only requires a bin, bedding, some food, and yes, the worms. Anyone can learn how to do it.rubbermaid worm bin

But as I learned a few years ago, starting a successful, thriving home bin from scratch where worms won’t try to escape the first night is another matter.

While the following directions are necessary, they are not sufficient to ensure you make a hospitable environment for your worms to eat, poop, and reproduce.

Vermicomposting, especially at the beginner level, is not mechanical. It requires paying close attention to conditions and using a little trial and error to see what works for you because differences in feedstock, ambient humidity, temperature, and breathability of your bin is going to affect all of the other conditions.

According to legend, Abraham Lincoln once said: See More!

texas-worm-ranch-site-visit

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How Texas Worm Ranch Produces 10,000 Lbs of Vermicompost Per Month

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview Heather Rinaldi of the Texas Worm Ranch.  As luck would have it, Heather and I hit it off over our e-mail exchanges and that interview turned out to be one of my most popular yet.Heather-Rinaldi

Though vermicomposters tend to be very knowledgeable about what worm castings do for soil and plants, Heather has a next-level grasp on why the microbiology of vermicompost, especially her fungal-dominant variety, is so beneficial for plant growth, pathogen suppression, water retention, and soil remediation.

My “day job” as an pilot for Southwest Airlines requires that I make an annual trip to Dallas each year to demonstrate that I’m no danger to the flying public.  So I was more than pleased when Heather offered to give me a tour of the Texas Worm Ranch on my latest visit in August. See More!

how-to-identify-finished-vermicompost

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How Do I Know If My Vermicompost is Ready to Harvest?

A common vermicomposting conundrum is how to recognize when your vermicompost is finished and ready to harvest your worm castings.  This is a tough question, especially if you don’t have a system like the Worm Inn Mega, which allows you empty the finished contents from below, where worm castings will tend to settle.

The question gets tougher when you are shifting the goal posts by continuing to add new food (and hopefully bedding.)  This ensures your vermicompost is never really “finished.”

Let’s say you started vermicomposting a few months ago, didn’t kill your worms a couple times like I did, and have been diligently recycling your food scraps into black gold for your garden.

Sweet!

What should you be looking for to decide now is the time to harvest? See More!

Bentley Interview Series Part II (1)

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Urban Worm Interview Series: Part II with Bentley Christie

In Part I of this interview with Bentley Christie, he talked about his flagship website redwormcomposting.com and how a little innovation helped his physical business in an unexpected way.  Part II is all about the Worm Farming Alliance, the group Bentley founded to provide collaboration and knowledge sharing to vermiculturists and vermicomposters who have moved – or want to move – beyond beginner status to a more advanced or commercial scale.

As a proud WFA member, I am proud to be part of such a selfless group of people and am always entertained by the personalities within it. I’ll save any further pontificating for the end!

For now, enjoy Part II with Bentley!

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Bentley Interview Series (1)

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Urban Worm Interview Series: Bentley Christie

I am thrilled, humbled, and a little nervous that Bw to find in the world of vermicomposting.

One of 3 known images of Bentley Christie

One of 3 known images of Bentley Christie

Bentley’s not a rock star because he has some pedigree or produces a massive amount of vermicompost.  Bentley is so revered because he is a bridge between the academics and the Everyman, using his online platform at Red Worm Composting to provide a hugely helpful fountain of knowledge that can be used immediately by vermicomposting beginners while being respected by academic heavyweights like Dr. Clive Edwards and Rhonda Sherman. See More!

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Urban Worm Interview Series: Patrick Cartwright

I have a soft spot for serial entrepreneurs like Patrick Cartwright.  They’re restless, never content with a 9-to-5 gig, and choose to forego security to pave their own path.  As owner of Red Worms Express in Owego, NY, Patrick has established himself – and rather quickly – as an honest broker and reliable supplier of 5 species of earthworms and a slew of organic gardening products.

 

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Patrick Cartwright Owner, Red Worms Express and like, 30 other businesses

The “honest” part is key.  Earthworm farming in particular has been plagued by unscrupulous buyback schemes that promise quick success and fly-by-night scam artists who are more than happy to take money for product never delivered.

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Urban Worm Interview Series: Heather Rinaldi

Other than this site, my main connection to the vermiculture and vermicomposting community is through the various Facebook groups I belong to.  Like most social media communities, the conversation tends to be dominated by very few people who post frequently.

But every now and then, this quiet, infrequent poster named Heather Rinaldi would add her two cents and it would catch my attention.  I don’t know if its the fact that she’s a talented writer, or just backs up her opinion with data, but there was something about her I wanted to learn more about.

So I asked around a little bit and here is what I found.

Most of us actually dabble in worm composting.

Heather Rinaldi is in full-on “Beast Mode.”

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Larry Shier-Interview-ImageFB

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Urban Worm Interview Series: Larry Shier

If you use Facebook groups as source of information on vermicomposting, then you know who Larry Shier is. He’s the guy who seems to answer about half the questions posted to the Red Worm Composting, Vermicomposting-Worm Farming, and Worm Farming Alliance groups.

More than just a worm expert, Larry is a Renaissance Man.  He’s a self-taught chemist/biologist.  He became well-versed in animal husbandry at an early age.  He owned a trucking company.  He’s been a bouncer, which is probably good training to become a moderator!

All along the way, he’s overcome circumstances beyond his control to succeed in every venture he’s tried.
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Urban Worm Interview Series: Mary Ann Smith

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Mary Ann Smith

It all started with a picture my new “worm friend” Mary Ann Smith of Valley View Farms posted to Facebook a couple years ago.  She had made some pretty awesome vermicompost and decided to experiment with different vermicompost-to-soil ratios and how they affected the germination and growth of cucumber seedlings.

And not only were the results amazing, so was the quality of the photos she took.
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My Highly Imperfect Worm Warming Technique

This post is a little late, considering the temps here in the northeastern US have already dropped into the 20s, but I’m seeing frequent questions via e-mail and the Facebook groups about keeping your herd alive outside the house for the winter.

Of course, I’m making the assumption that you have too many worms to bring in for winter and/or your spouse or Urban Worm Company Logo - vermicompostroomie has vetoed any new tenants indoors or in the garage.

Your situation will vary, but here are some ideas to keep your worms thriving – or at least not dying – until the winter thaw.

Tips to Keep Your Worms Warm

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Density: Worm Reproduction’s Forgotten Factor

Whether you just want to increase your vermicomposting capacity, you are planning a business or have one in operation already, you’ve probably asked yourself the following question.

“How can I make my worms reproduce faster?”eisenia-fetida-hands

I’ve noticed most attempts to answer this question center on very common guidelines concerning moisture and temperature. No doubt, these two factors are crucial.

But it’s just as important to keep worm density in mind. Speaking from experience, I can attest that maintaining a nice 80% moisture level and 77 degrees but stocking a 2.5 square foot grow bin with a half pound of worms is going to give you disappointing results if you’re trying to grow your worm herd quickly.

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2015 NCSU Vermiculture Conference Recap

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
John Wooden
Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach

I had an idea that the 2015 NCSU Vermiculture Conference would actually show me how little I actually knew about the world of vermiculture and vermicomposting. I just had no idea how right I would be.

After two days in Raleigh, I probably tripled my knowledge but realized just how far I have yet to go to ever be an expert in this field.

Many of you may be  curious as to what goes on at this conference, so I’d love to give you a recap and let you know a little of what I learned from each presentation.
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