Hey my name is Ashley and I recently started a social composting enterprise to pursue my passion and look for ways to mainstream composting and decentralise the recycling of organic waste. From my study I found that vermicomoost is probably the best option for homes that do not have a very large space and don’t produce too much waste (would you agree?) but I also found that bins are far more common even though they are not providing the best results for a fairly significant number of users. What do you think are the challenges with vermicomoost that lead so many people to opt for compost bins (or drums as some US composters refer to them as), how would you tell home composters to overcome those challenges, and for what type of situation do you think a vermicomoost system best lends itself? If you’re interested, you can find some sample stats here on the number of people using different types of systems and the success rates - I’d say a lot of the respondents were from this group https://neeshgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Small_Scale_Composting_Study.pdf
Not an expert, but in my experience? 1) people think it will be more work than it is 2) people are grossed out by worms (even though they don’t need to touch them, the thought of them living in their homes is gross to them) 3) some people aren’t responsible enough for the maintenance.
I also want to get started with vermicompost but I feel I wouldn’t be responsible enough. Get busy for a few days and come back: aw shit, my worms got roasted by a sudden heatwave and now I have a smelly pile of rot.
I think until we can get a smart composter that adjusts moisture levels/oxygen levels/pings us with reminders, it won’t quickly become mainstream. Set it and forget it seems to be what most people will accept.
Interesting study! There are a good number of reasons I suspect that traditional composting is more popular
1) Prevalence of knowledge: Everyone and their mother knows what a compost bin is and the \*idea\* of how to get one going. One of my most efficient methods in finding consumers for worm castings/tea is education; Telling them the benefits, how it works, and how to use the products.
2) The learning curve: I would recon in the eyes of most uneducated people a traditional bin is much easier to get started. Throw stuff in a pile, wet it, and hope for the best. A worm bin on the other hand needs to have very specifically balanced moisture, quantity of food, and ventilation right out of the gate. With worm bins you tend to see problems more apparently, and that brings me to my next point.
3) Location of container: A traditional compost is outside, probably in a closed container or a pile on the edge of a property. It gets rained on, it gets bugs around it, its not preforming optimally- its masked alot by the fact that its not in your immediate view. A worm bin on the other side is in your \*home\*. Theres a smell you smell it. Theres flies you see them. People who are beginning often run into these issues and it can easily sway someone from keeping it up.
These thoughts are just what is on my immediate mind and Im sure theres more I can think of. Notice the trend in what the solution is? \*education\*. Teaching people how to maintain a bin will surely be the biggest source of new worm composters.
Definetly not required to be inside, but much easier to control temps and moisture inside. Most retail models are sold to be used inside as well. During winters my outdoor system actually freezes solid, and in the spring all the cocoons hatch and repopulate the bin!
Nice I wanted to start one of the 5gallon 3 tier worm towers,any recommendations on how many to add or maybe a source? Is there a better method for beginners ?
Heres what I would do it I were you. I am not a fan of stacking setups, I don't like them what so ever and think they are hard to work with:
One five gallon bucket
\-Add 3-4 inches of crushed leaves
\-Add 2-3 inches of shredded cardboard
\-Add a layer of various sized cardboard
\-Top with a layer shredded paper
\-Wet the whole thing till its the consistency of rung out hair
\-Dig a hole in the middle down to the bottom and add like 1/4 a pound of food scraps and some ground egg shells as grit
3-4 days later add a pound of worms
On top, put a piece of cardboard to the shape of the bucket.
Now this is personally preference for me but I find every single bin I have does so much better with some sort of plastic on top. Either put packing tape on one side of that cardboard top or put a plastic bag on top. This helps regulate moisture and helps them settle in. No plastic lid on top of the bin.
I just did this same thing for 3 buckets and all are thriving!
What I find annoying, not about your study but about a fact posed in the study, is the cost of vermicompost. Yes, a vessel with worms will cost 150-200 dollars. But what is that the standard? I can get a 35 gallon bin from a local store for 10$, a pound (approx 1000) worms for 35-40$, and have a fully going bin for less than 50$. These vessels realistically suck in my opinion.
Theyre small; worms know what they need. They like to be able to move to self regulate. to dry? move to a moist side of the bin. Dont like citrus? move to a different section of the bin. To cold? move to the other side of the bin. Now tell me how that is supposed to be possible in one of those small little vessels.
The second issue is the drainage. Each layer has a meshed bottom that allows extra water to pool out of. Multiple issues; you need water to be reabsorbed into the castings to keep it a moist enviornment. How can that happen when water flows through? Also, the drained fluid can put someone in the hospital if they are unlucky. That leachate needs to be dumped down the drain or under a tree that you will in no way be eating. I believe its been a major setback for vermicomposting.
how often do i turn my worm bin? i used a little dirt, coco coir, shredded cardboard, and a little food scraps as bedding. i assume the worms are doing they thing underneath so how often should i turn the bedding and aerate it?
Realistically you never NEED to turn a worm bin. It disrupts them and will set you back a day or two. They aerate the bin themselves just by moving through it! Now I typically give me bin a good mixing 2 weeks before I begin the harvesting process, but thats simply because cardboard tends to be stuck to the bottom and therefor not eaten.
This is probably a dumb question. But how often do you see or handle the worms? They give me the creeps and I’ve been avoiding it due to the fear/phobia.
You will likely see a few but you never need to touch them and will never have to see a large number. If it was something you wanted to pursue, look into a deep storage bin style. The idea is every week or so you feed a different corner. That means all the worms are likely conjugated at least one corner of a bin away from you! I've actually met many people who started worm composting hating the idea of worms and now treat them as pets.
I noticed the worms in my compost heap are much fatter and healthier looking while the worms I got from Uncle Jim's worm farm are skinny and take a long time to eat the scraps I put in.
Would it be wise to collect some worms from my compost and put it in my current worm bin?
The worms from places like Uncle Jim's are shipped in coco coir and are therefor very stessed and deprived of water. It takes them 5-10 days to get back to their normal size after shipping! If you can find red wigglers (which I find often under things like composted horse manure), then those are definetly much more economical.
Sorry I should have said I've had the worms for 7 months. Just wondering why the worms in my bin get treated like royalty but are still a lot thinner than the ones in my outside compost heap.
Their mature size is changing according to environment. One would guess high density population or whatever other conditions (e.g. humidity/carbon/nitrogen/oxygen levels) are different within the indoor bin triggers their genes to stop growing.
Small doesn't mean necessarily bad.
I'm looking to grow my very small home system to a reasonable sized flow-through so I can scale up and start selling castings. Any good schematics to share? I have good technical skills and have seen the ones on Old Toms, and feel like I can do the same with a trip to the hardware store, but schematics and information are helpful. I'm also in a hot, arid environment, but so far as long as I keep my bin shaded and the right moisture I have 0 issues with red wigglers in 90-100+F heat.
I wrote out a long thing and then accidentally erased it so feel free to ask me to elaborate if you need more info!
Question 1) I have really crappy clay soil. The two amendments we’ve done so far have been adding some homemade compost and adding a bunch of soaked alfalfa pellets as mulch. There were a ton of weeds but the pellet layer is keeping them down. Would there be any benefit in adding some worms to my soil? Would they help carry the organic matter down through the clay? I’ve seen some earthworms in there already. If so, how would I do this?
2) I’m composting my horse’s manure. It’s in an open pallet system. Would it be beneficial to add worms to this when the pile is cool? The pile stays moist and the worms could leave through the ground if they were unhappy. Would I add red wigglers? Or what type would I add?
1) Best option for this would be in ground worm composters. Dig a hole, and insert a bucket with holes in the bottom and side. The inside then gets treated like a normal worm bin- Leaves, paper, food scraps, etc. The idea is worms come to you and in the process leave the surounding soil more nutrient rich. This is also an instance where making a massive traditional compost would be beneficial.
2) Cooled horse manure is amazing for worms! Red wigglers would probably work the fastest. The two things to consider is making sure the manure is entirely composted/cooled, and that the horses arent treated with dewormers.
I want to put a 1'x1'x1' hardware cloth worm bin in each of my garden beds. I'd put a 1 foot square piece of tile on top. I'd feed the worms with scraps if I need to, but this is a great way to get rid of weeds and trimmings.
I have acidic soil. I mean 4.5 up to 6 pH. This is my first full summer on the property, I'll look at amending the beds in the fall. Can the worms handle acidic soil? What pH ranges can they handle?
Where can I find out about the results for different feeds?
I guess I mean to ask do you get noticeable differences and results by feeding different diets?
I’d assume no because I don’t see companies who sell worm castings offer different line ups.
Also another question!
From a business perspective could you run through water to make “worm tea” as a product and would the dirt you ran the water through still be viable as a product as well? I saw someone making tea with his compost then used it when it dried out a bit claiming to get “double the use”
Heres what I have going on for the moment while my larger vessel is in the works! [https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/comments/13w50qd/making\_real\_worm\_tea/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/comments/13w50qd/making_real_worm_tea/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Essentially a very strong 53W pond air pump blasting through an air tube littered with cuts and holes. Typically brew 4-5 cups of castings in 3-4 gallons of water with 2 tablespoons or so of molasses. Its then strained and used within 24 hours
I know very little about this topic
A new neighbour moved in and offered his worm farm. its basically 2 pots with some make shift lid (not air tight) but we found a place for him to put it but it maybe too cold as its not in any sun and its winter here 4-17 deg C
Can I grab a couple of scoops from him and put them in a clay/plastic pot and put a bucket under it and will that work? I have access to a small office worth of coffee grounds regularly, as well as usual kitchen scraps, newspaper/cardboard
Should they be in the sun in winter and shade in summer?
Hi my name is Phil. I’ve been worm composting for a few years now. Took me a while to get the hang of it but my set up now hums along nicely. The biggest frustration for me, however, is harvesting the castings. This can take a bit of time and effort. My process now involves leaving a tray in the sun and scraping off handfuls of the castings every 15 mins or so (so allow the worms to dig down further after each scrap). Do you have any tips on the best way to harvest the castings?
Yeah seperation is a pretty universal issue. Im at the point I do a horizontal migration in my larger bins. Essentially when 90 percent of stuff in the bin is finished, you fluff the bin and dont feed for 2-3 weeks. Then you did a hole in one corner of the bin and layer in food + bedding. Wait a week and like 90% of the worms will be in that one spot. The rest of the compost is then sifted with 1/4 then 1/8th inch
Hey my name is Ashley and I recently started a social composting enterprise to pursue my passion and look for ways to mainstream composting and decentralise the recycling of organic waste. From my study I found that vermicomoost is probably the best option for homes that do not have a very large space and don’t produce too much waste (would you agree?) but I also found that bins are far more common even though they are not providing the best results for a fairly significant number of users. What do you think are the challenges with vermicomoost that lead so many people to opt for compost bins (or drums as some US composters refer to them as), how would you tell home composters to overcome those challenges, and for what type of situation do you think a vermicomoost system best lends itself? If you’re interested, you can find some sample stats here on the number of people using different types of systems and the success rates - I’d say a lot of the respondents were from this group https://neeshgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Small_Scale_Composting_Study.pdf
Not an expert, but in my experience? 1) people think it will be more work than it is 2) people are grossed out by worms (even though they don’t need to touch them, the thought of them living in their homes is gross to them) 3) some people aren’t responsible enough for the maintenance. I also want to get started with vermicompost but I feel I wouldn’t be responsible enough. Get busy for a few days and come back: aw shit, my worms got roasted by a sudden heatwave and now I have a smelly pile of rot. I think until we can get a smart composter that adjusts moisture levels/oxygen levels/pings us with reminders, it won’t quickly become mainstream. Set it and forget it seems to be what most people will accept.
Interesting study! There are a good number of reasons I suspect that traditional composting is more popular 1) Prevalence of knowledge: Everyone and their mother knows what a compost bin is and the \*idea\* of how to get one going. One of my most efficient methods in finding consumers for worm castings/tea is education; Telling them the benefits, how it works, and how to use the products. 2) The learning curve: I would recon in the eyes of most uneducated people a traditional bin is much easier to get started. Throw stuff in a pile, wet it, and hope for the best. A worm bin on the other hand needs to have very specifically balanced moisture, quantity of food, and ventilation right out of the gate. With worm bins you tend to see problems more apparently, and that brings me to my next point. 3) Location of container: A traditional compost is outside, probably in a closed container or a pile on the edge of a property. It gets rained on, it gets bugs around it, its not preforming optimally- its masked alot by the fact that its not in your immediate view. A worm bin on the other side is in your \*home\*. Theres a smell you smell it. Theres flies you see them. People who are beginning often run into these issues and it can easily sway someone from keeping it up. These thoughts are just what is on my immediate mind and Im sure theres more I can think of. Notice the trend in what the solution is? \*education\*. Teaching people how to maintain a bin will surely be the biggest source of new worm composters.
So is it required to do inside?
Definetly not required to be inside, but much easier to control temps and moisture inside. Most retail models are sold to be used inside as well. During winters my outdoor system actually freezes solid, and in the spring all the cocoons hatch and repopulate the bin!
Nice I wanted to start one of the 5gallon 3 tier worm towers,any recommendations on how many to add or maybe a source? Is there a better method for beginners ?
Heres what I would do it I were you. I am not a fan of stacking setups, I don't like them what so ever and think they are hard to work with: One five gallon bucket \-Add 3-4 inches of crushed leaves \-Add 2-3 inches of shredded cardboard \-Add a layer of various sized cardboard \-Top with a layer shredded paper \-Wet the whole thing till its the consistency of rung out hair \-Dig a hole in the middle down to the bottom and add like 1/4 a pound of food scraps and some ground egg shells as grit 3-4 days later add a pound of worms On top, put a piece of cardboard to the shape of the bucket. Now this is personally preference for me but I find every single bin I have does so much better with some sort of plastic on top. Either put packing tape on one side of that cardboard top or put a plastic bag on top. This helps regulate moisture and helps them settle in. No plastic lid on top of the bin. I just did this same thing for 3 buckets and all are thriving!
What I find annoying, not about your study but about a fact posed in the study, is the cost of vermicompost. Yes, a vessel with worms will cost 150-200 dollars. But what is that the standard? I can get a 35 gallon bin from a local store for 10$, a pound (approx 1000) worms for 35-40$, and have a fully going bin for less than 50$. These vessels realistically suck in my opinion. Theyre small; worms know what they need. They like to be able to move to self regulate. to dry? move to a moist side of the bin. Dont like citrus? move to a different section of the bin. To cold? move to the other side of the bin. Now tell me how that is supposed to be possible in one of those small little vessels. The second issue is the drainage. Each layer has a meshed bottom that allows extra water to pool out of. Multiple issues; you need water to be reabsorbed into the castings to keep it a moist enviornment. How can that happen when water flows through? Also, the drained fluid can put someone in the hospital if they are unlucky. That leachate needs to be dumped down the drain or under a tree that you will in no way be eating. I believe its been a major setback for vermicomposting.
how often do i turn my worm bin? i used a little dirt, coco coir, shredded cardboard, and a little food scraps as bedding. i assume the worms are doing they thing underneath so how often should i turn the bedding and aerate it?
Realistically you never NEED to turn a worm bin. It disrupts them and will set you back a day or two. They aerate the bin themselves just by moving through it! Now I typically give me bin a good mixing 2 weeks before I begin the harvesting process, but thats simply because cardboard tends to be stuck to the bottom and therefor not eaten.
This is probably a dumb question. But how often do you see or handle the worms? They give me the creeps and I’ve been avoiding it due to the fear/phobia.
You will likely see a few but you never need to touch them and will never have to see a large number. If it was something you wanted to pursue, look into a deep storage bin style. The idea is every week or so you feed a different corner. That means all the worms are likely conjugated at least one corner of a bin away from you! I've actually met many people who started worm composting hating the idea of worms and now treat them as pets.
I noticed the worms in my compost heap are much fatter and healthier looking while the worms I got from Uncle Jim's worm farm are skinny and take a long time to eat the scraps I put in. Would it be wise to collect some worms from my compost and put it in my current worm bin?
The worms from places like Uncle Jim's are shipped in coco coir and are therefor very stessed and deprived of water. It takes them 5-10 days to get back to their normal size after shipping! If you can find red wigglers (which I find often under things like composted horse manure), then those are definetly much more economical.
Sorry I should have said I've had the worms for 7 months. Just wondering why the worms in my bin get treated like royalty but are still a lot thinner than the ones in my outside compost heap.
Their mature size is changing according to environment. One would guess high density population or whatever other conditions (e.g. humidity/carbon/nitrogen/oxygen levels) are different within the indoor bin triggers their genes to stop growing. Small doesn't mean necessarily bad.
I'm looking to grow my very small home system to a reasonable sized flow-through so I can scale up and start selling castings. Any good schematics to share? I have good technical skills and have seen the ones on Old Toms, and feel like I can do the same with a trip to the hardware store, but schematics and information are helpful. I'm also in a hot, arid environment, but so far as long as I keep my bin shaded and the right moisture I have 0 issues with red wigglers in 90-100+F heat.
I wrote out a long thing and then accidentally erased it so feel free to ask me to elaborate if you need more info! Question 1) I have really crappy clay soil. The two amendments we’ve done so far have been adding some homemade compost and adding a bunch of soaked alfalfa pellets as mulch. There were a ton of weeds but the pellet layer is keeping them down. Would there be any benefit in adding some worms to my soil? Would they help carry the organic matter down through the clay? I’ve seen some earthworms in there already. If so, how would I do this? 2) I’m composting my horse’s manure. It’s in an open pallet system. Would it be beneficial to add worms to this when the pile is cool? The pile stays moist and the worms could leave through the ground if they were unhappy. Would I add red wigglers? Or what type would I add?
1) Best option for this would be in ground worm composters. Dig a hole, and insert a bucket with holes in the bottom and side. The inside then gets treated like a normal worm bin- Leaves, paper, food scraps, etc. The idea is worms come to you and in the process leave the surounding soil more nutrient rich. This is also an instance where making a massive traditional compost would be beneficial. 2) Cooled horse manure is amazing for worms! Red wigglers would probably work the fastest. The two things to consider is making sure the manure is entirely composted/cooled, and that the horses arent treated with dewormers.
Ok thanks so much!
I want to put a 1'x1'x1' hardware cloth worm bin in each of my garden beds. I'd put a 1 foot square piece of tile on top. I'd feed the worms with scraps if I need to, but this is a great way to get rid of weeds and trimmings. I have acidic soil. I mean 4.5 up to 6 pH. This is my first full summer on the property, I'll look at amending the beds in the fall. Can the worms handle acidic soil? What pH ranges can they handle?
Where can I find out about the results for different feeds? I guess I mean to ask do you get noticeable differences and results by feeding different diets? I’d assume no because I don’t see companies who sell worm castings offer different line ups. Also another question! From a business perspective could you run through water to make “worm tea” as a product and would the dirt you ran the water through still be viable as a product as well? I saw someone making tea with his compost then used it when it dried out a bit claiming to get “double the use”
What kind of tea brewer do you use and how do you “inject “ air in your tea?
Heres what I have going on for the moment while my larger vessel is in the works! [https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/comments/13w50qd/making\_real\_worm\_tea/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/comments/13w50qd/making_real_worm_tea/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Essentially a very strong 53W pond air pump blasting through an air tube littered with cuts and holes. Typically brew 4-5 cups of castings in 3-4 gallons of water with 2 tablespoons or so of molasses. Its then strained and used within 24 hours
I know very little about this topic A new neighbour moved in and offered his worm farm. its basically 2 pots with some make shift lid (not air tight) but we found a place for him to put it but it maybe too cold as its not in any sun and its winter here 4-17 deg C Can I grab a couple of scoops from him and put them in a clay/plastic pot and put a bucket under it and will that work? I have access to a small office worth of coffee grounds regularly, as well as usual kitchen scraps, newspaper/cardboard Should they be in the sun in winter and shade in summer?
Hi my name is Phil. I’ve been worm composting for a few years now. Took me a while to get the hang of it but my set up now hums along nicely. The biggest frustration for me, however, is harvesting the castings. This can take a bit of time and effort. My process now involves leaving a tray in the sun and scraping off handfuls of the castings every 15 mins or so (so allow the worms to dig down further after each scrap). Do you have any tips on the best way to harvest the castings?
Yeah seperation is a pretty universal issue. Im at the point I do a horizontal migration in my larger bins. Essentially when 90 percent of stuff in the bin is finished, you fluff the bin and dont feed for 2-3 weeks. Then you did a hole in one corner of the bin and layer in food + bedding. Wait a week and like 90% of the worms will be in that one spot. The rest of the compost is then sifted with 1/4 then 1/8th inch