Really interesting comparison of three bins. What stood out for me is the more balanced bin also has better air flow. The other two bins have lids and are plastic. That will always add moisture even if only a little due to condensation. I love and hate slugs in the bins in equal measure lol. They're brilliant composters but if you miss the eggs you end up transporting them to your crops amended with the finished vermicompost. For my big bins I never break the stuff up - just chuck it in. I do freeze/thaw or blend or both for the smaller bins but I squeeze as much moisture as I can then by hand out of the food stock before adding it to the bins. Great comparison of 3 bins side by side. Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing. 😊👍
Topping off with dry cornmeal or blended oats absorbs some of the water, and allows for evaporation without losing any of the good stuff the worms added.
The problem with leaving the slugs in is that they will lay eggs in the castings. If you put them into your garden you will have a real problem with your veggies. When blending food you either have to put a lot of cardboard bedding underneath it or strain it off and use it to wet new bedding, therefore making it food. I only use blended food, but I raise my worms indoors as I live in Alaska. I don’t have problems with wet bins as I leave all lids off. Good video. Happy worming.
Thats a good point Catherine. I will start removing the slugs in future! I have been putting in whole pieces of veg etc still. They are loving the pumpkins that I scavenged after halloween! I agree that blending definitely speeds up the process getting the finshed compost, but I am not really in a hurry, and I am really trying to do this as simply as possible! On a side note, I have always wanted to visit Alaska! I am trying to convince my wife that we should have a vacation there at some point...she is more a sun and beach person though!
I can understand how your wife feels. If you ever do come to Alaska July is a good month to come. I too was a pumpkin scavenger. I processed 12 nice large pumpkins and still have a few to get. I have 4 red wiggler bins an African bin and one Euro bin. Will be splitting the Euros next time around as well as the Africans. It takes a lot of food to feed them all but I recently found some individuals who want to purchase castings that they know are prime and fresh and not mixed with peat, so it makes it all worth it.
Hi I found some decent sucsess using copper tape. The sticky back type wrapped around the container stopped the slugs crawling into the box. Kept them off one of my plants that slugs usually munch on..
In my experience,, carrots never break down via the worms unless you cut them in half or peel them. I too have what appears to be a million happy hungry red wiggler worms.
I have just started with a worm cafe , after a while the cafe started to smell , bad . So I swapped bins for a while to clean and rest the first bin . Now I am adding some soil and/or sand , helps for the digestive system (roughage , e.g. oyster shell .) and hoping it could stop the smell . Letting mother nature be mother nature is a beautiful thing 👣 . Many thanks for the demo .
Worms need aeration and moisture adding more carbon materials can help. Also too much green material for the amount of worms in your bin will cause problems. Worms do not like and wont survive in too much wetness , in fact they may leave it. Wetness like a wrung out sponge is perfect. Many new wormers use as a simple place to dump garbage . If you are serious about worming for castings readup, learn from the mistakes of others and you will be ahead of the game.
I agree with the garbage thing. Worms can't keep up with kitchen waste so I've now just been using the Bokashi system instead for food waste. I focus on making the castings now.
@@thenaturalyogi5934 Another thing I do on occasion is give a super feed. 2 cups oats, 1 cup cornmeal ground to a flower mix . My worms love this and come up to get it. As for the normal feed I always have the bokashi mix. In this way the food is ready quicker for the worms after the bacteria do their work. Bins that get too wet means their putting too much food in compared to the worms and dry material. There has to be a good balance. Impatient wormers find this out quickly.
I sprinkle some on top , wait a couple days see if the worms are eating it. If they do sprinkle some more, a lot will depend on how many worms you have in your herd.
The interesting thing about slugs is they are a natural antifungal, antibacterial on their bottom side. That slime? Is because if they cross something that cuts them, they can heal...so if you are stuck in a forest and need something to heal yourself, swipe one across you...well as long as it's not a poisonous slugs
This is super interesting! I would be one to try things like this...If it weren't for the fact I've seen a documentary about rat lung worms and snails/slugs 😱
I have seen binds with about a third to twice as much soil or matter in the bind. Their reason being the water and moister will drain down and the worms can regulate as they like. Holes in the bottom of course . We live in Alaska and my brother once started one in the downstairs shower. They were quite happy there. I remember you be quiet and actually hear the worms inching around without effort.
I’ve never had that problem. I actually set slugs and snails in if there is food that is too hard to process for the worms, composting worms have no teeth and little mouths, snails and slugs do have teeth like structures and can break down paper, cardboard, carrots, etc. quickly so the worms can get at it. They also produce quite a bit of hydrophilic slime which help maintain the proper levels of moisture. The down side are eggs and young making it to the garden but you can freeze the compost for a week and that takes care of that little problem.
yeah, I never understood why people blend their scraps. It adds more work and does not solve any problem in the end, only causes more as you say. Great video
Soft foods like melons break down fast, but hard foods like the rinds and whole carrots take much longer so the smaller you cut them, the faster they consume them. Worms don't have teeth and don't eat carrots, melons or bananas, they feed on the microbes from these foods as they break down.
We blend in order to help our worms digest it quicker, which means we get castings faster. Pouring food scrapes in a blender, and pressing a button is not much work to me.
@@kevinperry4551 Plastic window screen works great over the drilled holes. Flip the tote over and drill your holes. Cut a piece of plastic window screen to fit in the bottom of the tote, drop the screen in and place your worm bedding in the tote. The weight of the bedding will keep the worms from going under the edges of the screen. The drain holes are needed to keep the build up of ammonia and anaerobic bacteria from forming in the bin. Your worms need air holes in the top of the bin also. To allow oxygen in and to let excess moisture from the foods you add to escape.
You can and I do "mash up" my scraps. But, I allow them to dry for a day or 3 or 4 to get rid of the excess moisture. Especially tomatoes which I add sparingly. All else gets cut up, dried if needed.
I would just like to say that the liquid that comes out of the worm bins is plant gold if you do a mix of 50/50 worm bin liquid and water and water your plants with that your plants will love you
Not neccessarily true. If it's done on purpose then yes it's good stuff. If your bin is so wet that it's draining like that, then youre probably going anaerobic. 70% moisture should not drip
Actually it’s not good at all. It is generally anaerobic. However, if you soak worm castings in water overnight and use the resultant liquid within 24 hours, THAT is worm tea and is excellent.
I do have a lot of trouble when somebody digs in their worm bin with a harsh object! I don't think it's kind to the worms. Other than that your video was very nice
Nice work. Don't be too bothered by the slugs in your worm bin, because they also decompose organic matter, especially fresh greens and also produce fertile castings just like the worms.
Hi mate, can I ask a quick question about my compost? We had a lot of rain recently & my compost sack got a bit water logged. I'm using the stand alone compost sacks & I noticed it was standing in about 6 inches of water. I've now put it on a couple of bricks so it can drain for a couple of days. I've now opened the flap at the base to have a look & it not only stinks, but it has a lot of maggots [with tails] & looks like crap? The worms have moved up into the upper layers which seem to still look ok. Should I remove this nasty mush from the sack or just throw it all away? I wasn't sure if it would sort itself out over time or if I've now lost it. Cheers.
It sounds like it has gone anaerobic...it could sort itself out over time. If it were me, and I didn't have other compost to rely on, I would take a bunch of shredded paper and cardboard and mix it in with the compost. It should help it recover
@@ChilliChump Thank you for taking time to reply, I appreciate it. I'll try your shredded paper option, I just wasn't sure if it had spoilt beyond saving. I'm 6 months into my first year of trying to compost, so learning as I go. Keep up the great content, thanks.
The extra moisture is one of the best benefits. I have holes in the bottom of mine, and that allows the liquid to be gathered in a tub down below. This is called worm tea and is incredible
Love your video!! I also have 3 worm bins ive been looking after for 4yrs no problems. Definitely need good drainage in all bins, cover food with casting that way less mold and insects. Make a good lid with lots of holes for ur outside bins No slugs can crawl in!!. A healthy worm bin should never smell bad my bins allways smell like forest floor. :)
Thank you! I was out feeding my worms today...and man, they are doing great. I will be doing an update video on them soon. They thrived over the winter with minimal fuss!
@Lid Min. I have done a few updates since this one. They can be found in this playlist. A new video will be coming out soon too th-cam.com/play/PLuQ_ySnkV1el2rmGJ1kJlXyG3Ln0HvHlr.html
You can put a bronze/copper/brass band around your compost bin if you want to keep the slugs out. The copper reacts with their slime and puts out a very dispelling charge/feeling into them, so they keep away. If they try to pass they actually die off, which brings more slugs, but again, they die if they try to enter your bins.
I tried copper tape before and it did slow them down a bit but didn't stop them. The one thing I tried was to connect a 9 volt battery to the copper tape and that worked great...but that's a bit overkill and the battery only lasted about a week at a time.
@@ChilliChump Try putting salt on the ground around your bins to keep the slugs and snails out. Rock salt if you can get it. Also dried hot pepper (powered) will send them running. Another trick is to put a bowl filled with stale beer (the cheapest is the best) in the ground nearby to attract and drown the slugs. Turns out they get drunk and fall in.
I have a big bin made from a huge cooler. My husband made a wood top for it with 2 large squares cut out and covered with window screen for air. It’s too heavy for any pests to lift up so it works perfectly. as far as feeding I’ve been saving my compost in bags in the freezer since we eat too much to keep out and I want a good supply for the winter months when we won’t be getting so much fresh fruit and veg. The only problem I’m having is the frozen food is very wet and now my bin is wet. I will add more cardboard and see if it helps. It’s not sopping wet or stinking but I think it’s too wet. When I dig down to the bottom I can make a ball from the vermicompost. Any ideas as to fix this besides more paper?
My family composts food leftovers, fallen leaves and cut grass. To keep the number of slugs low and to raise the pH of the compost we use slaked lime, as the soil is acidic in my area. I have no idea how much slaked lime affects the worms themselves, as our chickens like to scratch at the compost pile and keep the population of worms, weevils and other creatures in check.
There won't be any more moisture by mashing up the veggies. But you will get the moisture there much quicker. Which is your point I guess. Can I use earthworms in a bin?
Good video. I do coarsely chop/grind my veggies but add no water. It’s a personal preference and seems to work for me in a hot humid climate. I take the moisture content of the veggies into account. When it needs moisture I add straight rainwater. I found out that grinding too fine added way too much moisture. Thanks for a good video
I was wondering how you know when the sink bin is all done? The way I learned how to do worm composting is by having stackable bins, so that the worms always get a steady supply of fresh food. It also helps with removing the castings, because you just remove the bottom bin. I don't see how that's possible if you have one giant bin. Could you please clarify your method?
Chillichump when you know it's time to collect castings ,feed only in one small part of the bin for about 1-2 weeks and very little food , then the rest of the bin will have very few worms , as they will be hungry and go towards the food , u can then collect from the clean side and only have a small area of worms to sift through
Keep an eye out for identifying food scraps after a week .if there are still some, then you need to reduce the amount you feed. If there arent any, then feed a little more than the last time.
Interesting video thank you for sharing. Have you tried Eggshells as an organic deterrent for slugs ? Also clean crushed seashells Oyster ?(freed of excess salt content)
I use egg shells for grit for the worms....not for a snail deterrent. However I do use crushed egg shells as a snail deterrent with my strawberry plants. That works pretty well!
Chillichump diatomaceous earth powder form is the best for keeping most insects out of the worm bin , u can get it at stock feed places and some garden centres or on eBay , about $15 a bag on eBay but it will last for a very long time , just sprinkle over top of your worm bin and if u use cardboard as a cover and the cardboard is dry sprinkle on that too , but it only works if it's dry
I wonder if tossing slugs into a jar of brine would help to reduce their numbers. Many people say using coffee grounds deters snails, slugs and ants. Maybe that's worth a try.
I have loads of coffee grounds in there now. The slugs don't like it at all, but as soon as the worms finish processing the coffee grounds....the slugs come back!
@@ChilliChump Well, you know what you have do do, don't you? DRINK MORE COFFEE!!! 😆 Seriously, some people get grounds for free from restaurants and coffee shops. Perhaps you can increase your supply that way. ☺
@@ChilliChump i have just ordered myself some from walmart here in the US. i live in alabama what i ordered came from a company called oceanside hydro supply. maybe you can find it i got a 6 lbs bag for $13.30. cant wait to try it just not sure how much to give them? do you have any idea?
@@ChilliChump thanks for the reply i usually put in a handful i have several worms but thank you for the advice i will not give so much of the oyster flour as the egg shells. have a great day or from here the weekend. (smiles)
just blend the food in the food processor as oppose of blending and then pour it in a nut bag and squeeze some of the liquid out so that is not so wet.
I have 2 wheelie bins on my allotment for my worm bins and a smaller bin in my back garden. I do roughly chop green waste with garden shears before it goes in the bins. Spent coffee grounds and also cheap porridge oats together with shredded paper all go in. Do you collect the worm tea drain off? It makes great liquid fertiliser 😀👍
How have you set up your wheelie bins for the worms? Just upright and keep topping up with food? I do collect the drained off worm liquids. I keep feeding my fruit trees with it (diluted of course). By the way, it is good to see you on my channel. I love your videos!
Yes, the bins are upright. slightly raised and I put a tray underneath to catch the liquid through the drain holes. I also drilled some 10mm hoes underneath the top lip beneath the lid to give some air flow. I cover the food with a couple of layers of hessian backed carpet, Kept damp, the worms love to breed between this, During the winter months (soon) I shall wrap bubble wrap or carpet around the bins to help keep out the cold.......My wife says I treat the worms better than her!!! 😱😱😉😀😀😀👍
I blend my food they eat it way quicker, when I go back after a week the food is always gone , I also have cardboard and moss ontop of soil in a 50l plastic container with holes ontop, they were escaping out so I put some copper tape along the top of the bucket and problem solved.
I like the happy medium as far as food size. Totally mashed up is too much, and whole is too little. I rough chop it so the food is the size I'd cut it to use in a stew.
Think about getting a big livestock trough. They have a drain plug you can use for the worm tea. The down side is you will have to turn the compost every once and a while.
Why not just put some holes in bottom of bins, and lay a piece of fine mesh screen inside on very bottom so they don't escape. Or just glue a small screen patch inside over each hole.
If you want worm poo then don't make holes, just shift out compost and put back in bucket, and keep adding paper and compost. Ecspecially corn they love corn or corn meal, then use worm poo for seeds and garden etc. If just for worms place on ground, add holes, worms will cone and go throughrough the holes but babies and many will definitely stay and come back. Small holes small worms, little bit larger yummy bigger worms. Some slugs and maybe grubs this way buy take out when shifting. If to wet kept adding leaves, paper and corn meal, any compost and don't water only mist if needed..leave lid off some keep in shade. The moisture is either your watering to much or just worm poo...good stuff once shifted and dried aome.
My last harvest was damp and fluffy. Used coco coir, newspaper, and shredded leaves. I feed them grits and oatmeal blended and chopped in a food processor. When I feed them I sprinkle on diluted molasses to feed the microbes (thanks to Mumbai Balcony Gardener for that tip)
What are some things I can feed worms if I don't produce lots of food waste? This is one factor that has prevented me from starting a worn bin or two. I won't start something if I'm going to just kill them in time.
They aren't really too fussy. They have some preferences though. The obvious one is vegetable waste (carrot peels, courgette ends etc.). If you have vegetables that are past their sell-by date, you can add those too. If you drink coffee, then you can put your spent coffee grounds into the bin (they love that!), or if you are a tea drinker, you can throw your used tea bags in too. Egg shells are good (typically you want to grind those up, if you put in a lot). The other thing I feed them, which they really like, is breakfast cereal, oats, flour, weetabix etc that has gone past its sell-by date, those things can go in too. And the last thing I feed them, which works well as bedding too, is shredded or ripped up cardboard boxes...they go crazy for that too. I was also worried about having enough to feed them, but if there are times where I don't have a lot of waste to give them, they really don't mind. They will self-regulate, and only populate according to their environment and how much food they are getting.
@@ChilliChump If you are not producing enough vegetable/fruit waste to feed a worm bin then it is seriously time to start thinking critically about your diet.
holy crap! Where do you live? When I lived in South Africa we didn't get temps that high! Unfortunately worms do best in temperatures between 12 and 24 celsius. I know this might sound a bit crazy, but you can keep your worms in the kitchen if you have space for them. They don't smell, as long as you don't overfeed them.
in New Delhi , India .. check this www.google.co.in/search?q=highest+temps+India&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN803IN803&oq=highest+temps+India&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.9847j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Man, that is hot. I did some searching and came across this video: th-cam.com/video/nccbpQ1l9ME/w-d-xo.html. It looks like India have been doing this for ages! The trick it seems is to dig down a bit, and keep the worm pile moist. Then your worm composting should be successful even in those high heats. Maybe try doing something on a smaller scale like what they are doing in this video.
Uhhh... that Fahrenheit is not correct. By using the "-" you are saying that it's "negative 118" which is EXTREMELY cold. Water freezes at 32 degrees F. Instead, you might want to put the Fahrenheit measurement inside of parentheses like this: (118° F)
Hard to control moisture without drain holes at the bottom for excess liquid, especially that first bin. Air flow and much more dry bedding are needed to get the moisture under control. After moisture is under control, moist or dry bedding should be added regularly to continue to control moisture. Worms don't have teeth. Hard carrots and other hard scraps are difficult for them to consume. The insides of cucumbers, pumpkin, melons, etc break down fast and are easy for them. The hard skins or hard carrots need to be cut small, if not chopped or pureed, although I wouldn't puree unless they were starving and you had nothing else to give them.
Expose them to light, and they will bury themselves down, and you can scrape the top layer of compost off. I show the method in this video: th-cam.com/video/G9rzuPKO7qY/w-d-xo.html
Interesting... I’m sorry to say this but I’m looking at your bins and they don’t look good to me at all... I’ve been worming for years, these are way too wet and undigested. If you don’t mind some comments, I would say you are over feeding for one thing, and also too sealed up. I don’t even put the lid on mine completely, and they are inside my kitchen. That’s why they are so wet. Also, this is just me, but I would switch to newsprint over cardboard as you are adding unhealthy amounts of glue to your beautiful compost. And if you are adding that much cardboard a) add it right to the bottom of the bin and b) keep the bins uncovered during the day for some evaporation. Daylight will keep the worms inside. Not sure how to post a photo on here or I would show that I also keep a layer of newsprint flat on top to keep just a light cover for evaporation-if you are adding your coffee grounds and the end of your coffee it’s generally enough. Also- be careful not to starve your worms; they will begin to eat each other if left too long ( carrots don’t count, they take way to long to get soft and digestible, I don’t give them to my worms at all actually because they tend to compost rather than get eaten) when worms starve they will eat each other which causes toxicity throughout the whole bin.
Hi Cheryl, always happy to read comments from my viewers. i did check, and the glue used in the cardboard I recycle is starch based. So no problem at all for worms, in fact they love it...there is always an abundance of worms where I put the cardboard. I agree with you, my one bin was certainly too wet. I have drilled a couple holes in it (the bin with the yellow lid). I would love to leave the lids open, but with the weather we get in the UK, they would be drenched from rain all the time. My worms are doing great, I have a great population in all my bins...and that is after freezing cold winter too. I will do an update video on them soon.
Chillichump it is of course far too cold here ( Canada) to leave mine out, and if I do the raccoons would destroy it in no time! I’ll check on our cardboard here but last I saw it wasn’t fit. Do you turn yours over? I use my hands hat way you can really feel the moisture , many people say not to disturb the bin but my experience is the opposite . I gently turn them every month or so so they are evenly moist, and stop about a month before harvest when I only feed one corner of the bin. If you get your hands to the bottom you can really feel what’s going on . I envy your garden!
Blend the food then let it sit on a sieve to drain the excess water. The bacteria can get to blended food easier and multiply Therefore more bacteria for the worms to eat. If the bin is dry I don’t pass it through a sieve.
Don't know if anyone has said this, sorry if I'm repeating someone... Placing stale beer in a cup top or something shallow, will kill the heck out of slugs and snails.
Slug patrol... should be a competitive sport. Just start picking out them slugs. Trust me, if you are consistent, you will win the battle against them.
Chillichump sprinkle turmeric around the top of the bin and on the top of cardboard or newspaper that u cover the worms with ,also some garden lime every now and again in same places , or if u really want to rid of all insects without killing your worms sprinkle some diatomaceous earth , it kills most of the insects but doesn't bother the worms at all
The liquid that is draining out the bottom of the bins is called worm tea. It is like liquid gold. Pour a little around plants in your garden and it will be a great fertilizer that your plants will love. By all means, never throw it out, as some people go to a lot of work to produce worm tea.
I do keep some liquid from my other bins. But I generate quite a lot of it, and have plenty to go round. Worm tea is a little different, and I do make that too. Put a little vermicompost into a mesh bag, and into a buck of water. Then use an aeration stone to aerate the water for about 12 hours. This works great. The liquid you get coming out of your worm bins directly is actually not as good as doing the above method, because it is not necessarily thoroughly processed yet
Chillichump but you would have to use that within a couple of hours to get all the living goodness ,but with the tea straight out of the worm bin ,mu can keep it for a long time I'm told
Been thinking about it for a couple years now. But I would need to automate the whole thing. I travel for business a lot...which is why my greenhouse is all automated
@@ChilliChump if you put the compost pile somewhere near the chickens, they can pick through it for the slugs and insects. It won't work for closed bins of course
Really interesting comparison of three bins. What stood out for me is the more balanced bin also has better air flow. The other two bins have lids and are plastic. That will always add moisture even if only a little due to condensation.
I love and hate slugs in the bins in equal measure lol. They're brilliant composters but if you miss the eggs you end up transporting them to your crops amended with the finished vermicompost.
For my big bins I never break the stuff up - just chuck it in. I do freeze/thaw or blend or both for the smaller bins but I squeeze as much moisture as I can then by hand out of the food stock before adding it to the bins.
Great comparison of 3 bins side by side. Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing. 😊👍
Topping off with dry cornmeal or blended oats absorbs some of the water, and allows for evaporation without losing any of the good stuff the worms added.
Not feeding the bid so much is also a factor.
The problem with leaving the slugs in is that they will lay eggs in the castings. If you put them into your garden you will have a real problem with your veggies. When blending food you either have to put a lot of cardboard bedding underneath it or strain it off and use it to wet new bedding, therefore making it food. I only use blended food, but I raise my worms indoors as I live in Alaska. I don’t have problems with wet bins as I leave all lids off. Good video. Happy worming.
Thats a good point Catherine. I will start removing the slugs in future! I have been putting in whole pieces of veg etc still. They are loving the pumpkins that I scavenged after halloween! I agree that blending definitely speeds up the process getting the finshed compost, but I am not really in a hurry, and I am really trying to do this as simply as possible!
On a side note, I have always wanted to visit Alaska! I am trying to convince my wife that we should have a vacation there at some point...she is more a sun and beach person though!
I can understand how your wife feels. If you ever do come to Alaska July is a good month to come. I too was a pumpkin scavenger. I processed 12 nice large pumpkins and still have a few to get. I have 4 red wiggler bins an African bin and one Euro bin. Will be splitting the Euros next time around as well as the Africans. It takes a lot of food to feed them all but I recently found some individuals who want to purchase castings that they know are prime and fresh and not mixed with peat, so it makes it all worth it.
Would the slugs be good to feed to chickens ?
Chickens would love them I'm sure!
@@ChilliChump This is the first time I have watched one of your videos. if you know any one with ducks you can give the slugs to them for there ducks.
Hi I found some decent sucsess using copper tape. The sticky back type wrapped around the container stopped the slugs crawling into the box. Kept them off one of my plants that slugs usually munch on..
In my experience,, carrots never break down via the worms unless you cut them in half or peel them. I too have what appears to be a million happy hungry red wiggler worms.
I have just started with a worm cafe , after a while the cafe started to smell , bad . So I swapped bins for a while to clean and rest the first bin . Now I am adding some soil and/or sand , helps for the digestive system (roughage , e.g. oyster shell .) and hoping it could stop the smell . Letting mother nature be mother nature is a beautiful thing 👣 . Many thanks for the demo .
Try to add more brown materials like brown cardboard or brown paper.
Worms need aeration and moisture adding more carbon materials can help. Also too much green material for the amount of worms in your bin will cause problems. Worms do not like and wont survive in too much wetness , in fact they may leave it. Wetness like a wrung out sponge is perfect. Many new wormers use as a simple place to dump garbage . If you are serious about worming for castings readup, learn from the mistakes of others and you will be ahead of the game.
Also needs more air, ventilation.
My worms are doing great they get a good mix of materials.
I agree with the garbage thing. Worms can't keep up with kitchen waste so I've now just been using the Bokashi system instead for food waste. I focus on making the castings now.
@@thenaturalyogi5934 Another thing I do on occasion is give a super feed. 2 cups oats, 1 cup cornmeal ground to a flower mix . My worms love this and come up to get it. As for the normal feed I always have the bokashi mix. In this way the food is ready quicker for the worms after the bacteria do their work. Bins that get too wet means their putting too much food in compared to the worms and dry material. There has to be a good balance. Impatient wormers find this out quickly.
I sprinkle some on top , wait a couple days see if the worms are eating it. If they do sprinkle some more, a lot will depend on how many worms you have in your herd.
The interesting thing about slugs is they are a natural antifungal, antibacterial on their bottom side. That slime? Is because if they cross something that cuts them, they can heal...so if you are stuck in a forest and need something to heal yourself, swipe one across you...well as long as it's not a poisonous slugs
This is super interesting! I would be one to try things like this...If it weren't for the fact I've seen a documentary about rat lung worms and snails/slugs 😱
They and their slime are deadly poisonous to dogs.
@@franceswatts4001 it's not their slime. It's the lungworm they are immune to but dogs can get sick from.
I have seen binds with about a third to twice as much soil or matter in the bind. Their reason being the water and moister will drain down and the worms can regulate as they like. Holes in the bottom of course . We live in Alaska and my brother once started one in the downstairs shower. They were quite happy there. I remember you be quiet and actually hear the worms inching around without effort.
Good video. But what was wrong with those carrots that meant they were put in the compost? 🤷♂️
I watched another channel on Verma compost and they stated the larvae from slugs an snails will eat the cocoons, not good to have in worm bins.
oh no...that doesn't sound good! I think I may need to set a beer trap for the little buggers!
They also aren’t composters- and they eat the food that’s easily digestible to worms . I would never leave them in my bin
My bin is doing well thankfully...I am removing slugs now when I see them
I’ve never had that problem. I actually set slugs and snails in if there is food that is too hard to process for the worms, composting worms have no teeth and little mouths, snails and slugs do have teeth like structures and can break down paper, cardboard, carrots, etc. quickly so the worms can get at it. They also produce quite a bit of hydrophilic slime which help maintain the proper levels of moisture. The down side are eggs and young making it to the garden but you can freeze the compost for a week and that takes care of that little problem.
I agree the worms do just fine without mashing food up
yeah, I never understood why people blend their scraps. It adds more work and does not solve any problem in the end, only causes more as you say. Great video
Soft foods like melons break down fast, but hard foods like the rinds and whole carrots take much longer so the smaller you cut them, the faster they consume them. Worms don't have teeth and don't eat carrots, melons or bananas, they feed on the microbes from these foods as they break down.
We blend in order to help our worms digest it quicker, which means we get castings faster. Pouring food scrapes in a blender, and pressing a button is not much work to me.
why not drill some drainage holes ?
Or simply feed less often as well as squeezing out the excess moisture.
The worms will escape.
@@kevinperry4551 cheese cloth, 1/8 hardware cloth, an old screen. If you lay those on the holes it should keep them in
@@kevinperry4551 Plastic window screen works great over the drilled holes. Flip the tote over and drill your holes. Cut a piece of plastic window screen to fit in the bottom of the tote, drop the screen in and place your worm bedding in the tote. The weight of the bedding will keep the worms from going under the edges of the screen. The drain holes are needed to keep the build up of ammonia and anaerobic bacteria from forming in the bin. Your worms need air holes in the top of the bin also. To allow oxygen in and to let excess moisture from the foods you add to escape.
Alois Schicklgruber
Where can we buy cheese cloth?
Got to have air flow.
Agree. It's raining in the bin every time the temps drop and the humidity condenses on the plastic instead of venting off.
Agreed 100%. Gotta have good airflow and good drainage to keep it healthy.
You can and I do "mash up" my scraps. But, I allow them to dry for a day or 3 or 4 to get rid of the excess moisture. Especially tomatoes which I add sparingly. All else gets cut up, dried if needed.
Well said... “worms shouldn’t be hard work...” 👌🏼♥️
Cover the top layer in the bin with some old carpet or damp thick cardboard. Worms love a roof to crawl under and will feed quicker
I would just like to say that the liquid that comes out of the worm bins is plant gold if you do a mix of 50/50 worm bin liquid and water and water your plants with that your plants will love you
Not neccessarily true. If it's done on purpose then yes it's good stuff. If your bin is so wet that it's draining like that, then youre probably going anaerobic. 70% moisture should not drip
Actually it’s not good at all. It is generally anaerobic. However, if you soak worm castings in water overnight and use the resultant liquid within 24 hours, THAT is worm tea and is excellent.
I do have a lot of trouble when somebody digs in their worm bin with a harsh object! I don't think it's kind to the worms. Other than that your video was very nice
I recently saw a video where they sat a whole pumpkin, time lapsed to see in shrink away as the worms ate it
It was crazy
@azvlogs
I agree with you about NOT blending their food. In whole or chunks, the food is in time-release form.
Nice work.
Don't be too bothered by the slugs in your worm bin, because they also decompose organic matter, especially fresh greens and also produce fertile castings just like the worms.
Hi mate, can I ask a quick question about my compost?
We had a lot of rain recently & my compost sack got a bit water logged. I'm using the stand alone compost sacks & I noticed it was standing in about 6 inches of water. I've now put it on a couple of bricks so it can drain for a couple of days. I've now opened the flap at the base to have a look & it not only stinks, but it has a lot of maggots [with tails] & looks like crap? The worms have moved up into the upper layers which seem to still look ok.
Should I remove this nasty mush from the sack or just throw it all away? I wasn't sure if it would sort itself out over time or if I've now lost it. Cheers.
It sounds like it has gone anaerobic...it could sort itself out over time. If it were me, and I didn't have other compost to rely on, I would take a bunch of shredded paper and cardboard and mix it in with the compost. It should help it recover
@@ChilliChump Thank you for taking time to reply, I appreciate it.
I'll try your shredded paper option, I just wasn't sure if it had spoilt beyond saving.
I'm 6 months into my first year of trying to compost, so learning as I go.
Keep up the great content, thanks.
You have way too much food in your garage bin. That's why you have mold and the stinky smell
The extra moisture is one of the best benefits. I have holes in the bottom of mine, and that allows the liquid to be gathered in a tub down below. This is called worm tea and is incredible
That is not worm tea, it is worm leachette and is not good for food gardens.
@@carolanderson9234 I toss it on my shade trees
Love your video!! I also have 3 worm bins ive been looking after for 4yrs no problems. Definitely need good drainage in all bins, cover food with casting that way less mold and insects.
Make a good lid with lots of holes for ur outside bins No slugs can crawl in!!. A healthy worm bin should never smell bad my bins allways smell like forest floor. :)
Thank you! I was out feeding my worms today...and man, they are doing great. I will be doing an update video on them soon. They thrived over the winter with minimal fuss!
Can u do a vid about it?
@Lid Min. I have done a few updates since this one. They can be found in this playlist. A new video will be coming out soon too th-cam.com/play/PLuQ_ySnkV1el2rmGJ1kJlXyG3Ln0HvHlr.html
To be fair; shouldn't you be trying this with the same kind of container to get an actual assessment? Control versus variable?
You can put a bronze/copper/brass band around your compost bin if you want to keep the slugs out. The copper reacts with their slime and puts out a very dispelling charge/feeling into them, so they keep away.
If they try to pass they actually die off, which brings more slugs, but again, they die if they try to enter your bins.
I tried copper tape before and it did slow them down a bit but didn't stop them. The one thing I tried was to connect a 9 volt battery to the copper tape and that worked great...but that's a bit overkill and the battery only lasted about a week at a time.
I smear band of Petroleum Jelly (vaseline) just under the lip of my bins and that seems to do the trick 👍
I like that idea. I will give it a try. Not a fan of slugs and snails! Evil things
@@ChilliChump Try putting salt on the ground around your bins to keep the slugs and snails out. Rock salt if you can get it. Also dried hot pepper (powered) will send them running.
Another trick is to put a bowl filled with stale beer (the cheapest is the best) in the ground nearby to attract and drown the slugs. Turns out they get drunk and fall in.
@@recyclebills Beer wprks like a charm. I dug in some jars in the ground and a lot of them fell in.
Thanks. Always need a refresher course.
Good video mate very informative the water in your bin no matter if the foods chopped it still holds the same amount of water
I have a big bin made from a huge cooler. My husband made a wood top for it with 2 large squares cut out and covered with window screen for air. It’s too heavy for any pests to lift up so it works perfectly. as far as feeding I’ve been saving my compost in bags in the freezer since we eat too much to keep out and I want a good supply for the winter months when we won’t be getting so much fresh fruit and veg. The only problem I’m having is the frozen food is very wet and now my bin is wet. I will add more cardboard and see if it helps. It’s not sopping wet or stinking but I think it’s too wet. When I dig down to the bottom I can make a ball from the vermicompost. Any ideas as to fix this besides more paper?
Unfortunately, unless you want to drill holes in the bottom, paper is going to be your best bet!
My family composts food leftovers, fallen leaves and cut grass. To keep the number of slugs low and to raise the pH of the compost we use slaked lime, as the soil is acidic in my area. I have no idea how much slaked lime affects the worms themselves, as our chickens like to scratch at the compost pile and keep the population of worms, weevils and other creatures in check.
There won't be any more moisture by mashing up the veggies.
But you will get the moisture there much quicker.
Which is your point I guess. Can I use earthworms in a bin?
its doable but redworms are best
Good video. I do coarsely chop/grind my veggies but add no water. It’s a personal preference and seems to work for me in a hot humid climate. I take the moisture content of the veggies into account. When it needs moisture I add straight rainwater. I found out that grinding too fine added way too much moisture. Thanks for a good video
I was wondering how you know when the sink bin is all done? The way I learned how to do worm composting is by having stackable bins, so that the worms always get a steady supply of fresh food. It also helps with removing the castings, because you just remove the bottom bin. I don't see how that's possible if you have one giant bin. Could you please clarify your method?
Hi Robert, have a look at my most recent video it should clarify things for you. If not, let me know!
Chillichump when you know it's time to collect castings ,feed only in one small part of the bin for about 1-2 weeks and very little food , then the rest of the bin will have very few worms , as they will be hungry and go towards the food , u can then collect from the clean side and only have a small area of worms to sift through
How do you think the slugs get in in the first place?
Bury your food under bedding and your slug problem will go away.. proper bedding will also solve the water problem for you. :)
He put the food under bedding if you listened
@@ejtheinsane if you looked you will see the food on top of the bedding...
I cover over all food with bedding. I can't show everything on video.
@@ChilliChump add peat moss or coco coir
add air holes in your lid, I've seen other people do that, seems to stop the mold and moisture.
Why don't you slice up your food and slightly dehydrate them to avoid any pests?
Thanks for sharing the different worm bins you are using. Look forward to more updates. Enjoy the day! Catherine
Apparently, slugs won't leave a well stocked compost heap, better there than in the garden i guess?
Surely the middle bin was doing the best is just because it had drainage. Plus you get to use that worm tea as fertiliser. Win win!
How do tell how much to feed if feeding full as things need to break down
Keep an eye out for identifying food scraps after a week .if there are still some, then you need to reduce the amount you feed. If there arent any, then feed a little more than the last time.
You feed your worms on good carrots?
No...they are seconds from the supermarket that were getting binned
Thanks for the tips.
Kept my slugs 🐌 away with used coffee grounds !
Does that work well?
I have just started spreading coffee grounds on my container garden's soil as a drought resistant mulch.
Interesting video thank you for sharing. Have you tried Eggshells as an organic deterrent for slugs ? Also clean crushed seashells Oyster ?(freed of excess salt content)
I use egg shells for grit for the worms....not for a snail deterrent. However I do use crushed egg shells as a snail deterrent with my strawberry plants. That works pretty well!
Chillichump diatomaceous earth powder form is the best for keeping most insects out of the worm bin , u can get it at stock feed places and some garden centres or on eBay , about $15 a bag on eBay but it will last for a very long time , just sprinkle over top of your worm bin and if u use cardboard as a cover and the cardboard is dry sprinkle on that too , but it only works if it's dry
If the food gets moldy is that ok?
I wonder if tossing slugs into a jar of brine would help to reduce their numbers. Many people say using coffee grounds deters snails, slugs and ants. Maybe that's worth a try.
I have loads of coffee grounds in there now. The slugs don't like it at all, but as soon as the worms finish processing the coffee grounds....the slugs come back!
@@ChilliChump Well, you know what you have do do, don't you? DRINK MORE COFFEE!!! 😆 Seriously, some people get grounds for free from restaurants and coffee shops. Perhaps you can increase your supply that way. ☺
I already do that! My family keep picking up loads of it from Starbucks and Costa! Great rouserce 😁 buy I will do my part too to drink more coffee
It is not that they eat quicker if the food is cut down to pieces, but food with more surface area will go to that compost phase rather quickly.
Do I need to put airholes in the top of bin?
Not if there are other holes on the sides
What is the moisture lavel
can u use oyster flour in place of egg shells?
Absolutely. In fact I did look for some, but couldn't source any at a decent price here in the UK
@@ChilliChump i have just ordered myself some from walmart here in the US. i live in alabama what i ordered came from a company called oceanside hydro supply. maybe you can find it i got a 6 lbs bag for $13.30. cant wait to try it just not sure how much to give them? do you have any idea?
I would do similar to what I do with ground up egg shells. I put a tablespoon in with every feed, just sprinkle it over evenly
@@ChilliChump thanks for the reply i usually put in a handful i have several worms but thank you for the advice i will not give so much of the oyster flour as the egg shells. have a great day or from here the weekend. (smiles)
Just curious why do you throw away whole foods that seem good enough to eat? o.O
I get a lot of produce that local supermarkets and shops discard when past sell by date.
just blend the food in the food processor as oppose of blending and then pour it in a nut bag and squeeze some of the liquid out so that is not so wet.
Add leaves paper and dry egg carton on the bottom. And mix the wet with dry leaves. It will absorb the moisture.
You should put a Spicket at the end of your worm bin.. That would stop your warm casting from getting too wet.The liquid is great for compost teas.
I have 2 wheelie bins on my allotment for my worm bins and a smaller bin in my back garden. I do roughly chop green waste with garden shears before it goes in the bins. Spent coffee grounds and also cheap porridge oats together with shredded paper all go in. Do you collect the worm tea drain off? It makes great liquid fertiliser 😀👍
How have you set up your wheelie bins for the worms? Just upright and keep topping up with food?
I do collect the drained off worm liquids. I keep feeding my fruit trees with it (diluted of course).
By the way, it is good to see you on my channel. I love your videos!
Yes, the bins are upright. slightly raised and I put a tray underneath to catch the liquid through the drain holes. I also drilled some 10mm hoes underneath the top lip beneath the lid to give some air flow. I cover the food with a couple of layers of hessian backed carpet, Kept damp, the worms love to breed between this, During the winter months (soon) I shall wrap bubble wrap or carpet around the bins to help keep out the cold.......My wife says I treat the worms better than her!!! 😱😱😉😀😀😀👍
My wife makes similar comments about my worms...and my chillis 😄
How do the slugs get into the box?
Cheers, my bin was sopping wet. So this helps alot.
Slugs and snails hate crushed egg shells. Sprinkle them on top of your beds and it may help.
I blend my food they eat it way quicker, when I go back after a week the food is always gone , I also have cardboard and moss ontop of soil in a 50l plastic container with holes ontop, they were escaping out so I put some copper tape along the top of the bucket and problem solved.
I like the happy medium as far as food size. Totally mashed up is too much, and whole is too little. I rough chop it so the food is the size I'd cut it to use in a stew.
Think about getting a big livestock trough. They have a drain plug you can use for the worm tea.
The down side is you will have to turn the compost every once and a while.
Tip bury the scraps will not smell indoor or out door will keep gnats away etc
Why not just put some holes in bottom of bins, and lay a piece of fine mesh screen inside on very bottom so they don't escape. Or just glue a small screen patch inside over each hole.
Good video. Thanks for sharing .
If you want worm poo then don't make holes, just shift out compost and put back in bucket, and keep adding paper and compost. Ecspecially corn they love corn or corn meal, then use worm poo for seeds and garden etc. If just for worms place on ground, add holes, worms will cone and go throughrough the holes but babies and many will definitely stay and come back. Small holes small worms, little bit larger yummy bigger worms. Some slugs and maybe grubs this way buy take out when shifting. If to wet kept adding leaves, paper and corn meal, any compost and don't water only mist if needed..leave lid off some keep in shade. The moisture is either your watering to much or just worm poo...good stuff once shifted and dried aome.
My last harvest was damp and fluffy. Used coco coir, newspaper, and shredded leaves. I feed them grits and oatmeal blended and chopped in a food processor. When I feed them I sprinkle on diluted molasses to feed the microbes (thanks to Mumbai Balcony Gardener for that tip)
@@kevinperry4551 yes there are many things you can give them they loved potatoes to
I guess the problem with the slugs is that they'll be laying eggs. Then, when you want to use your vermicompost for potting your tender seedlings....
What are some things I can feed worms if I don't produce lots of food waste? This is one factor that has prevented me from starting a worn bin or two. I won't start something if I'm going to just kill them in time.
They aren't really too fussy. They have some preferences though. The obvious one is vegetable waste (carrot peels, courgette ends etc.). If you have vegetables that are past their sell-by date, you can add those too. If you drink coffee, then you can put your spent coffee grounds into the bin (they love that!), or if you are a tea drinker, you can throw your used tea bags in too. Egg shells are good (typically you want to grind those up, if you put in a lot).
The other thing I feed them, which they really like, is breakfast cereal, oats, flour, weetabix etc that has gone past its sell-by date, those things can go in too. And the last thing I feed them, which works well as bedding too, is shredded or ripped up cardboard boxes...they go crazy for that too.
I was also worried about having enough to feed them, but if there are times where I don't have a lot of waste to give them, they really don't mind. They will self-regulate, and only populate according to their environment and how much food they are getting.
Almost everything 😂😂
@@ChilliChump If you are not producing enough vegetable/fruit waste to feed a worm bin then it is seriously time to start thinking critically about your diet.
BUT worms have no teeth so how do they eat the carrots? They need to wait until they rot to eat them.
What do you use to start your worm bins?
I made a couple videos showing how to start a new bin, have a look here th-cam.com/video/vY39MOh5pPc/w-d-xo.html
what should be ideal room temp for placing compost bin , we have here temps reach to 48 degree Celcius -118F
holy crap! Where do you live? When I lived in South Africa we didn't get temps that high!
Unfortunately worms do best in temperatures between 12 and 24 celsius. I know this might sound a bit crazy, but you can keep your worms in the kitchen if you have space for them. They don't smell, as long as you don't overfeed them.
in New Delhi , India .. check this
www.google.co.in/search?q=highest+temps+India&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN803IN803&oq=highest+temps+India&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.9847j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Man, that is hot. I did some searching and came across this video: th-cam.com/video/nccbpQ1l9ME/w-d-xo.html. It looks like India have been doing this for ages! The trick it seems is to dig down a bit, and keep the worm pile moist. Then your worm composting should be successful even in those high heats. Maybe try doing something on a smaller scale like what they are doing in this video.
Uhhh... that Fahrenheit is not correct. By using the "-" you are saying that it's "negative 118" which is EXTREMELY cold. Water freezes at 32 degrees F. Instead, you might want to put the Fahrenheit measurement inside of parentheses like this: (118° F)
Hard to control moisture without drain holes at the bottom for excess liquid, especially that first bin. Air flow and much more dry bedding are needed to get the moisture under control. After moisture is under control, moist or dry bedding should be added regularly to continue to control moisture.
Worms don't have teeth. Hard carrots and other hard scraps are difficult for them to consume. The insides of cucumbers, pumpkin, melons, etc break down fast and are easy for them. The hard skins or hard carrots need to be cut small, if not chopped or pureed, although I wouldn't puree unless they were starving and you had nothing else to give them.
What do you do with the liquid that come out if the worm bin?
Mix it with water and use it on my fruit trees
Chillichump you can dilute that worm tea up to 25 times and it still is great for your plants and veggies
Can we eat cereal Rice Krispies frosted flakes Cheerios. ????
Sure, the worms will love that. Just be careful adding sugar, it could attract Ants
What kind of dirt did you start with?
Have a look at my worms playlist, I show how I start a new bin th-cam.com/play/PLuQ_ySnkV1el2rmGJ1kJlXyG3Ln0HvHlr.html
Burry the food bro, the slugs can't get it if it's burried. I have the opposite problem with my bins they are always to dry. I live in Texas through.
what about bedding in the first two bins? no cardboard or paper?
I use coco coir as primary bedding for my worms. Then add shredded cardboard and paper after that
I had slugs too til I started burying or covering the food with new bedding
I always puree my worm food and then I strain the excess liquid then add that to my all natural homemade liquid fertilizer barrel
How do you separate your worms from the castings?
Expose them to light, and they will bury themselves down, and you can scrape the top layer of compost off. I show the method in this video: th-cam.com/video/G9rzuPKO7qY/w-d-xo.html
Interesting... I’m sorry to say this but I’m looking at your bins and they don’t look good to me at all... I’ve been worming for years, these are way too wet and undigested. If you don’t mind some comments, I would say you are over feeding for one thing, and also too sealed up. I don’t even put the lid on mine completely, and they are inside my kitchen. That’s why they are so wet. Also, this is just me, but I would switch to newsprint over cardboard as you are adding unhealthy amounts of glue to your beautiful compost. And if you are adding that much cardboard a) add it right to the bottom of the bin and b) keep the bins uncovered during the day for some evaporation. Daylight will keep the worms inside.
Not sure how to post a photo on here or I would show that I also keep a layer of newsprint flat on top to keep just a light cover for evaporation-if you are adding your coffee grounds and the end of your coffee it’s generally enough.
Also- be careful not to starve your worms; they will begin to eat each other if left too long ( carrots don’t count, they take way to long to get soft and digestible, I don’t give them to my worms at all actually because they tend to compost rather than get eaten) when worms starve they will eat each other which causes toxicity throughout the whole bin.
Hi Cheryl, always happy to read comments from my viewers.
i did check, and the glue used in the cardboard I recycle is starch based. So no problem at all for worms, in fact they love it...there is always an abundance of worms where I put the cardboard.
I agree with you, my one bin was certainly too wet. I have drilled a couple holes in it (the bin with the yellow lid). I would love to leave the lids open, but with the weather we get in the UK, they would be drenched from rain all the time.
My worms are doing great, I have a great population in all my bins...and that is after freezing cold winter too. I will do an update video on them soon.
Chillichump it is of course far too cold here ( Canada) to leave mine out, and if I do the raccoons would destroy it in no time! I’ll check on our cardboard here but last I saw it wasn’t fit. Do you turn yours over? I use my hands hat way you can really feel the moisture , many people say not to disturb the bin but my experience is the opposite . I gently turn them every month or so so they are evenly moist, and stop about a month before harvest when I only feed one corner of the bin. If you get your hands to the bottom you can really feel what’s going on . I envy your garden!
What he's doing seems to be working for him. Tons of babies. You can't argue with success.
Can you please show us how you harvest the poop?
I actually did it today. I will be showing it on my next update video!
ChilliChump Thank you, I like your videos. Very informative.
What do you have the worms for?... compost?
Yes, they make incredible compost!
Blend the food then let it sit on a sieve to drain the excess water. The bacteria can get to blended food easier and multiply Therefore more bacteria for the worms to eat. If the bin is dry I don’t pass it through a sieve.
I heard slugs don't like semi crush eggshell
Cool Video 😎 thanks for sharing. Happy worm composting, fellow vermi!
What kind of worms are those?
Red wrigglers and European night crawlers
Don't know if anyone has said this, sorry if I'm repeating someone...
Placing stale beer in a cup top or something shallow, will kill the heck out of slugs and snails.
its just mean. your karma wont be happy about it.
Is that ginseng growing behind white worm bin
Unfortunately not...but that would be pretty cool!
Slug patrol... should be a competitive sport. Just start picking out them slugs. Trust me, if you are consistent, you will win the battle against them.
Do they eat seaweed
I am sure they would...just be careful with how salty the seaweed is
its a lot of white mites in my bin ，what should i do
Sounds like springtails. I have them too, I'm not too worried about them
Chillichump sprinkle turmeric around the top of the bin and on the top of cardboard or newspaper that u cover the worms with ,also some garden lime every now and again in same places , or if u really want to rid of all insects without killing your worms sprinkle some diatomaceous earth , it kills most of the insects but doesn't bother the worms at all
If the bin smells add a little garden lime. It will help .
Thanks for the update! Super cool. Loving it. Keep the updates coming!
Thanks! Just subscribed to your channel too (thought I already was!)
Chillichump happy to have you!
The liquid that is draining out the bottom of the bins is called worm tea. It is like liquid gold. Pour a little around plants in your garden and it will be a great fertilizer that your plants will love. By all means, never throw it out, as some people go to a lot of work to produce worm tea.
I do keep some liquid from my other bins. But I generate quite a lot of it, and have plenty to go round. Worm tea is a little different, and I do make that too. Put a little vermicompost into a mesh bag, and into a buck of water. Then use an aeration stone to aerate the water for about 12 hours. This works great. The liquid you get coming out of your worm bins directly is actually not as good as doing the above method, because it is not necessarily thoroughly processed yet
I believe it is actually leachate, whereas worm tea involves an aerator and air pump.
Chillichump but you would have to use that within a couple of hours to get all the living goodness ,but with the tea straight out of the worm bin ,mu can keep it for a long time I'm told
You ever think about getting a couple of chickens so you feed them slugs and get eggs?
Been thinking about it for a couple years now. But I would need to automate the whole thing. I travel for business a lot...which is why my greenhouse is all automated
@@ChilliChump if you put the compost pile somewhere near the chickens, they can pick through it for the slugs and insects. It won't work for closed bins of course
My chickens must be spoilt as they have easy access to plenty of slugs around the place but they won't touch them.
why feed those slugs, get them out of your worm farm.
Used Coffee Grounds!
I use so much of that! It is great. I get it for free from local coffee shops, kilograms at a time