Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel! www.youtube.com/@vermicompost?sub_confirmation=1 Worm Bins I use: Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3w15lQt Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT 20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO Other Worm Bins: Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4 Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP Equipment I use: 12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade) Worms Red Wiggler mixes amzn.to/3yGNhwl & amzn.to/3R5tKvD ENC's amzn.to/4bXN5XP Mesh screen patches for DIY worm bins amzn.to/3xJjK4r Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Wrigglebrew Worm Casting Tea amzn.to/46PhV2A Food Dehydrator amzn.to/3O5Uj2H Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1 Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6 Other useful equipment for worm farming: 5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184 Cameras & camera equipment I use: Insta 360 ace pro amzn.to/3vgdmR8 Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80 Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6 4 Ocean bracelets I wear Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx Books on worms & worm farming Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2 Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com www.youtube.com/@vermicompost?sub_confirmation=1
😂🤣😂 I am married to a certified chocoholic!! I wish I had started the video soon enough to capture her initial reaction to seeing them by the bin before we started!! Thanks so much for the good laugh & for watching Tiffany!!🪱🪱🪱
😂🤣😂 Let's hope so!! Got me thinking...it is summer...and it was a big feeding with potential for heat; I may need to check on this in a few days to see if they go for it! Thanks for stopping by to watch Joe!!🪱🪱🪱
Interesting about the berry seeds. Thank god the worms eat all the stuff that stinks on a soft potato. Good worms🎉👍🏼🪱. I also make mead and apple wine. It is amazing if you can let it age 5 years.
Oh wow, 5 years!!! That is a lot to ask of my 25 year old son 😂🤣😂 I'm afraid that mead is gonna be gone before the end of the month!!! I'l let him and his wife know they need to wait 5 years!! The worms are good at correcting for my errors...I might have dry heaved if I smelt a rotting potato!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Ann!!!🪱🪱🪱
I'm embarrassed to say that when I first looked at the thumbnail of this video, I thought for a second that you were feeding the worms Tylenol capsules or something. Then I realized they were just the 4th of July M&M's. 😅
😂🤣😂 That is hilarious!! It does look like the red white and blue capsules!! To tell you the truth, that would be a great study to do...Worms have been used to clean up toxic soil...they tend to absorb and retain the chemicals in their bodies, but what about expired medicines??!!? They'd just have to make sure no animals ate the worms or we'd be back to square one with pollution in the ecosystem!! Thanks so much for the good laugh & thanks watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Greetings Patrick and Autumn, from Windermere, Florida zone 9b Thank goodness, we are getting rain 🌧 Our lakes are coming up. Your Worm bins are always so interesting ❤ ❤Peggy❤
Hello Peggy!! I used one of your tips on an upcoming video...It was a eureka moment for me!! You'll never guess which tip from which video I used 😁 I love this time of year when the rains come!! My dead garden always seems to perk up with natures water!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
I love sifting as well!! It is so relaxing and rewarding when you feel those perfect castings run through your hands!! I agree, our worms are so spoiled!! Thanks so much for watching Sandy!!🪱🪱🪱
They did a nice job on those shrimp shells... and I guess you got lucky not smelling the potato rotting :) I'm with you on really not liking the stench of spoiled potato. I don't brew mead, but a pal of mine who live is Colorado brew, bottles & sells mead. Long ago I used to make beer - but I have not made any in ages. Nice check-in 👍🏻
I am always so surprised how the worms can eat intact shrimp shells...surely the bin critters have to be helping??!? Autumn always gets the brunt of anything that might give off an odor when we're doing our checkins😂🤣😂 I would have gagged if I smelled rotten potato! I'm not sure I really knew what mead was until my son started brewing it! It's fun learning things through their hobbies! Thanks for stopping by to watch AV!!🪱🪱🪱
It will me interesting to see how the worms do with the M&Ms. System looks great, basically only a potato being leafy over isn’t too bad. Don’t swing the grow bag around Patrick 😂
I need to check on them before they disappear! I'm very happy with this system...besides the volume. I definitely not running it to it's potential...but it is eating food faster than I'm used to feeding it!! I know I need to be more gentle with it!!😂 Thanks so much for watching Rick!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi, I see your shredding cardboard, I’m researching for a shredder that will do the job, what Brad are you using please, I’m in Australia also why so much bedding , how often do you give them that amount ? Thanks for interesting video to watch , regards Simone.
Great question! There is a demonstration of the shredder and a little explanation of the shredder in my latest video: th-cam.com/video/zmODWK9MeSU/w-d-xo.html Here is the link to the shredder: amzn.to/3xYZKYu It is an Amazon Basics 12 sheet cross cut MICRO shredder. 12 sheet makes it able to devour corrugated cardboard and MICRO makes it into those tiny pieces. Hopefully Amazon can deliver this shredder Down Under!! If you can't find this brand go for one that says 12 sheet cross cut and MICRO in the description so it gives you what you need! I am trying to bulk up this bin, which is why you see so much bedding, but as a general rule, you can never have too much bedding! It helps to prevent worm bins from getting too moist, it is a habitat for them and they eat it as well! As I get closer to harvest in my other worm bins, I stop feeding bedding with every meal so they can work on what is left to make it into worm castings! I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching from Australia Simone!!🪱🪱🪱
Nice way to get a fresh bin started, plus the awesome vermicompost. Grow bags are my favorite worm bin, biggest reason, moisture management. When I 1st started raising worms I used plastic totes, still do. Had my share of issues to begin with regulating the moisture, the grow bags take all the guesswork out. I think the CFT bin is a close 2nd, due to the open bottom design. Been having some Florida weather up here in WI, high humidities and into the 90's, the warm weather plants in the garden are loving it. Nice video, Stay Well!!!!
The best vermicompost in terms of moisture, texture and particle size, comes from me sifting this Outdoor Bin!! It is my go to bin when I need castings right now and I can always jump in and get more! The only problem I have with it is keep the volume up since the worms love to eat everything I put in it so fast!! This is probably because of how mature the bin is. Your DIY CFT is pretty amazing, especially with it being on wheels! It's funny, when we lived in Grand Forks, ND we used to get into the 100's ℉, something we rarely see down here, so I'm not surprised we passed on some of our hotness and humidity up to you in WI🥵 I've got okra, luffa & peppers growing in our heat right now & they are loving it!! Thanks so much for stopping by Brian!!🪱🪱🪱
Hey Pat & Autumn 🫡 Great stuff 👍 I'm confident it's always good to add ground eggshells for grit in generous amounts, most of all if you feed citrus, onions, and other acidic foodstuff. You sure don't want your bin (and ultimately, your castings) to be too acidic since you use it to fertilise your soil/garden. 😉 Cheers guys!
Thank you Thomas!! So true, the egg shells make for a great buffer to the acid foods! I'll keep adding them in guilt free! Thanks so much for passing on the information & of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
New to the channel here so I'm sorry if you did cover this in a video. I'm from southeastern PA and we get pretty cold winters and hot summers. Do you do anything special to keep your outdoor bins cool or warm, depending on the weather?
Thanks so much for stopping by the channel! I really don't do anything for the cold since we rarely get below freezing here in the Tampa, FL area. But I have several commenters who say that their red wigglers have survived through the winter! My guess is they kept the bins near their house or in a green house. Filled them with lots of bedding and some even have bins that are open to the ground so the worms can flee if needed. A worm's cocoons can take colder temps than the worms themselves. I definitely have experience with heat!! I used to put frozen water bottles and ice cubes in my Outdoor Worm Bin (which is the bin you saw in this video) but I didn't last year and they did fine! Now, if I accidentally cause heat by piling up too much food in the center then I will add some ice cubes. I can do this because the bin drains and I don't need to worry about it affecting the moisture. I also keep it in the shade and directly on the ground which helps to moderate the temperatures. My Urban Worm Bin is a different story...It is on the southwest side of my house so it gets the most heat. It also is up in the air so the temperatures vary more widely...so I do use frozen water bottles to keep the temperatures down in the summer. I hope this helps!! I also have 2 indoor bins and they are way easier to deal with when it comes to temperatures!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Thank you!! That is awesome! I would love to have a few hives!! I know my son is thinking about it for the future! So far his first batch was good, 2 more brewing...I'll pass on the sentiment that it can be excellent or horrible!! Thanks so much for watching & passing on your experience Thaddeus!!🪱🪱🪱
I hear you can remove chloramine by using aquarium water conditioner. I haven't tried it cuz I have well water but Ann from PLANT OBSESSED uses it all the time
I just turned to Autumn after reading this and muttered I am so embarrassed...I can't believe I forgot about aquarium water conditioner!!...Especially since we have a 35 gallon fresh water fish tank and use Prime to condition the water every time we do a water change!! Thanks so much for mentioning that Rhonda!! Lots of folks read the comments so you've helped out for sure!! Ann's channel over at @Plantobsessed is one of my favorites on TH-cam!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
No worries with the mites affecting your plants.The kind of mites that inhabit worm bins only eat dead or decaying matter so they will not harm your plants. If you store your castings for any length of time the mites will die off pretty rapidly as they run out of food to eat. But if you want, you can bait the mites out of the castings by putting a small piece of wet bread on top. Check back in about 3-4 hours. If the bread is covered in mites, throw it out and put another small damp piece in. Keep doing this until the bread stops having mites on it! You can also do this before you harvest or anytime during your bins life if you feel like there are too many mites. Big mite populations in a bin usually occur because of too much moisture usually caused by a little over feeding. Slow down the feedings toward the end of your bins life cycle and do things to help air it out, like leaving the plastic off the top surface or leaving the lid off. You could also just feed a little worm chow the last couple of feedings to keep the mite numbers low before harvest. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching !!🪱🪱🪱
Oh yay, definitely don't want to squeeze the cocoons (not sure why they are called that when they are really eggs like you stated)!! What we saw in this video were seeds from a bunch of Goji Berries I put in about 2 weeks prior. Thanks so much for watching & taking the time to leave a comment!!🪱🪱🪱
It's feeding day. Lots of spent tea leaves, banana peels, corn husks and hairs and a bit of avocado. Big feeding with lots of cardboard to fill up that empty bin.
Those are all fantastic foods!! It sounds like your bin is keeping up well with so many food scraps! I'm always a little hesitant about overfeeding but I've found that once my worm bins get into a rhythm in the summer time, I'm able to slowly increase how much I feed them! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost there's soooo many worms there. I feed every 2 weeks and its fairly dry, albeit frozen, food. I have the bin in a climate-controlled environment with my prized plants and fungi growing. They seem to go hard year-round. Lots more babies not while in the winter, lots more eggs and wormgies lol
@@Vermicompost so easy and cheap to do. The 2 most important things you need is a pressure cooker and a still air chamber. You should have near 100% success rate.
😁 These are definitely some spoiled worms!! Autumn was not happy about sharing dessert😂 Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment Mark!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi Patrick, i'm playing catch-up with all the videos I missed! Thanks for showing the harvest process. It's amazing the bag doesn't degrade. Regarding chlorine/chloramines, I decided just to use tapwater and not worry about them. Our outdoor worms do just fine and they get irrigation on them every day from municipal water. I actually use very little water in my worm bins because I typically just use the moisture from food anyway unless I have a fungus gnat outbreak. ~ Sandra
Thank you Sandra!! i really appreciate all your support!! Ironically the bags I have sitting outside without anything in them or with soil and no plants are degrading. But the ones that stay moist like in my worm bin or with active plants in them are holding up just fine!! Go figure!! I'm glad you mentioned about not worrying too much about the water source! I've always thought that tap water isn't an antiseptic so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for worm bins...and sure enough, I haven't had any issues when I use it!! Of course like you, most of the moisture comes from the food scraps...until summer for my UWB and this bin!! Thanks so much for watching and sharing all your experience and knowledge!!🪱🪱🪱
@@VermicompostOnly problem with tap water is that most of it is contaminated with PFAs. Just got the report from my own municipality that our water is way over the acceptable limit. This wont hurt your worms but it will get in your worm castings and then into any food grown in your garden and that's just one more source of that stuff to get into your body. Though it's nearly impossible to avoid it these days anyway.
So true!! It is nearly impossible to avoid them! I have an RO/DI filter to make water for our salt water fish tank and I also fill up some glass bottles for us to drink after we add some electrolytes back into it. I have seen some studies about the use of compost worms to clean up contaminated soils...I wonder if compost worms are a "sink" for PFA's keeping them in their bodies as well??!!? As long as we don't eat the worms we should be good, right😀?? I would love to have a funded research lab!!! Thanks so much for passing on the great info, and thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
I really need to bulk it back up to halfway!! It was surprisingly low when I saw it as I was editing!! I just can't seem to keep up with them in the summer! Thanks so much for watching Mikko!!🪱🪱🪱
Thank you for letting me know!! I think I was in shock with finding no sign of the shrimp shells or goji berries that I couldn't wrap my head around what I was finding!! I thought for sure those things would last a while!! Thanks so much for watching & pointing out the goji berry seeds!!🪱🪱🪱
Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel! www.youtube.com/@vermicompost?sub_confirmation=1
Worm Bins I use:
Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3w15lQt
Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT
20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr
3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO
Other Worm Bins:
Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK
Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4
Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP
Equipment I use:
12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu
Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade)
Worms Red Wiggler mixes amzn.to/3yGNhwl & amzn.to/3R5tKvD ENC's amzn.to/4bXN5XP
Mesh screen patches for DIY worm bins amzn.to/3xJjK4r
Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO
Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz
Wrigglebrew Worm Casting Tea amzn.to/46PhV2A
Food Dehydrator amzn.to/3O5Uj2H
Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf
Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg
Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n
Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN
Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j
Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1
Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq
Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6
Other useful equipment for worm farming:
5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184
Cameras & camera equipment I use:
Insta 360 ace pro amzn.to/3vgdmR8
Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF
Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80
Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp
iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU
Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6
4 Ocean bracelets I wear
Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx
Books on worms & worm farming
Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2
Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com
www.youtube.com/@vermicompost?sub_confirmation=1
I agree with the executive producer, thall shalt not waste m&m's.
😂🤣😂 I am married to a certified chocoholic!! I wish I had started the video soon enough to capture her initial reaction to seeing them by the bin before we started!! Thanks so much for the good laugh & for watching Tiffany!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost Get her some magnum double chocolate bars for pain and suffering.
😂👍🍫
M&Ms. Melt in your gizzard. Not in your bin.
😂🤣😂 Let's hope so!! Got me thinking...it is summer...and it was a big feeding with potential for heat; I may need to check on this in a few days to see if they go for it! Thanks for stopping by to watch Joe!!🪱🪱🪱
Interesting about the berry seeds. Thank god the worms eat all the stuff that stinks on a soft potato. Good worms🎉👍🏼🪱. I also make mead and apple wine. It is amazing if you can let it age 5 years.
Oh wow, 5 years!!! That is a lot to ask of my 25 year old son 😂🤣😂 I'm afraid that mead is gonna be gone before the end of the month!!! I'l let him and his wife know they need to wait 5 years!! The worms are good at correcting for my errors...I might have dry heaved if I smelt a rotting potato!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Ann!!!🪱🪱🪱
I'm embarrassed to say that when I first looked at the thumbnail of this video, I thought for a second that you were feeding the worms Tylenol capsules or something. Then I realized they were just the 4th of July M&M's. 😅
😂🤣😂 That is hilarious!! It does look like the red white and blue capsules!! To tell you the truth, that would be a great study to do...Worms have been used to clean up toxic soil...they tend to absorb and retain the chemicals in their bodies, but what about expired medicines??!!? They'd just have to make sure no animals ate the worms or we'd be back to square one with pollution in the ecosystem!! Thanks so much for the good laugh & thanks watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Greetings Patrick and Autumn, from Windermere, Florida zone 9b
Thank goodness, we are getting rain 🌧 Our lakes are coming up.
Your Worm bins are always so interesting ❤
❤Peggy❤
Hello Peggy!! I used one of your tips on an upcoming video...It was a eureka moment for me!! You'll never guess which tip from which video I used 😁 I love this time of year when the rains come!! My dead garden always seems to perk up with natures water!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
My favourite part ....sifting as always. Loved watching the outdoor bin. I must say you are spoling yr worms with food n sweet treats. 😅
I love sifting as well!! It is so relaxing and rewarding when you feel those perfect castings run through your hands!! I agree, our worms are so spoiled!! Thanks so much for watching Sandy!!🪱🪱🪱
They did a nice job on those shrimp shells... and I guess you got lucky not smelling the potato rotting :) I'm with you on really not liking the stench of spoiled potato.
I don't brew mead, but a pal of mine who live is Colorado brew, bottles & sells mead. Long ago I used to make beer - but I have not made any in ages.
Nice check-in 👍🏻
I am always so surprised how the worms can eat intact shrimp shells...surely the bin critters have to be helping??!? Autumn always gets the brunt of anything that might give off an odor when we're doing our checkins😂🤣😂 I would have gagged if I smelled rotten potato! I'm not sure I really knew what mead was until my son started brewing it! It's fun learning things through their hobbies! Thanks for stopping by to watch AV!!🪱🪱🪱
If there had been a gag moment I wonder if it would have stayed in the video?... or would it have ended up in the blooper reel at the end?? :)
Hey, HEY, Hey!!! Thanks for watching to the bitter end!! Gags would have definitely made it to the blooper real with a sound effect!!
It will me interesting to see how the worms do with the M&Ms. System looks great, basically only a potato being leafy over isn’t too bad. Don’t swing the grow bag around Patrick 😂
I need to check on them before they disappear! I'm very happy with this system...besides the volume. I definitely not running it to it's potential...but it is eating food faster than I'm used to feeding it!! I know I need to be more gentle with it!!😂 Thanks so much for watching Rick!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi, I see your shredding cardboard, I’m researching for a shredder that will do the job, what Brad are you using please, I’m in Australia also why so much bedding , how often do you give them that amount ? Thanks for interesting video to watch , regards Simone.
Great question! There is a demonstration of the shredder and a little explanation of the shredder in my latest video: th-cam.com/video/zmODWK9MeSU/w-d-xo.html Here is the link to the shredder: amzn.to/3xYZKYu It is an Amazon Basics 12 sheet cross cut MICRO shredder. 12 sheet makes it able to devour corrugated cardboard and MICRO makes it into those tiny pieces. Hopefully Amazon can deliver this shredder Down Under!! If you can't find this brand go for one that says 12 sheet cross cut and MICRO in the description so it gives you what you need! I am trying to bulk up this bin, which is why you see so much bedding, but as a general rule, you can never have too much bedding! It helps to prevent worm bins from getting too moist, it is a habitat for them and they eat it as well! As I get closer to harvest in my other worm bins, I stop feeding bedding with every meal so they can work on what is left to make it into worm castings! I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching from Australia Simone!!🪱🪱🪱
Nice way to get a fresh bin started, plus the awesome vermicompost.
Grow bags are my favorite worm bin, biggest reason, moisture management. When I 1st started raising worms I used plastic totes, still do. Had my share of issues to begin with regulating the moisture, the grow bags take all the guesswork out. I think the CFT bin is a close 2nd, due to the open bottom design.
Been having some Florida weather up here in WI, high humidities and into the 90's, the warm weather plants in the garden are loving it.
Nice video, Stay Well!!!!
The best vermicompost in terms of moisture, texture and particle size, comes from me sifting this Outdoor Bin!! It is my go to bin when I need castings right now and I can always jump in and get more! The only problem I have with it is keep the volume up since the worms love to eat everything I put in it so fast!! This is probably because of how mature the bin is. Your DIY CFT is pretty amazing, especially with it being on wheels! It's funny, when we lived in Grand Forks, ND we used to get into the 100's ℉, something we rarely see down here, so I'm not surprised we passed on some of our hotness and humidity up to you in WI🥵 I've got okra, luffa & peppers growing in our heat right now & they are loving it!! Thanks so much for stopping by Brian!!🪱🪱🪱
Hey Pat & Autumn 🫡
Great stuff 👍 I'm confident it's always good to add ground eggshells for grit in generous amounts, most of all if you feed citrus, onions, and other acidic foodstuff. You sure don't want your bin (and ultimately, your castings) to be too acidic since you use it to fertilise your soil/garden. 😉
Cheers guys!
Thank you Thomas!! So true, the egg shells make for a great buffer to the acid foods! I'll keep adding them in guilt free! Thanks so much for passing on the information & of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
New to the channel here so I'm sorry if you did cover this in a video. I'm from southeastern PA and we get pretty cold winters and hot summers. Do you do anything special to keep your outdoor bins cool or warm, depending on the weather?
Thanks so much for stopping by the channel! I really don't do anything for the cold since we rarely get below freezing here in the Tampa, FL area. But I have several commenters who say that their red wigglers have survived through the winter! My guess is they kept the bins near their house or in a green house. Filled them with lots of bedding and some even have bins that are open to the ground so the worms can flee if needed. A worm's cocoons can take colder temps than the worms themselves. I definitely have experience with heat!! I used to put frozen water bottles and ice cubes in my Outdoor Worm Bin (which is the bin you saw in this video) but I didn't last year and they did fine! Now, if I accidentally cause heat by piling up too much food in the center then I will add some ice cubes. I can do this because the bin drains and I don't need to worry about it affecting the moisture. I also keep it in the shade and directly on the ground which helps to moderate the temperatures. My Urban Worm Bin is a different story...It is on the southwest side of my house so it gets the most heat. It also is up in the air so the temperatures vary more widely...so I do use frozen water bottles to keep the temperatures down in the summer. I hope this helps!! I also have 2 indoor bins and they are way easier to deal with when it comes to temperatures!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Another great video. I used to keep bees and I made at least a half dozen batches of mead. It can be excellent or horrible.
Thank you!! That is awesome! I would love to have a few hives!! I know my son is thinking about it for the future! So far his first batch was good, 2 more brewing...I'll pass on the sentiment that it can be excellent or horrible!! Thanks so much for watching & passing on your experience Thaddeus!!🪱🪱🪱
I hear you can remove chloramine by using aquarium water conditioner. I haven't tried it cuz I have well water but Ann from PLANT OBSESSED uses it all the time
I just turned to Autumn after reading this and muttered I am so embarrassed...I can't believe I forgot about aquarium water conditioner!!...Especially since we have a 35 gallon fresh water fish tank and use Prime to condition the water every time we do a water change!! Thanks so much for mentioning that Rhonda!! Lots of folks read the comments so you've helped out for sure!! Ann's channel over at @Plantobsessed is one of my favorites on TH-cam!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
You are so very welcome
Hi Guys Great information- I've sifted my castings but I have mites in it - any guidance would be really appreciated
No worries with the mites affecting your plants.The kind of mites that inhabit worm bins only eat dead or decaying matter so they will not harm your plants. If you store your castings for any length of time the mites will die off pretty rapidly as they run out of food to eat. But if you want, you can bait the mites out of the castings by putting a small piece of wet bread on top. Check back in about 3-4 hours. If the bread is covered in mites, throw it out and put another small damp piece in. Keep doing this until the bread stops having mites on it! You can also do this before you harvest or anytime during your bins life if you feel like there are too many mites. Big mite populations in a bin usually occur because of too much moisture usually caused by a little over feeding. Slow down the feedings toward the end of your bins life cycle and do things to help air it out, like leaving the plastic off the top surface or leaving the lid off. You could also just feed a little worm chow the last couple of feedings to keep the mite numbers low before harvest. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching !!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost Thank you so much
I knew a guy from Brooklyn named "Worm". He was a real piece of sh...... Oh sorry. I caught a flashback. 🤭
🤣😂🤣 Thanks for the good laugh!! And of course thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱
Dude if it pops its worm eggs 😢
Oh yay, definitely don't want to squeeze the cocoons (not sure why they are called that when they are really eggs like you stated)!! What we saw in this video were seeds from a bunch of Goji Berries I put in about 2 weeks prior. Thanks so much for watching & taking the time to leave a comment!!🪱🪱🪱
It's feeding day. Lots of spent tea leaves, banana peels, corn husks and hairs and a bit of avocado. Big feeding with lots of cardboard to fill up that empty bin.
Those are all fantastic foods!! It sounds like your bin is keeping up well with so many food scraps! I'm always a little hesitant about overfeeding but I've found that once my worm bins get into a rhythm in the summer time, I'm able to slowly increase how much I feed them! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
@@Vermicompost there's soooo many worms there. I feed every 2 weeks and its fairly dry, albeit frozen, food. I have the bin in a climate-controlled environment with my prized plants and fungi growing. They seem to go hard year-round. Lots more babies not while in the winter, lots more eggs and wormgies lol
That's awesome they go hard year round!! Oooowwwwww I want to grow my own fungi!!
@@Vermicompost so easy and cheap to do. The 2 most important things you need is a pressure cooker and a still air chamber. You should have near 100% success rate.
Hi Patrick and Autumn, dinner and dessert. Not that your worms get spoilt much. Great video as always. Have fun, Mark : )
😁 These are definitely some spoiled worms!! Autumn was not happy about sharing dessert😂 Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment Mark!!🪱🪱🪱
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Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment Tory!! We always appreciate it!!🪱🪱🪱
Hi Patrick, i'm playing catch-up with all the videos I missed! Thanks for showing the harvest process. It's amazing the bag doesn't degrade. Regarding chlorine/chloramines, I decided just to use tapwater and not worry about them. Our outdoor worms do just fine and they get irrigation on them every day from municipal water. I actually use very little water in my worm bins because I typically just use the moisture from food anyway unless I have a fungus gnat outbreak.
~ Sandra
Thank you Sandra!! i really appreciate all your support!! Ironically the bags I have sitting outside without anything in them or with soil and no plants are degrading. But the ones that stay moist like in my worm bin or with active plants in them are holding up just fine!! Go figure!! I'm glad you mentioned about not worrying too much about the water source! I've always thought that tap water isn't an antiseptic so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for worm bins...and sure enough, I haven't had any issues when I use it!! Of course like you, most of the moisture comes from the food scraps...until summer for my UWB and this bin!! Thanks so much for watching and sharing all your experience and knowledge!!🪱🪱🪱
@@VermicompostOnly problem with tap water is that most of it is contaminated with PFAs. Just got the report from my own municipality that our water is way over the acceptable limit. This wont hurt your worms but it will get in your worm castings and then into any food grown in your garden and that's just one more source of that stuff to get into your body. Though it's nearly impossible to avoid it these days anyway.
So true!! It is nearly impossible to avoid them! I have an RO/DI filter to make water for our salt water fish tank and I also fill up some glass bottles for us to drink after we add some electrolytes back into it. I have seen some studies about the use of compost worms to clean up contaminated soils...I wonder if compost worms are a "sink" for PFA's keeping them in their bodies as well??!!? As long as we don't eat the worms we should be good, right😀?? I would love to have a funded research lab!!! Thanks so much for passing on the great info, and thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Woops. Good overview of the system, I never realized it was getting so shallow.
I really need to bulk it back up to halfway!! It was surprisingly low when I saw it as I was editing!! I just can't seem to keep up with them in the summer! Thanks so much for watching Mikko!!🪱🪱🪱
Goji berry seeds look like those seeds you're finding
Thank you for letting me know!! I think I was in shock with finding no sign of the shrimp shells or goji berries that I couldn't wrap my head around what I was finding!! I thought for sure those things would last a while!! Thanks so much for watching & pointing out the goji berry seeds!!🪱🪱🪱
Those castings are nice and rich.
Thanks AJ!! I can hardly keep up with the summer rush from all my bins!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱
Great!
Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!! I appreciate the great feedback!!🪱🪱🪱