glowery
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Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/14 08:51
This weekend we are actually going to be home long enough for me to get my bins ready so I can order my worms.
I have seen so many picture of the plastic bins and the ventilation holes are all different sizes and places on the bins.
What is the best size for the holes and how many should there be? These are 18 gallon totes.
Is there a need to put holes in the top of the totes if there are holes in the sides?
I asked this once before, but I am going to ask again to make sure I do this right; I will be ordering 5 lbs of the night crawlers, can I put them all in one 18 gallon bin or should I divide that order into 2 bins?
Glenda
Glenda
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/14 11:03
I put 1/4" holes in the bottom for drainage and 1/2" holes along the top of the sides. No holes are in the tops of mine. If you are going to house ENC's and not have them in a lighted area, I would highly reccommend putting screening in those top side holes, as the minute it gets dark they will be hanging out of those holes and crawling. I would divide 5#'s into 2 bins. They will get bigger and be happier with more space.
Susan Quinby-Honer
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WormMainea
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/15 09:00
Don't know about ENC, but for red worms I've stopped putting small holes in the bottoms of my bins. I've found that this is not needed if you're maintaining you bins correctly. This prevents me from using mesh on the bottoms of my bins (less cost and trouble for me!). Also, novices are more likley to be happy with a bin that doesn't 'leak'.
I do put holes on the sides rather than the tops of my bins (because there is light in my basement), and I always screen my holes with no-see-um screen. I use 6 3" circular holes for ventilation in 20 gallon bins. I don't think 3" is a magic number-- it is the only cicrular hole bit I had when I started... 
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glowery
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/15 09:29
My bins will be kept in a 10 x10 horse stall in our old barn that is not used anymore. There will be some daylight in the barn as there are 3 skylights in this barn, but it is not really that bright in the stalls.
It seems like when I talked with Bob on the phone a few weeks ago he said I really didn't need holes in the bottom as long as I did not get my beds too wet, (Bob if you are reading this, please correct me if I am wrong.)
It sounds like the opinions are that I should have a few larger holes cut in the top sides than a whole bunch of little ones. I have seen it both ways in pictures, but then again it doesn't say what type of worms are kept in the bins
If you duct tape the screen to the inside of the bin, I take it the worms won't eat the tape and there is nothing in the tape that will harm the worms?
I bought 6 bundles of old newspaper from our paper office to tear up for bedding. I have read on here that all of the newpaper had been used except for the shiny paper ads. What about the regular newsprint that has color on it? Should I discard those pages and only use the black print. Our paper usually only has color on the front page and the back page (small town paper don't ya know
Glenda
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/15 10:23
Glenda..Most newsprint these days is soy based and will not hurt the worms. I do not put anything shiny,(like magazines), in. It would probably be okay but I just send them to recycle, as they don't seem to break down as easy and I don't want to think about the inks. Call your newspaper and ask what the print with if you are concerned.
Susan Quinby-Honer
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WormMainea
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/17 11:23
Sue's right-- I only add soy-based newsprint (not glossy) to my bins. If in doubt, leave it out for 'traditional' recycling.
Never had a problem with the duct tape-- worms only ever come in contact with the shiny side. I did find that hot glue comes undone eventually (>2 years). I think this is from my handling (moving bins, removing castings and worms, etc.) rather than anything the worms are doing.
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glowery
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/17 11:41
Well thanks to all of you on this forum, I think I am good to go. I do hope I have not been a pest asking all the questions. Hopefully in the near future I will feel confident enough to step up and help others as much ad you all have helped me.
Now I am off to the Trinity Ranch site to order my worms. I have not seen Bob post in the last little while, I hope because he is just busy and for no other reason
Glenda
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WormMainea
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2006/04/17 15:02
I don't think one can ask too many questions in the forum. The only pests I know of these days are slugs eating my spinach.
Good luck and happy farming.
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nuismom
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/05 16:32
redhen, any chance you have photos of your bins? Thanks
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/05 21:49
If you mean the rubbermaid bins, I don't think I do but they are very simple.
I now get 2 of the same 10 gallon size. One has the holes drilled in it,and the other is left solid.
The holes are 1/4" evenly on the bottom of the working bin (maybe 24) and 1/2" holes drilled on the top of the sides, (not the top itself)not more than 2" below the top edge.
The lower bin is left solid. The working bin, (with the holes drilled) nests inside the solid one, to catch the drainage.
Susan Quinby-Honer
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WilhelmGGW
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/06 10:43
"Working bin nests in other bin." Doesn't this block the ventilation through your air holes? That worm bin can only "breathe" with the very thin layer of air in the lower bin?
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/06 22:03
I do put something in the lower drainage bin to keep from struggling to pull the two bins apart (suction) when I check the lower bin for drainage. I finally found a use for styrofoam from a computer box, but an over-turned pot, brick, etc would work as well.
This will also allow more air between the two bins.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
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WilhelmGGW
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/07 08:50
Super, Red! Our bin setups are very similar, it seems. Except I started with the 14-gallon size.
On my first bin, I did like you and drilled holes in the bottom, but I used a plastic clothes basket -- similar in shape, but a little larger -- in which to nest my worm bin.
Starting out, I had a serious problem with thinking I had to keep my bin much wetter than is the case. Of course, I got quite a bit of drainage going into the lower basket. The drain holes worked well. But that still was not enough to keep my bin from getting very noxious and deadly for my critters.
Once I figured out how to keep my moisture much lower and more healthy, I found my bin had no drainage at all. So in the new bin I added this year, I didn't drill any drain holes. And all has worked splendidly.
I like not having the extra expense and bother of a bottom unit for water catch. Next time I harvest the worms in the first bin -- if all is still going well for me in the hole-less one -- I think I'll plug the bottom holes in it and put the clothes basket to other uses.
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/07 15:39
I now, (10 years later) have many bins with no holes in the bottom, but I would highly recommend drainage holes especially for anyone first starting a worm bin.
Plastic bins do not have an issue with becoming too dry. They do have big problems with too much moisture which can cause many other problems.
Drainage holes give a bin a lot more room for error.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
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WilhelmGGW
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/07 18:53
The moisture issue in plastic bins. Having too much, that is. Red, et al, how is the best way to compensate for that? Does it almost require leaving the tops off the bins and the bins under lights? Or are there other good ways to keep the moisture down with the lids on?
I would really like to not have to put my open plastic bins under lights all the time, just to keep them dry enough. I don't like adding to the cost and the carbon footprint of the operation. After all, I'm doing vermiculture to help the environment, not continue hurting it.
But I'm generally dissatisfied with everything else I've tried. Namely..
1)Putting dry cardboard on top of bedding (inside the closed bin) and exchanging it every day for a dry sheet, after it wets itself every night with the moisture there.
2)I even bought a little desiccant device to put in the bins.
3)And adding dry bedding, instead of moist, whenever I add food.
Are there any of these kinds of things that actually work consistently well to keep the moisture level acceptable in a covered plastic bin? Or is the open bin with light the only best way? Thanks for all your help.
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jasdip
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/07 19:09
Having no idea how you feed, all I can say is how I do it. I freeze ALL my food prior to feeding. I thaw in a colander and squeeze the water out of the food. I then put in a Folgers can or ice cream bucket for a few days to get nice and yummy.
I trench or pocket feed and cover with dry shredded paper. I never have excess moisture or water. I don't have drainage holes in any of my bins.
If I feel at times that the compost is too moist... I mix dry shreds throughout the bin.
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redhen
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Re:Ventilating plastic worm bins - 2008/10/07 21:39
The moisture sometimes is directly due to the type of foods put in. Very juicy fruits/veggies will release water fast.
I now coarse chop all introduced foods. The water release is slower than if you finely chopped or blenderized it.
You also need enough worms to make the process go faster.
Overfeeding can cause a lot of moisture problems.
A worm bin is really all about balance and that is something learned from your observations in your own bin.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
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