Small, Finished Indoor Worm Bin
I’ve maintained an outdoor worm bin like the one mentioned here for several years. This winter, during extended cold snap in December, my worm bin population took a big hit. My need to have some worms and bins for the 2009 Northwest Flower & Garden Show, coupled with my losses in the freeze got me inspired to start a small indoor worm bin. I read a helpful post on Garden Rant recently that gave me the basics to start my indoor bin up yesterday. I borrowed from the plans here, but adjusted them to fit my own needs (and experiences with worm bins).
Not counting the trip to the store to buy the dark tubs, the project took less than an hour to complete. The bins, on sale, cost about $16. The recycled newspaper & junk mail bedding & yard waste leaves were essentially free — and sort of paid me in that I don’t have to pay yard waste or paper recycling to take them away. The grit, leftover from a pathway project, was essentially free. The worms, millipedes and other microbes were harvested from my outdoor bin; I did order a fresh pound of worms as well to boost the population, and they cost about $30 with shipping (they won’t arrive until next week, so we started the party without them). And the food for the worms, well, I figure that’s actually going to pay me. I won’t have to pay trash/recycling fees to take the food scraps away, and I’ll get free compost and worm bin liquid for free to feed my garden.
Top of Bin with Ventilation Holes
Open Bin with Side Vent Holes & Moist Newspaper Bedding Top
Moist Newspaper, crushed gravel, Leaves & Worms Inside the Bin
Active Red Wrigglers
Please, come on down to my family-oriented worm composting presentation at the 2009 Northwest Flower & Garden Show to get a close-up look at both style of bins and learn more about vermicomposting in your own home or garden. I’ll bring this system along with me to share how far the bin progresses in just over one month!
Have questions about composting with worms or an interest in ordering a worm bin (indoor or outdoor) for yourself? Please get in touch.
Tags: compost, composting, recycling, vermicompost, worm bin
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My daughter is extremely allergic to mold. Would having a worm bin and organic waste, decomposing in my kitchen or basement, run the risk of getting moldy? If so, this may not work for me, though I have always wanted to try it.
If the worm bin is healthy and well maintained, it shouldn’t have mold problems sporing all over your house. And, it should be sealed to contain all of the decomposition, so you may be able to keep it safe for your daughter. However, you will have it drilled to vent and you will open it to feed it and check on it. So, all of that that being said, when you have decomposition going on, you always have the risk of mold.
[...] some more space. I moved tomatoes from sterile mix to 4″ pots. And I topped everything with vermicompost from our wormbin, and I watered everything in. I took a quick peek at the sterile starts from last [...]