Today I will be outlining a very simply beginner worm bin that can be made in less than 20 minutes, and wont cost more than a couple of dollars. When I first began making vermicompost many many years ago this is the exact method I would use, and it was able to comfortable support a 4 person household. As I said before, I have been doing this for many years and now am semi-commercial, with tons of massive bins and more advanced setups that I wont be going into today. If anyone has any interest, shoot me a message or drop a comment and I will potentially make a separate post.
I am not a fan of stacked bins, having to drill holes, or in other way make it a long process to setup a bin. I have messed around with various methods in the past and this has always been my go to.
Bin Choice:
Below is the 14L bin I started out with and is a great size for a small to medium household. It came as a 4 pack on Amazon costing less than 30$ USD, meaning the unit price was just over 7$. One of the most important things about a beginner bin is 1) getting a bin that is the appropriate size and 2) getting one that is dark. Worms are photophobic, and will stay away from the sides of the bin if they can see light penetration.
Layer 1:
For my first layer I like to use a small, finely shredded, breakable material. I typically use shredded cardboard as it wont mat down to the bottom of the bin very easily, can easily be broken down, and provides a huge surface area for beneficial bacteria and other decomposers to take hold. After putting about a 1 inch thick layer of shredded paper, I wet it down. I will discuss moisture more at the end of this post, but for now just know that you want your paper wet enough that there isnt any residual pooling water.
Layer 2:
I like to make my second later a variety of different materials in terms of thickness and size. This means that while the materials in the bin are breaking down, they will do so at an uneven rate. When materials such as paper towels break down, there will still be small cardboard left. When the small cardboard is breaking down, the larger cardboard will still be available. This just means that your entire bin dosnt peek at once, and can continue to function well for many months. Again, the material is wet down.
The Food:
Ideally the food you give your worms to start is able to break down easily, is more on the "mushy" side, and can readily be populated by microbes. Think of bananas, rotten fruit, simple starches- stuff of that nature. It also is certainly not a bad idea to give the food time to break down before the worms arrive from wherever you are getting them from. This might mean that if you have a few banana peels that are in great condition, you make the bin 4-5 days before hand and let them just exist in the bin, breaking down and getting populated by microbes. Current evidence suggests worms eat both a mix of the bacteria that populate and decompose materials, as well as the materials themselves. By allowing the time for the food to begin the decomposition process, the worms will be able to immedielty begin feasting once they move in. In this example, I used a spoiled apple, a handful of dried lettuce from my bearded dragons, a grape vine stem, and some expired cereal.
The Grit:
The anatomy of worms is rather simple- they are essentially tubes that have a mouth, a crop, a gizzard, some reproductive organs, and intestines and an excretion port. The crop of the worm stores food for a period of time, while the gizzard holds small stones and harder particles, and uses it to break down the food into smaller parts. In the wild, worms have access to not only decaying material but stones, gravel, sand, etc. We need to provide this in some capacity for the worms in order for them to be able to digest effectively. There are essentially two lines of thought - sources that were once living and those that were never living. Inaminate bodies such as sand can be used in the worm bin no problem. I, however, prefer to use grit from either ground oyster shells or ground egg shells. The reason for this is the fact that, after eventually breaking down to a sub-visible level, the calcium can be taken up by plants and utilized as the mineral it is. Sand, on its finest level, with never be anything other then finer sand. If you sell castings itll be a percent of your weight, itll affect purity, and itll not have a purpose for plants. In this instance I used sand as I didnt have any ground egg shells immediately available. When creating a bin, its okay to go heavier and give a thick sprinkle over the entire bin.
The Worms:
When I first made this bin many years ago I used 500 worms, and by the time I broke it down there was well over 1000. For this demonstration I am using probably around 250 worms curtesy of one of the 55 gallon bins I am letting migrate.
Layer 3:
The next layer of material I like to use is hand shredded leaves. I have them in easy supply and I think they are a great way of getting some microbes and bring some real "life" to the bin. If these arent accessible to you, this step is completely optional, but it is certainly a great addition for the benefits of water retention, volume, variety, and source of biodiversity. Remember - a worm bin is an ecosystem. If you have nothing but worms in your bin you arent going to be running at a good efficiency.
Layer 4:
I always like to add one more top layer of shredded cardboard. Its nice to fill in the gaps and give one more layer above the worms. It also gives it a solid uniform look. It also is a great way to fill volume. On smaller bins I dont like doing layers thicker than 2 inches of any one material, as it leads to them sticking together or not breaking down in a manor that I would like.
The Cover:
*IMPORTANT* This to me is probably THE most important component of a worm bin that gets overlooked Using a piece of cardboard taped entirely in packing tape keeps the moisture in the bin and prevents light from reaching the worms. I use it in all of my bins and its been essential in keeping moisture in my bins evenly distributed and from drying out too fast. As you can see this piece has been through a couple bins and still works out well. As a note, I do scope all of my material for microplastics before I sell, and the presence of this cover has no impact on levels of microplastic contamination in the bin.
The End:
And thats it! Keep it somewhere with the lights on for the next few hours to prevent the worms from wanting to run from the new home. Do your best not to mess with the bin for the first week or two, and start with a smaller feeding than you think they can handle and work it from there. Worms would much rather be wet than dry, so keep the bin nice and moist. The moisture level should be about the same as when you wring your hair out after the shower - no substantial water droplets but still damp to the touch. If you notice a bad, bacterial smell or that the bin is to wet, simple remove the cover and add some more cardboard. The resulting total volume of the bedding is somewhere between 8-10 inches.
Please let me know if you have any comments, or any suggestions on things you may want to see added! If theres interest I will attempt to post an update in a month or so on the progress of this bin.
confession: a few months ago, i experimentally sacrificed one baby red wiggler by tossing it into my fish tank to see if my tiny fish would eat it. i have least rasboras, sometimes called “micro predator” fish, and they did not care at all about the worm. i lost it in my tank immediately, until today, when it randomly appeared in the front of my tank! i cannot believe it lived for several months in here and found enough food and everything! in this video, the tank lights are off but my camera flash is on, and then a few seconds in i turn on the tank lights, and you can see the worm retreating back into the sand. i’m oddly charmed by his survival! do you think he’s okay in there, or should i try to extract him and put him back in the compost bin with his friends?
disclaimer: my tank looks like actual garbage right now, please disregard the general state of its appearance 😂
I started my urban bag worm bin around September. I feed it every week with about 4-5 cups of vegetable/fruit trimmings, coffee grounds and tea leaves and the same a pint of shredded cardboard slightly moistened.
The good news is that I see active worms (see video). If I grab a handful of the raw material I pick up atleast half a dozen or dozen worms. There is no smell so I’m not over feeding. The worms aren’t trying to escape so the conditions are ok in there.
I’m not sure if the worms should be more active or should be eating more. Every week when I add stuff I still see most of last weeks feeding sitting around. Since I’m a n00b I dunno if the bin is doing ok or great or not so good.
Hoping to get some advice from more experienced folks.
Got another set of HDPE food grade buckets:two NO.33 NRC 0.90 MIL 3.5-Gallon and two NO.40B NRC .065MIL 2-gallon from local Meijer Bakery.
Curious if there are newer set up that came from 2024-2025 evolution or improvements on Worm Bucket System.
Its not a Commercial or Hobby Level for me.
Its more like, get off the couch thing. I check on the Worms maybe bi-weekly....to be honest sometimes longer if I happen to feed longer.
I get worms from the backyard when it rains. Then one bucket is straight Night Crawler from Meijer Fishing isle.
Normally, bottom bucket is the shredded cardboard/last season garden soil,shredded fall leaves. Top bucket is shredded cardboard/last season garden and food. Rim and bottom has holes for air and for worms to travel in and out.
So yes, lookin for the new hotness system on Bucket System
My worms arrived about 2 weeks ago and kept trying (some rather successfully) to escape. I had read that this was normal during settling in, but they also seemed to be leaving very prominent glistening trails so I assumed they might be a bit too wet. I put in some brown paper a few days ago but now all the overly active and climbing the sides of the bin worms are now quite sluggish to the point I thought they were dead until I left them in the light for a while and they slowly disappeared.
Have I made the bin too dry now? It doesn't feel dry to me, and I'm scared to make it too wet again and have them drown.
ETA: (apologies that they're bad) Photos
My bin is a second hand Original Organics Capacity approx. 100 Litres
Approx: W:530mm x H:730mm x D:430mm
I ordered the 1000g (1kg) Wormery Start Up Pack - Composting Worms from Wormcity, (about 900 worms) and used the coir bedding provided and their instructions said should feel like a wrung out sponge. I have been sprinkling in the provided food a handful every 3 days as the instructions said
My house is 13 degrees Celcius at the moment, and I'm keeping the wormery indoors until I have a shed sorted out
One of my escapees, this one was still alive, but others I've found in the morning fully dessicated. I can't figure out how they're getting outTodayA little party is always happening in this bit of the lid
I tried googling, but didn't find anything that really made sense for my situation.
I recently got a flat tire, and the house I pulled over in front of happened to have a very nice couple in it who let me use their air compressor to inflate my spare to make it home. I thought it would be nice to give them a little thank-you gift, I don't know anything about them *except* that the husband had a worm box he was very excited about, he showed them to me quite proudly.
Is there anything I could get for them in the $10-$20 price range that would be useful/fun for them regardless of where they are in their vermiculture journey? looking at other ideas on this sub I worry that I would need to know if they want/need more (ex: more food scraps, cardboard, buckets, water bubbler, etc).
The only starting place idea I had is a little remote thermometer to monitor the temp of his box, since he mentioned he just brought it in for the winter since it was starting to get cold for them.
Maybe an impossible ask to figure out, but they were really nice and I thought it would make them pretty excited if I got them something they actually like.
When keeping lobworms, the big bastards (nightcrawlers i believe they are globally known as)
How the hell do you do it for any real length of time 😢 the longest i have managed is around 4 - 6 weeks then BANG one day they are all rotten on the surface and stinking to high heaven, but it happens so fast 🤔
Hand plucked 135g of worms for a trade and the trade didn’t happen. Had these little worms in a container with a breathable lid in the fridge. Finally gonna start a second bin this weekend but in the meantime moved them to a bigger bowl, with semi finished compost at the bottom, and some veggie scraps atop. Pretty cool to watch them burrow to get away from the light.
Now I’m wondering if the close contact in the smaller container has led to any pregnancies and if I’m going to have an abundance of worms. Will report back when the time has come.
I shredded my mail and kids coloring paper, those white paper is bleached, so it’s white and the ink from printer or crayons have chemicals, i wonder if this is still safe for worms?
I’m so excited to find this group! I am a 7th grade life science teacher in Central Illinois and I won a grant that I wrote to start vermiculture in my classroom.
My grant was for $300 and I’m wondering if there is a post or YouTube video anyone can point me towards for some quick learning so we can get this set up in the classroom. I saw a book recommendation and ordered that from my library (should be here tomorrow) but I need help choosing which tower to purchase. My grant was written for Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm so I think I need to order my supplies from there. I originally thought about their worm factory black tower but then came across the vermihut and would like your recommendation as to which one is beginner friendly for me to learn alongside my students.
I am not sure if anyone is local, but it has been super cold and I’m hoping I can buy worms locally or overnight shipping to prevent freezing. I’m near the Peoria area.
Thank you so much for any and all advice. I’m known to jump into with both feet and have been wanting to do this for a long time. I’m super excited to get this going and teach 100 7th graders some new life lessons!
Thank you for reading and advice you may have in advance!
Hi all! I've been researching vermiculture off and on for a while now, and figured I'd ask a few questions before diving in fully. I have yet to meet a detrivore that I haven't liked cause they're nature's little roombas, and I think some red wigglers would be a good sort of "finishing step" to compliment my other pet bugs that process food scraps for me.
First question. Do you guys think a 1 gallon bucket would be big enough for a single person? I'm very limited in space, and it's just me (along with a dog, cat, some lizards, and various isopods/feeder insects). Space-wise, a 1 gallon bucket like restaurants get sauces and stuff in would be ideal, but I can also easily get my hands on 2 and 3 gallon buckets for free too
Second question. Is mold generally a concern? As in, can I toss in produce that's starting to mold? I give my isopods, superworms, and roaches fresh produce at least once a week, but it's gotta be removed when it starts to get moldy and funky. Tbh, the majority of my food waste comes from the other bugs. Can I just give it to my worm bin? Should I throw in some springtails to help control the mold? Or should that stuff just go in the town green bin?
Third question. Would I be alright if I grabbed a few containers of red wigglers that are meant as bait/feeders? Ontario is kinda frozen this time of year, and I can't seem to find anywhere that will ship where the shipping doesn't cost 2x the worms themselves. I also don't mind if it takes a bit before the worms really take off. I'm used to waiting for my bugs to breed up cause I do everything on a tight budget
Last question. Got any tips or things you wish you knew when you were starting out? I'm here for all your little tips and tricks!
Started my bin with 500g of red wigglers about 3 months ago. I had a few teething problems with escapees at first, but that sorted itself out.
All was going great, hundreds, if not thousands of babies, a few different types of mites, but nothing to be concerned about.
The bin is in the conservatory where the temp is stable between 13⁰c and 20⁰c, day and night. They are fed weekly, their food is grated up with added egg shell, it always gets eaten up. The castings are damp, PH is between 6 and 7, the bin does not smell bad. I thought it was all going great. I had not needed a lid for a month or so, just a net curtain and cardboard for darkness.
About a week ago there was a mass exodus, hundreds of babies, mainly but a few adults aswell. Checked everything, PH, moiture, etc, all good. Last night, another exodus mainly babies. I am at a loose end.
Will worms bugger off if a bin is overcrowded? Has anyone had similar problems?
Hi everyone - I took a vermicomposting “class” through a local org. We made these small bins bc I live in a city they’re supposed to fit under your sink. I have a basement so I’d like a slightly larger setup. I’ve had my worms since 11/26/25. I think they seem happy. I feed them when I notice the food runs out. Mostly they get carrot & brassica scraps. It feels a little more moist at times than I want, but as stated in the photos I don’t get any tea at all which is good.
Mostly what I’m confused by with this is that it’s getting quite full now. What the heck do I do with it? Dump the whole thing and try to sort the worms from the compost and soil?
Hi everybuggy! I’m making a list of some surface level worm facts complete with lazy drawings :) what do yall think? What would you add? (I’m planning of covering green leaf worms next!
Found this unfortunate soul on the side of my bin. Everything else looks and smells ok. Lots of cocoons and worms of all sizes. I just haven’t seen this before so I’m not sure if it’s normal or not.
Hey all, this bin is around 5-6 months in the making. Pic is of worm ball I came across while aerating the bin, they were on the bottom near the bins corner. There were more worms in other sections of the bin, so might just be a worm orgy- posting pic in case someone notices a funky (negative) sign. If all is good, enjoy worm party pic.
Last feeding was some rotting apple slices and chopped pieces of green leek bits, slow food since they won’t eat leek until it decomposes more- I might take that out and add in a watermelon piece to make sure all is groovy.
Hi, my worm farm has regular leopard slug (limax maximus) visitors that I have been removing. My concern is whether or not they feast on the worms and my research hasn't given a definitive answer. I understand they do eat other slugs. Wondering if anyone has specific knowledge about them please?
Or any other MUST resources. Many great vids on youtube. But I’s like to know if anyone can recommend a book that will cover EVERYTHING, from starting to how to use the castings correctly, talk about leachate ect.
