This past weekend I decided to try something since I had the materials lying around to build a continuous flow worm bin system which in reality can be purchased for less than forty dollars.
I had seen a similar concept using metal rods as well as had the bottom left wide open, allowing for variety of varmints to enter the system. I decided to build it keeping it simple so as about anyone could put it together.
One thing to keep in mind is many web sites state that the end product is worm castings in a continuous flow through system. The reality is that the end result is a vermicompost, a mix of some unfinished decaying organic matter and worm castings. While the worm castings by themselves are considered “Black Gold”, the vermicompost will do very well in many garden plants too or simply screen the mixture.
Many ask if you will lose many worms out of the bottom, no worries here. As with anything you will lose a few stragglers however the worms are consistently migrating upwards and should reproduce much quicker than your few lost worms coming through the bottom when you harvest your vermicompost.
Materials / Tools:
1 – 55 Gallon drum (one not previously used for chemicals)
1 – 2’ X 2’ piece of 3/8” plywood if your bin has not lid
4 – strips of 3/8* plywood or less, can be from lid scrap above.
1 – 12” X 8” – 1/8” or ¼” galvanized hardware cloth
4 – Short wood screws ~ ¾” to 1”
40’ – Weed whacker line
1 – Piece of approx. 80 grit sandpaper
1 – Reciprocating saw
1 – Phillips or flat head screwdriver… depending on your screws.
1 – Cutting tool for the galvanized hardware cloth.
1 – tape measure.
1 – drill
1 – 1/8” drill bit
The first thing to do is mark out a 12” wide by 8” high opening on the bottom, 2 inches from the bottom of the drum.
Next center and mark out another opening 10” wide by 6” high inside the one you just made.
Cut out the smaller opening first as this will make it much easier. Once you cut the outer opening, save this piece.
I ran the weed whacker line from side to side as I noticed the structural strength was weekend from front to back once the opening on the bottom was cut. Hence locate and center mark your two sides two inches above the top of your cut opening on the bottom of the drum.
Now you will want to drill holes 1 1/2” on center. This does not mean going around the exterior and measuring 1 ½” all around as this will mess you up.
The simplest way to figure this task out is to drill your two centered side holes, measure 1 ½” to either side and drill those two out. Temporarily run the weed whacker line through all three holes on both sides, back and forth and snug up a little. Now you can reach inside and lay the tape measure over the three lines you ran and mark out 1 ½” in both directions on both sides of the bin. Be sure your marks are level before proceeding to drill them out. You can use your tape measure or if you have scrap wood around, use a precut piece as a template to the height from the bottom of the drum to the height of the holes to be drilled.
To run the weed whacker line tie a large knot on one end of the line and begin threading the line back and forth, starting at either the front or back of the drum. Once ran, proceed to reach inside the drum and start by pulling and placing tension on the lines to snug up, beginning where you first began to thread the line. Once complete, tie another knot on the other end to secure the tension on the weed whacker line and cut off excess.
Now you can cut your lid for the drum if your drum did not come with one out of the 3/8” plywood. Be sure to leave it a little larger than the drum top to over hang a little to prevent rain… from getting in should you be placing outside.
Under the lid, Drill 1/8” holes around the top of the drum spaced about 1 ½” apart.
You should have enough scrap from the plywood lid to cut four strips. Cut four pieces six inches long, two at 1 ½” wide and two at 2” wide.
Use the sandpaper to sand the edges of your fron lower door panel to remove the burs left behind when cutting the door.
Trim the galvanized hardware cloth to fit by being a little smaller than the outer edge of the saved piece from your bottom opening cut. Use the wider strips on the front and the narrower strips on the back of each side to hold the galvanized hardware cloth in place, securing with the four screws. Line them up with the inside edge of the opening so as they over hand on the outer side, one by ½” the other by 1”. Always place the galvanized hardware cloth on over the face which will be facing outwards towards you when fitted into place.
Always start off the flow through system with six pieces of newspaper, add 4” to 6” pre soaked sphagnum peat moss (damp, not soaking wet) on top and begin adding food scraps.
To help maintain the pH level is to layer your green (i.e. vegetable scraps) and brown (i.e. shredded newspaper, cardboard) as well as add ground eggshells when available in moderation.
After two or three months, use a garden claw to lightly rake the underside of the weed whacker line from side to side to remove the finished vermicompost. This can then be performed weekly if the system is setup and functioning correctly.
Bruce
Hi Bruce.,
Looks like a good system!!!!!..
How many worms? What kind?
I still cannot locate Michigan peat? Cannot find a supplier of African nightcrawlers?
Thanx, Ray Adamson
Ray
Thanks… I started it with a pound of red wigglers and some vermicompost holding loads of worm cocoons. You could start it off probably with 2lbs. to 5lbs. of red wigglers depending on the amount of food you plan on placing in the system…. Red wigglers will consume more food in a flow through worm bin!
I am working on numbers for the Michigan peat and Africans… I will be in touch shortly. I was on the telephone for a few hours yesterday looking into this for you and a couple other folks.
Bruce
My worms like to eat aged horse manure, vegetable scraps, and Purina Worm Chow…I got the worm chow at a local Purina dealer.(pretty cheap when you buy the 50lb. bag)
And I assume this site also sells Africans? Is that not true?
John
Yes it is cheaper to buy the 50lb bag of Purina however most do not have availability to it… The costs are driven by the shipping cost incurred….
Cheryl
Yes you can purchase African nightcrawlers, European nightcrawlers, Red Wigglers, Alabama Jumpers (once I grow some more out again) and mealworms from Organic Worm Farm. In fact the African nightcrawlers sold there are one of the favorites for our returning customers due to the size we offer. They run 6″ to 8″ long which most do not offer due to the length of time it takes to grow them to this size. Including hatching time it takes approximately 9 months to grow them this large!
Bruce
I have tried to raise red wigglers many different way’s.But no matter what I do
after a couple of weeks they just disapear.
No sign of even haveing worms at all.Why?
I raise European Crawler’s with no problem.
Thanks
Bob
Bob
There could be numerous reasons for this
Do you notice any worms on the surrounding floor? Any foul odor from the worm bin?
Also European nightcrawlers tend to scatter themselves throughout the worm bin. Red wigglers, can tend to ball up together more on a single food piece. I know someone that came by the other day and said he could not find any of the red wigglers he had purchased a couple weeks earlier in his worm bin. The next day he scoured his red wiggler worm bin and found them all balled together working on a single piece of food source.
Bruce
In your opinion, which worm is best at eating scraps, growing fastest and best selling. Thanks
Bruce-
I had been using a smaller plastic rubbermaid tub for my worms, and just built a larger wooden outdoor bin this past week (about the size of a cedar chest). They seem to like this and are thriving as far as I can tell. Now… my worms I collected from my yard over time and have let them reproduce. I have learned which ones are the larger earthworms not suitable for the bin, and I am pretty sure what I have now are red wigglers. However….. how can I know for sure? I have contemplated turning all of these out into my compost heap out back in a shaded area and purchasing a batch of wigglers. Your thoughts?
Cheryl
Bruce
How long does it take for european capsuls to hatch?
and does the temp play a role in their time?
I also dont know how to seperate capsuls from the castings? Any good idea?
The best worm for eating food scraps and one of the most popular is the red wiggler worm. They can reproduce and grow out the fastest to mature adult due to the size. Typically about three months where as for example our African nightcrawlers take eight months to grow out to a 6 inch to 8 inch worm.
Bruce
Cheryl
To identify the worms, one place I found that can be quite useful to get started can be found here.
If you wish to be sure you have red wigglers, then releasing what you have in a compost pile in the shade as you suggest would work fine. You can go directly to the store front to order worms. Currently the 2lb of red wigglers is still on sale which offers a better rate per pound…
Bruce
Bob,
The European nightcrawler cocoons can hatch anywhere from two to four weeks under the right conditions. Yes you are correct as temperature does play an important role in the hatching of worm cocoons. If you keep them anywhere from about 70 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit they will do fine.
Use a 1/4″ screen to separate the cocoons from the bedding material and worms. What will remain is some smaller particles of bedding, some vermicompost and the cocoons. The European nightcrawler cocoons are the easiest to separate due to the size of each cocoon compared to most other worms.
Bruce
How does the European crawler do in outdoor pits in the north east? CT I was thinking of starting one. Your thoughts?
Bob
The more I study worms the more I am amazed by some of the information I am able to obtain.
As you know this past winter was cold throughout the country including the south east. I had a test pile only about one foot high by three feet in diameter which I placed a number of small European nightcrawlers and cocoons. I placed some food scraps as well as whole apples and bananas to see how they would do over the winter.
When early spring arose I took a peek at what it looked like. The apples and bananas were still frozen solid and had not decayed all winter long. Meanwhile I had some larger European nightcrawlers. Withing about a month, the pile was crawling with newly hatched as well as larger European nightcrawlers.
Now I realize that the worms will become more dormant when it gets cold enough, however do believe that this worm ( European Nightcrawler ) can do well in colder weather than even I originally thought since we were so cold in SC this past winter. We had two weeks alone where we did not hit 30 degrees.
So if you can build the pits deep enough to get below the frost line and wide enough to hold some bedding material to help heat it while not going to wide as to utulize the heat from the surrounding soil, you maybe able to keep them year round.
If even you were to lose the European nightcrawlers in the pit, the cocoons will hatch in the spring once the environmental conditions are right.
Bob, if you do decide to proceed, please keep us updated here or start a thread on the Worm Expert forum.
Bruce
Bruce
How about a fattening recipe for europeans? I tried one but it did’nt seem to make much difference. And yes I will keep everyone posted on my experiment with the outdoor pit and indoor as well if info is wanted.
Bruce – I have my worms in a outdoor wooden bin, shaded, enough food, not overly fed, moist but not wet, covered with burlap… it think my worms are dying off? What am I doing wrong? Cheryl
Cheryl
Check the moisture with a soil moisture meter if you can. Secondly check the pH level. Also do you have enough aeration throughout the bin… holes drilled in the bin?
Let me know as I will try to troubleshoot from here
Bruce
Bob,
Yes please do keep us updated… especially on the exterior pit setup for European nightcrawlers in the North East…
I have been testing some mixes of food which surprisingly does well with Canadian nightcrawlers, African nightcrawlers, European nightcrawlers and red wigglers thus far. It does not work well with the Alabama Jumpers though… perhaps I have them spoiled currently
I made one more modification to the feed mix the other week and so far so good. A simple yet effective mix is manure… I have been using rabbit manure which is actually shredded so the worms can work through it immediately with some Purina Worm Chow added. Basically try to cups shredded manure to 1/4 cup of Purina Worm Chow.
The Worm Chow not only works as a beneficial additive but found it helps in speeding up reproduction in the worms.
I will have more once I see the results of another ingredient which I upped the dosage on
Bruce
The Eudrilus eugeniae(African Crawler) has a 81% hatch success rate at 43-122 days from egg to maturity-The Eisenia fetida(Red wiggler)is 83.2% hatch success rate at 85-149 days from egg to maturity. So for fishing which would you choose and why? Thanks
Brian
As for hatching success rate I have not counted, however being some of your other numbers are off, I have to wonder about the hatching rate. I can say I do not find many unhatched cocoons when incubated on the farm.
Now I have not studied the red wiggler as much as other worms with the exception of food mixes I have been working on. A good number of African nightcrawler cocoons will hatch within my 14 Day Worm Castings on their own. hence they can hatch within two weeks or less under the correct conditions. Also an African nightcrawler takes 5 months to reach maturity, or approximately 150 days after hatching. To reach a size of six to eight inches in length takes 8 months after hatching.
Red wigglers will mature faster due to their size as they are much smaller.
As for fishing, the hottest worm here in SC is the African nightcrawler. I myself like this worm as well for worm castings as well as fishing. The red wiggler is much smaller however can be grown out a little larger but nearly close to the size of the African nightcrawler
Bruce
What do you know about the cultured nightcrawler? Is it a cood composter? One site says yes-another no-another yes-etc. Im just looking for a worm that will eat waste, reproduce, and be big enough for fishing in freshwater such as the largemouth bass. Thank you
Brian,
A cultured nightcrawler is not different than any other nightcrawler with the exception they are raised withing a controlled environment which can be raised several ways.
The African nightcrawler is the hottest fishing worm I have been selling, especially locally. More and more fishermen have been coming to buy them since no one else carries them around here. They are telling me the Canadian nightcrawler is not working as it is too hot now for them to survive. European nightcrawlers are not producing as well as the African nightcrawler.
As for composting, either the Africasn nightcrawler or European nightcrawler can be raised on food scraps however neither is as efficient in this environment as the red wiggler. The one which works better is the European nightcrawler, which is not actually a nightcrawler but a cousin to the red wiggler.
As you can see the scientific names of the red wiggler and European nightcrawler are related.
In short, you can raise either the African nightcrawler or European nightcrawler with food scraps, however do not expect them to devour as much as the red wiggler worms. One way to help them out is to add a food supplement such as Purina Worm Chow from Organic Worm Farm.
Bruce
bruce,i have dark blue worms,they are thin and long and look like redwiggles.they are very fast.what kind of worms do i have.bill ellisor thanks.
Bill
Being I have not seen one that you have I cannot be sure, even if I had a photo I may not be able to make it out. Depending on the part of the country you live in, it could be an India Blue Worm which is mainly found in the tropical areas of the Asian countries. It is really not blue, however has a blue sheen in the sunlight which gives it this appearance.
Alabama Jumpers have a neat sheen as well mainly exposing a green however can be more rainbow coloring in some lighting.
Bruce
Bruce
I thought about raising some African Nightcrawlers but dont even know how
to begin. Do you have any tips on a good bedding? And what is the coldest temp they will survive? I raise my european Crawlers
in a basement and they do just fine.
Bob.
The African nightcrawler is probably one of the hardiest worms I deal with as long as the temperature and moisture are correct.
For bedding material you can use some presoaked sphagnum peat moss. Just be sure it is not to wet… about 30% on a soil moisture meter will do fine.
As for temperature, if you fall into the upper fifties you will begin to lose some. Best to keep at 70 degrees at a minimum. Ideally 74 to 80 degrees is great.
Bruce
Bruce
I guess the african is not for me. I’ve been looking for a another worm that I could raise
here in the north east for fishing. The northern nightcrawler is loved here but cant realy be raised in captivity. I do great with the European crawler but would like something
the same size or bigger to try. I also do good with super worms & mealworms. any suggestions to try?
Bob,
When you mention the “northern nightcrawler” I am assuming you referring to the Canadian Nightcrawler?
If so and even if you are not, do not believe everything you here. Just for example a host of other web sites stated that the Alabama Jumper could not be raised prolifically in captivity. Over a little time and experimenting, I have proved this to be untrue. In fact I am the only one currently that I know of doing this in the USA and making some Alabama Jumpers for sale currently as I continue to grow the offspring. You can see some of my early testing which I posted at Alabama Jumpers.
In fact I have been playing with some Canadian nightcrawlers down here in SC which realistically is to warm for them to live. So far over two months I have kept a small worm bin going well in a garage and they are growing! I have played with a food mix for them which appears to be doing well.
When I was young this was the worm I started with however not on the level I raise worms now. I raised some for my own fishing needs and yes they were prolific in my worm bin back then!
Bob, in short, If there is a will there is a way
My advice would be to try to raise some in captivity and you may end up with an exclusive…
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
I contacted premier peatmoss (18006672684) asked if they make Michigan peat available in Ontario. They put me in touch with Canadian Sales rep.(9053272684) I asked him to contact you, he said how much would we need. Itold him you would have a better idea how many dealers are likely to buy it?
I really would like to do the 5 gallon pails setup you sent to me. I thought 8 pails to start, useing the Black Michiga Peat and worm chow and the chicken mash 2,000 ANC. As far as I can find out only the chicken feed is available here???
Ray
Just one question, how do you keep the fire ants out of it. We’ve tried several different ways to keep worms and every time the fire ants get into them and kill them!
Globug
Ants can be a hassle. If you are not into organics, you could use a chemical spray or granular to get rid of the fire ants. Otherwise try Diatomceous Earth (must be food grade) on top of the mounds. Fire ants as well as some others will then move underground to a new mound so you will need to keep treating for a little while as they appear.
Another trick others mention is to place the legs or blocks supporting the bins in conatiners which are filled with motor oil. The problem is when it rains this can create a mess. I recommend just using water in the containers and making sure they are full. Also if low branches are over the worm bin, either move the bin or cut some of the low overhanging branches.
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
I am ready to start my new adventure in raising worms. I chose the African nightcrawler and have a box 3 1/2 feet x 2 foot deep and 2 foot wide. I have tons of newspaper, cardboard, and leaves. I plan to make homemade worm chow as well. Just to get me started, could you direct me on how you would suggest I use and set up what I mentioned. I know leaves make good bedding as well as food. The only thing I am stuck on is getting initially started with setting out the materials before putting in the worms. Do I have to start this before worms arrive or go right to it. Thank you again for your expertise.
Brian,
You can setup your worm bin ahead of time to get the moisture level correct… If you have any Sphagnum peat moss available a few inches at the bottom makes a great base although not necessary. Next some shredded newspaper as they love the newspaper. African nightcrawlers do not go after the cardboard as much as other worms, however over time will get into it. The damp shredded newspaper is a favorite of theirs!
I would try a thin layer of the leaves off to one side to see how the African nightcrawlers react with them. Different tree species can affect worms differently.
Always sprinkle to Purina Worm Chow or homemade grain worm food mix on the top and be careful not to mix into the bedding otherwise the bedding material will sour and kill off worms.
Bruce
bruce,it seems like all my grown worms are leaving my boxes, leaving small baby worms, hundreds.am i over or under feeding them.what do you call overfeeding worms/redwigglers. in my yard i find worms everywhere under leaves,in balls 25 or more
Bill,
Usually this can be a sign of something wrong within the system, however not a great worry since you have the little ones still.
If something is off in the environment, this can cause the worms to try and survive and begin laying cocoons. The mature worms will die off at times, however if the environment is not off to much, the little ones will survive and grow. No one knows for sure whether it is the cocoon or the new hatchling which is adaptable to the environment which may have killed off their parents, however it is known that they can adapt in many situations.
A number of variables can come into play here such as moisture, pH, temperature, a little sour bedding…. You can test a number of these and rectify if needed. If the little guys are doing fine though, apparently they have adapted!
Bruce
bruce,i am concerned about over or under feeding.temp.now 80,s low and 90,s high,s.
Bill,
If you are feeding them food scraps especially, the temperature does have an effect. Greens heat up the area in the bin, hence with higher summer temperatures you should cut back on the greens a bit and go with more browns such as shredded paper and cardboard.
Once the cool weather returns in the fall, you can increase the greens a bit again.
Bruce
Bruce
I built a two screen bedding sifter. The top screen is 1/4 inch galvanized hardware cloth wich works great.I tried to use a window screen for the bottom wich does’nt work very well.I’m now looking for a 1/8 inch galvanized hardware cloth with no success.
I was wondering if you had any idea’s to were I could find this.I found one web site but they only sold in 100 ft and I dont really want that much and to costly.
Bob,
One place I found the 1/8″ galvanized hardware cloth was Ace Hardware, however not all the stores stock it but can order it. It is still expensive however can order it by the foot… Usually about $3.00 a foot x 2 foot.
Bruce
you can buy 1/4 in screen wire at home depot. i took a 2ft by 5ft, cut in half,and made a 2 X 2½ ft screen.1/8″.
Thanks anyway guys I found a local wierworks place that had scrap pieces I could have. My shaker works GREAT!
Bruce
I’m useing the food grade DE for mites but now I seem to have a little red like mite. Do you know what they are? The food grade DE does not seem to be working on them.How do I get rid of them? HELP! PLEASE!
Bruce,
I built the bin as you described and so far so good. I put my worms (red wrigglers) from a small tub bin directly in and they seem to be doing fine. I have noticed that I now have to add some moisture to the bin, as opposed to constantly finding the tub bin excessively damp. It must be the better ventilation.
Thanks for the idea! This idea fit right in with my tight-wad philosophy and I hope to be harvesting castings in time for next spring’s seed-starting time.
Joe
Thank you for sharing! I love the weedwacker string. I have recently made a flow through worm bin and I used pvc pipes. To much space between them. Have you found that the weedwacker string is holding all of the compost up and not self harvesting too fast? I posted my website with some of the photos of my flow through bin. Works great but so many worms are coming out of the bottom…Any ideas?
i don,t have anything on my e mail since july 7th whats wrong.
Bill,
If you are referring to the Worm Composting Newsletter you are not alone. I have been busy working from about 6am every morning until 9pm in the evening. I am writing one which will be going out today!
Bruce
Johnnie
The material in the flow through system needs to sit about three months before trying to harvest it. This allows enough time to pass that the red wigglers can eat through the bottom layers, moving upwards toward the top layers of the system. This accomplishes two things. First since the majority of worms have moved upwards, you should lose very little of the red wigglers when harvesting the vermicompost from the bottom of the flow through worm bin. Secondly, this will enable the lower material to pack enough so as not to just fall through continuously without scraping the bottom first.
Bruce
Joe,
Glad to hear you found the information useful!
Bruce