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I recently bought this 5pc sifting set to sift thru my vermicompost and I enjoy using it so far. It's perfect for my current size (1 bin). They fit perfectly over a standard 5 gallon bucket. I'm able to sift 3 "types" of compost. Very fine, fine and compost with cocoons.

I definitely recommend them if you're small scale - It's a bit time consuming however.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C7YCQIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00

I have little blips of footage of my castings here:
https://youtu.be/gZdj6YVor0Y

If you really love your earthworms, consider getting one of these to cut your scraps really small.

Oh yeah, it's a pretty useful tool in your kitchen too.

Coco coir is best for worms, but coir is actually a sustainable substitute for sphagnum peat moss used in gardening. Peat moss would be a good substitute, but Amazon has a $15 brick of coir that should last you a year. Linky.

If you are doing this as a project I would start with Google. Lots of great websites. I just finished reading The Worm Book. I checked the ebook out from the library and it was very helpful. There are also lots of YouTube videos for all levels of vermicomposting.

Good on you for wanting to vermicompost as soon as possible!

My sis used a DIY Rubbermaid bin for several years. She generally treated it in two zones, left and right. She'd put down kitchen waste in the left side, and the worms would sort of migrate there. For the next trip, she'd put it down on the right side.

Her most frequent complaint is that the worms wouldn't leave the old zone for the new zone. (I find this true with our vertical bin also, to a certain degree: worms will migrate up to the fresh food, but many will remain on the lower levels until the food is completely consumed.)

We live in an apartment, and use this worm bin in our utility room.

Rats are a whole different issue. They're devious, capable, and smart, though I'm not sure that shredded compost would be their first pick for food. You could make vertical "stilts" to hold your bin, or you could suspend it from the ceiling. Rats are smart as hell though, and will likely figure out how to bypass any protective measures you put into place. Deal with them, and vermicomposting will be easy. If you're in an apartment, the landlord should provide pest control services.

Also, if you have a blender, consider getting one or two big, regular (not wide-mouth) mason jars. We generally have 2 on the countertop. Edible/tasty kitchen trimmings (ends of onions, celery greens, ugly but non-rotten bits of carrots, bell pepper piths, meat trimmings) go into a freezer bag for making broth later. Inedible stuff (used coffee filters, tough asparagus bits, wilted flowers, pinched-off ends from growing plants, that bit of the carrot that includes the remains of the green part) goes into a Mason jar as future worm food.

The recommended ratio of brown matter to green matter is 60% (brown) to 40% (green.) It's often a challenge getting more brown matter than green, since most kitchen waste is green. We have a paper shredder (crosscut shredder, $7 from Goodwill thrift store) and I bought a big brick of coconut coir from Amazon. Peat pots whose seeds don't germinate also go to the worms.

Good luck!

Styrofoam is not the best container. You need something to hold bedding (Shredded cardboard, coconut coir, etc) and that you can add drainage holes on the bottom (sit the bin on bricks) and holes for airflow on the sides. This is your worms screaming, "GET ME OUTTA HERE!" (These worms naturally live in leaf litter- not in soil.)

:) Been there, done that. Without pourous bedding and airflow, it is too wet and they will suffocate. I use a rubbermaid bin and use shredded cardboard egg cartons mixed with coir for bedding. If it gets too wet, I add more dry cardboard.Too dry? Just have a spray bottle nearby. For a cover, I use landscaping cloth. Keeps it dark, but provides air flow.

Pick up a used copy of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-Garbage-Composting/dp/0977804518

Good luck!

tons of videos out but I watched this guys stuff.

My bins seems to be doing really well so far. I would just get some totes/bins and put some holes in the lids and stack them up. I would recommend getting this book also.


It helped me out a lot and even has plans on how to build your own if you want.

I have had and tried a lot of shredders over the years.

I found Electric shredders to be the best, I have one like this, different brand but same concept. The main two parts being electric and metal blades.

I have .5 acres with lots of trees, my shredders makes mincemeat out of all the leaves and 1/4" branches.

Now it will get stuck everyone once in a while, but I will happily trade that for no oil, no gas, and over all pretty quiet.

I have 14 of these totes full of worms. They are expensive but sturdy and they stack with about 5 inches of space between each other due to the handles which is perfect for worming.


https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-BRUTE-20-Gallon-FG9S3100GRAY/dp/B001B1C4G0

Thanks very much. Would something like this work?

http://www.amazon.com/PP29105-Underwater-Aquaponics-Hydroponics-Fountain/dp/B006M6MTMI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1404513267&sr=8-7&keywords=aquarium+pump+7+watt

>https://www.amazon.com/SE-GP2-5-SET-Patented-Stackable/dp/B00C7YCQIQ/ref=sr\_1\_3?keywords=classifier&qid=1558736680&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Would the 1/4th be the best for sifting?

I got a set of Stackable Sifting Pans that gold miners use. I like them because they fit over a 5 gallon bucket that can turn into storage until I need the material.

Edit to add: If I was going to get them again I would only get the 1/4", 1/8".

I use this one:
https://www.amazon.com/SE-GP2-5-SET-Patented-Stackable/dp/B00C7YCQIQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=classifier&qid=1558736680&s=gateway&sr=8-3


Fits right over a 5 gallon bucket. Best used with a tool to push the castings through, as opposed to sifting by shaking.

I’ve just received my order of the DE. Was curious if you could recommend how to use it? Where to apply and what amount. We have a 360 worm factory: https://www.amazon.com/Worm-Factory-WF360B-Composter-Black/dp/B002LH47PY

Additionally the bins I buy stack with about 12.7 centimeters of room between each bin which is similar to the worm farm 360.

I ordered 24K worms yesterday. Ordering 24K more of the dealer is good.


https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Brute-Tote-Storage/dp/B07VPKNNC5

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I use that 10 gallon pump and it works fine. Combine the frequently bought together items with this air stone will come out around $20. A 5 gallon bucket canbe bought from any hardware store or I bet you can ask for one at a restaurant like Panda Express. They have a ton and I bet they could be willing to part with one. They're food grade so there is that to consider.

The ones I bought

I bought this and when I sift, most everything goes through, including these rather large egg shells from my first attempt at composting.

Should I have gotten a smaller size? Or does anyone have any advice to make it more usable?

Achla Designs Compost Sifter Screen with Handles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QKP7HQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lt.5Cb2WS48AY

I have one of these, they work great!

No, I got the bits instead of the larger dunks so I could use just a little at a time. I got this one because from amazon, and it has lasted a long time and isn't even 10% gone: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001AUF8G

could drop one of these in the bottom - https://www.amazon.com/Andersons-Professional-Cooling-Heavyweight-9-25-Inches/dp/B000HM9TGM/ref=pd_lpo_79_lp_img_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DE67ZP4QXC01N0CRQ3QC

WF360 = Worm Factory 360?

It is supossed to be 17.9 x 17.9 x 14.9 inches, right?

this is around 0.2 m^2 = 1 kg worms (5 kg/m^2)

Just get a regular bin 28.75 x 16 x 18.25 inches = 0.292 m^2

1.5 kg of worms

you can have a worm density anywhere from 2.5 to 10 kg/m^2, 5 is a good number.

If you are worried about winter, check this out.

Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and
Vermiculture

By Glenn Munroe
Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada

They talk a lot about harsh winters.

TLDR: worms will survive below zero temperatures, they will eat less, they wont reproduce as often.

Worms can be productive if you load them with food and plenty of space to move around and avoid dangerous areas.

Even if the walls froze they will be alright.

You can always insulate the bin with styrofoam on the outside.

>• Low temperatures. Eisenia can survive in temperatures as low as 0 o C, but
they don’t reproduce at single-digit temperatures and they don’t consume as
much food. It is generally considered necessary to keep the temperatures above
10 o C (minimum) and preferably 15 o C for vermicomposting efficiency and above
15 o C (minimum) and preferably 20 o C for productive vermiculture operations.

>• Effects of freezing. Eisenia can survive having their bodies partially encased in
frozen bedding and will only die when they are no longer able to consume
food 8 . Moreover, tests at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) have
confirmed that their cocoons survive extended periods of deep freezing and
remain viable (GEORG, 2004).

>• High temperatures. Compost worms can survive temperatures in the mid-30s
but prefer a range in the 20s ( o C). Above 35 o C will cause the worms to leave the
area. If they cannot leave, they will quickly die. In general, warmer
temperatures (above 20 o C) stimulate reproduction.

>• Worms’s response to temperature differentials. Compost worms will
redistribute themselves within piles, beds or windrows according to temperature
gradients. In outdoor composting windrows in wintertime, where internal heat
from decomposition is in contrast to frigid external temperatures, the worms will
be found in a relatively narrow band at a depth where the temperature is close
to optimum. They will also be found in much greater numbers on the south-
facing side of windrows in the winter and on the opposite side in the summer.

>Although composting worms O 2 requirements are essential, however, they are also
relatively modest. Worms survive harsh winters inside windrows where all surfaces are
frozen: they live on the oxygen available in the water trapped inside the windrow.