Q&A for How to Make a Worm Compost System

The mature worm will give 2 or 3 cocoons each week, and each cocoon will house about 3 baby worms each.

It is ideal to start with between 1 pound and 3 pounds of worms, depending on the size of the bin. On average, it takes 5-7 pounds of food each week.

Nightcrawlers average about $0.08 per worm and go for about $30 per pound. The price may vary depending on demand, location, and the type of worm.

As the worm eats food scraps, the worm passes the food parts through and it comes out as compost.

Some worms will always be explorers but if it's excessive, it's because the bin is too wet (add some cardboard or better still coconut coir fibre); or too acidic (add roasted then ground down eggshells, as they not only reduce acidity but they add the essential tiny grains of mineral the worse needs for their guts to grind food).

Yes, but there are better ways of making compost that is aerated and not too wet.

Yes.

You can, but keep in mind you will need holes for ventilation and draining the water out.

The liquid is most likely the worms' urine, which is an extremely good fertilizer. Drill a small hole in a corner of the bin and drain it into a bucket, then use it on your plants. They'll grow like crazy!

No, you want the variety of worm which eats decaying organic matter on the surface of the bed.

Dig to the bottom. After wondering the same, I found they went lower to lay eggs. If you still don't see them, I suggest looking for clues like bad smell, low pH, and so on.

There are several reasons for this. Vermicompost has very little weed compared to farmyard manure. This is possible because of the worms. They shred the seeds eaten by cattle or seeds in the FYM. It speeds up the composting process, If your farm waste takes 6 to 7 months to compost, with the help of worms, you can achieve this in 3 to 3.5 months.

HDPE bags are the lightest, most cost effective and best solution. These can also be moved from one place to another with ease.

You could try watering the bin once or twice a day and using light colors and lots of ventilation.

It helps to speed up the composting process. Worms eat stuff, digest it and thus provide smoother compost.

Worms breathe air. When it rains the water fills all of the crevices in the soil forcing out the air. They surface to breathe.

You should add water; if it is too strong, it might hurt your plants. 5 units of water for 1 of liquid is a good start.

If you want to separate the worms from your finished compost, you have no choice but to extract them by hand. If you're happy leaving the worms in, just pull the compost out by hand and distribute it.

Check your temperature. If it's too low, they may be dead or in a survival mode; if too hot, they may be dead. You can give them a poke and see if they move. If you rule those out, then check your pH, and check if it stinks.

Yes.

One surefire way is to bake the compost in the oven. Be sure to cool it before applying it to your plants.

Yes, with the right conditions. Food breaks down at a slower rate in winter than in the summer months (cold weather slows the metabolism of bacteria and the worms), so be careful not to overfeed your worms or overwater, especially. They may need more bedding to stay warm. If temperatures drop below freezing, make sure there is no excess water in your bin. Too much water may freeze and kill your worms. To warm your bin, leave it out in the sun during the day. If you live in a very cold climate, use a black worm bin (more thermal radiation). Overall, everything the worms do will take longer than in an ideal environment.

Yes, you can.

You absolutely can move it inside. Depending on size and space available, you could even keep it inside year round.

You can and should add a lid. Worms do best in a totally dark environment.

No; however, they prefer to be cool and out of direct sunlight. Full shade to partial shade is best with the temperature staying lower than 85 degrees at the top of the bedding. Bring them into the house or garage during the winter if it's harsh.

I drilled drainage holes in the bottom and ventilation holes in the sides of two plastic worm bins, and secured plastic mosquito screen on the inside, over the holes so that the worms would not escape and to make sure there was drainage and ventilation. One container was a large plastic trash can, and the other was a smaller rectangular storage bin. After several months I had large worm populations in both containers and never had an issue with worms doing a large-scale breakout.

Yes! Just follow the same rules of building and adding food for the worms as needed.

Of course! Just make sure you don't use anything inside the bin that could be toxic to your worms.

Turning upsets the process (the life cycle of the worms), and barrel composters typically reach internal temperatures that can kill the worms. If you're serious about trying this, try to minimize the rotations and carefully monitor the moisture and temperature.