Vermiculture, in this blog I show how I build a Worm Farm Bin to produce organic fertilizer, worm tea and compost.

The bare box, there is no lid. These are really good boxes to use
for a worm farm. Keep your eye out for containers on
the side of the road.

I constructed a worm farm bin today from reclaimed material, I have 3 of these boxes of which I found in a neighbors trailer that was on the way to the dump, he gave them to me. He let me have them with one condition, the stuff that was in them had to be secured in another container, so I did that. The first task was to clean them, I am showing one box only, the other two will be constructed exactly the same.

1/4 flooring underlayment, left over from who knows what.

I had some 1/4" floor underlayment I am using as a lid, first cut to size.

Cut to size

I cut the plywood to fit by tracing around the box while it was laying on top of the plywood.

The new lid laid out holes.

I left a 3" border, then I laid the holes out on 2" centers, I drilled most of them with my drill press.

I completed drilling with a hand drill motor.

I use a 1/4" drill for the holes, 5/16" is OK, I don't go any larger than that, I had a mouse problem once when I used a 1/2" drill.

Location for holes at the top of the box.

I drilled holes in each end of the box, and on the side, 6-1/4" holes in each end, I also clean the "Irish Pennants" (burrs) off the inside.

Next, I drilled holes in the sides

I drilled 11-1/4" holes in each side, again cleaning the burrs from the inside of the box.

The bottom of the box, upside down, prepared for drilling holes

I used the lid as a template.

I used the lid as a template to save time, the holes don't have to be exact, it is nice for the box to be aesthetically pleasing.

Drilling the bottom, using the lid as a template.

I held the lid down with one hand and drilled through it into the bottom, I added another hole in the center of each square in the bottom. The holes have two purposes 1) Provide air flow, worms too must breathe and 2) When this box is used as a transfer box, the worms will move from the bottom box to the top through these holes, more is better.

Bottom completely drilled, fitted cardboard is on the left.

Worm farmers use a lot of cardboard and because this is the first box in this set cardboard must be laid over the holes on the bottom to keep the worms from crawling out of the bottom onto the floor. This is the only time this is done, we want the worms to move freely from the bottom box to the top feeder box when this box is filled with castings the top box will be placed on top of the bedding.

The new box with a fitted cardboard bottom liner.

A small amount of food is added, in a beginning box, I feed them coffee
grounds, egg shells and tea bags. 

Add bedding

After placing a small amount of food on one end of the box bedding can be added. I use a combination of leaves, cardboard and a few green leafs. Coconut Coir is the preferred bedding by a lot of worm farmers. I have found fruit and nut leaves work well, the worms do really well when Pecan leaves are used. I don't add mineral dust, my reasoning is there is a lot of silica in first-year growth, it is possible to feel the "grit" on the outside of the leafs. Worms have a gizzard much like a bird and they need the grit to grind their food up. I add eggshells ground up as fine as I can, it accomplishes two things: 1) It provides grit for their gizzards and 2) If the bed goes acidic, the calcium in the eggshells neutralize it.

Add 6" of bedding.

Bedding is now added, this has been soaking in a bucket of water for 5 days, it doesn't have to soak that long, 2-3 hours will be fine. Now is the time to add a cup or two of worm castings, and a cup of potting soil, sprinkle both over the top of the bedding, wet it, then add another layer of bedding until it is 6" deep. If worm castings are not available, don't despair, it will be alright, it just takes a little while for the "good" bugs to show up. I will begin adding worms in two days, it will give the castings time to distribute the good bugs that it introduces throughout the bed. The last item to add is newspaper over the top, I use an entire section of the paper, folding it to fit. However I prefer cardboard, I cut it to fit, burlap or cotton may also be used. Whatever material you choose it must be soaked in water, the bed must remain wet. Do not use cardboard with the shiny screen prints on them, the ink can be disastrous to your worms, use only clean brown cardboard. Remove all of the tape, staples, and labels, I add all of the cardboard trimmings to the bed materials. After addition of the worms I will not take the lid off for 5 days, it gives the worms time to acclimate to their new environment, they don't appreciate a lot of turning over of their environment.

The completed box, waiting for the worms to be added in a few
days. The box to the right is just getting established as well, it
is the subject of the video I made, the link is at the bottom of
this page.

I try to use boxes and bins that I salvage, if I must buy new bins it is prudent to choose a size that will be in stock on future dates. If I buy boxes I will empty one in use into the new box, it just seems as if that's the best way to do it. Initially, only one box is needed, it takes months for the worms to turn the foods and bedding into castings. It's advisable to remember castings are worm manure and it must be dealt with accordingly, gloves and goggles are recommended.
  I need to briefly address the worm food, the castings reflect what you feed them. If the castings are to be used in a vegetable garden do not feed the worms:

* Meat
* Bones
* Animal or human Feces
* These foods may create "pathogens" when the castings are used in a vegetable garden pathogens may cause you to become ill.

Worms don't tolerate certain foods either:
* Hot peppers
* Onions
* Citrus
* Oil of any type
* Salad dressing
* Lard
* Anything salted

Worms do like:

* Any leafy vegetable
* Melon rinds
* Celery
* Teabags
* Coffee and filters
* Oatmeal
* Cactus

There is a lot of information on the internet pertaining to worms, (vermiculture), the information covers bedding, food, environment and all things relevant to raising worms.
  Vermiculture is one of my hobbies, I raise them for a few reasons,

* My goal is to attain zero garbage, I am close.
* Worm casting tea, it is organic fertilizer, I attain remarkable results
* I use the castings in my compost as I add it to my raised beds.

Thanks for reading and sharing, my next blog and video will be on constructing a "worm tea brewer" and how to brew it, I will also write a blog on constructing the top transfer box, that matches this box. Thanks again for reading, please leave a comment or suggestion. I made a video showing how to build the blue box in the last picture. Link

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com.