I started a worm bin based on your design 3 years ago for gardening. It has saved tens of pounds of food/paper scraps from the dump and has fed my fishing and reptiles, which has saved me hundreds in pet food costs.
@@joewright4263 I think some people have mentioned using diatomaceous earth around the base of the container to repel things like ants and roaches from entering.
To start my bins I had gone fishing and got red trout worms, which I later found out were red wigglers. I put the leftover worms from a dozen in a 2.5 gallon tote with some coco coir shredded newspaper and food scraps. Within two months I had two of those bins. Now I have a 35 gallon tote and an old 55 gallon trash can full of worms. All from the original less than a dozen and I started about a year ago. It's truly amazing how fast they reproduce.
I make food scrap slushies like that and just pour straight into my garden instead of composting. I've done this for years. Great for the worms outside!
It really helps to see how something has worked over time! I am so impressed! I think I will do this.. but i will put a screen over the vents to prevent flies and gnats and other bugs from laying eggs in there.
Great follow up episode Luke. I am starting to recommend indoor worm bins to my customers here in Arizona. It is much harder to compost because there is not that many leaves although it can be done.
I use shredded newspaper as my brown material, its a good alternative when I lack other stuff. Just stay away from the magazine type paper because they are harder to break down and have too many chemicals in them.
Never thought to blend up the food scraps! Unfortunately, my worms disappeared (I think a mole may have invaded my bin as it was in the greenhouse and the top was open) but I plan to get another bin going this year. Great tips, thank you!
im in a process of prepping my garden soil during this locmdown period.Unrooted the grass and transplanted them elsewhere,covered the ground with cardbox and lay my grass cuttings on it..I dig a new spot once in 2 days and put my blended kitchen scraps inside..Soooo many new worms have been born..Gonna keep doing this for a month and go pick the worms for my new vermicompost bin
When do you know that your castings are ready to "harvest?" Also do you leave the worms in the castings? (Release them from indenture for a job well done, so to speak.) If not how do you remove the worms from their castings?
I've heard of freezing food scraps first before giving them to worms so that they break them down faster. I wonder how it compares, smoothy / popsicle / whole scraps?
I use my leaf shredder, toss in shredded leaves put the scraps on top of them cover with more shredded leaves to soak up the moisture. Had my bin going a year with 0 issues in the garage even through winter. Your video gave me the idea thanks my plants are reaping the worms hard work.
Thanks for the video.. i used a cat litter bucket and 4 dozen worms sold for fishing.. red wrigglers. Stated six months ago. Ther were probably close to 1000 worms when i harvested last month.
Cool to see them run that long. Most any thing like food scraps go to dogs, rabbits, chickens and maggot bucket to feed the chickens. Worm bins are a very good method for people on small area.
I'm an aquarist, I raise white worms in a much smaller bin in my house in a closet. I mist them a bit with water every morning with a spray bottle and feed them some fish food. Once the colony is established you can harvest daily for your fish. My bin is slightly different, the only thing I changed is I have a piece of plastic over the top of the soil for easy worm harvest because they stick to it and I put the food directly under it. They eat the food completely every day. So if you aren't interested in garden worms and like fish its a cool thing to do if you feed live foods. My only "pest" is springtails. Which aren't bad because I also have living soils in my reptile enclosures and its a good source of food for baby frogs as well. I don't feex them anything I wouldn't feed my fish and they are gut loaded with nutrients.
Great video, but it bugs me tremendously that we didn't see you blend that last half cucumber. You threw it in the bowl, but when you're done blending, it's no longer in the bowl! That is not possible sir! You created a cucumber black hole in time and space. You must undo this before unimaginable plagues will lay waste to our lands. That is all.
Various specialists report that certain species have the potential to live 4-8 years. In protected culture conditions (no predators, ideal conditions) individuals of Allolobophora longa have been kept up to 10 1/4 years, Eisenia foetida for 4½ years and Lumbricus terrestris for 6 years.
Cat litter boxes and tidy cats totes are wonderful worm bins! I don't add holes to the litterboxes, but a ton of holes in the tidy cats bin. Rim, lid, and bottom, then a second container is on the bottom with a spacer to catch the liquid.
Always loved your videos on Composting, here's a tip if u consider it useful I feel lazy to chop watermelon peels and some other vegetables so instead of chopping them I put all my compost veggies in depp freezer overnight once they are nicely froen i take them out leave them in a bowl at room temperature squeeze them up and put them in my kitchen waste decompose bin and vermi bin.
I'm sure somebody is already mentioned it, but the average life of a earthworm appears to be about 6-9 years. So some of those original worms may still be in your Bins ,😀
This reminded me to order a pound of worms for the flow-through worm bin I'm building. lol. I made a small indoor worm bin last November and it's doing well, but with very limited space, a 33 gallon outdoor bin will hopefully help with my vermicompost needs, especially since I'm also limited for space for regular compost bins.
LOVE your channel & been watching a long time. Thank you for all the help Luke. Think you missed an opportunity to discuss the worms feeding in better detail, migration, harvesting, etc in more detail. Quick video update is cool and all, but also could discussed how many harvest there has been and how you use the casting. I put most mine straight into the garden or mostly finished compost piles to put them to work directly where they are needed the most. Hopefully you come back around to the worms to make more videos. Maybe a good project once the autumn frost moves in & we are inside more.
Thank you Mr. MI Gardener I am very new to the gardening scene as far as growing food I have been scouring the tube channels and internet for info as I am in the panhandle of Fla our summers are very humid and hot you see a lot of dried up gardens everywhere :( I love plants and fresh veggies so I wanted to grow my own but don’t want to make a lot of mistakes a few is ok but if I fail completely then my partner would not let me do it again. I have learned a lot from your you tube videos and appreciate all the info you share ! Thank you again I hope I can talk him into worm bins
A partner who would not "let you" do something in your garden doesn't sound like a supportive person in your life. My daughter had one of those and she's happier since his exit. Her garden is flourishing. Just say'n.
Here's an answer I found on worm lifespan - captive composting worms are living the good life! "Edwards and Bohlen suggest (based on the research of others) that wild worms typically only live for a few months, while those in captivity can live as long as 4-8 years (or more). According to one study, E. fetida was found to survive for 4 1/2 years, while another (soil-living) species lived more than 10 years!"
Aw, I tried commenting on the first upload about how around 10:40 there was a split second of footage with a still picture of you looking like you were about to drop a rap battle about gardening on us lol, but I see it's been removed. Great video though, I love your content and your attention to detail. Keep up the good work and keep spreading the positive knowledge!
Luke if you use the castings, how do you separate the baby worms and worm eggs? I never wanted to loose the babies so I never could get the castings out
If you feed on just one side and go to the other side on next feeding; the worm will migrate to the side with food naturally. Also, you can start a second bin with food, leave it on top of the old bin and the worms will crawl into it in search of food. You can put the bin under a light and the worms will burrow to the bottom of the bin that way you can scoop up the top part. Hope it helps!
I started an organic farm and started on farmers market so I am doing this professionally, your videos have helped me create huge watermelons on clay soil, so everybody were liked WOW. Anyway, from the internet information I cannot decide should I make traditional compost pile? or should I learn and base my farming on vermicompost? some people say it can harm the plants... but I am doing something similar to Charles Dowding and your techniques of course, and I will plant all year around to the same soil. So the soil will get weak so it needs the compost, right? What if I did both? vermicompost and traditional compost?
My compost bins have holes on every side and bottom and top I let the worms come and go as they please. and when ever I turn over the compost there are tons of them
Worm composting has been popular in Australia since I was a kid (probably longer) I remember my dad making a worm farm out of a wheelie bin when I was 7ish years old. (I'm 31 now) 😂
My worm bin is outdoors (covered) and has been invaded by large slugs. I pick them out regularly and the worms don’t seem to mind them. Any seas on how to cope with them, or doesn’t it matter?
I’m in Florida, zone 10b. Should I keep the bins outside or on my screen porch? The garage isn’t an option right now because it’s my husband’s wood shop! I notice yours is inside
Thank you for spending the time to post great material! I have seen a lot of different ways to get rid of fungus gnats. How do you get rid of your fungus gnats?
@@shanarhinehart1593 I put a mosquitoe dunk in a 5 gallon water bucket for few hours then I use that water for my plants. The BTi in mosquito dunks kill larvae so might take sometime before all your gnats tobe gone. You can also sprinkle some crushed up dunks on the soil.
Can we see your garden storage space? How much perlite/ vermiculite/peat moss do you keep on hand? Do you keep on hand wood for building? Or sticks, or extra bins? Liquid food? What do you keep on hand for your “ I need some” moments?
I had one and I added too much coffee grounds and the acid levels got off and the mite population got completely out of control. It was bad. I haven’t set one up since.
My worms are always crawling on the sides and lid of the bin. They can still have food left, but I don’t blend it. I wonder if they are hungry? Maybe to many worms in the bin? Visually have a lot more worms than you do in the bin.
There is a Facebook page about experimental worm fun. People do all sorts of things to see what worms like and don't like. It is a great worm topic resource. Many worm people post videos.
I've had bins for a few years now, I think you might be wasting your time blending. I don't blend at all, I just bury the food under the worm castings and put a little water on it. No issues at all. Coffee, cardboard, veggies, fruit.
I started a worm bin based on your design 3 years ago for gardening. It has saved tens of pounds of food/paper scraps from the dump and has fed my fishing and reptiles, which has saved me hundreds in pet food costs.
this is exactly what I will be doing Im kjust starting but hope it works out. my fear is getting bugs in the house any problems with that
@@joewright4263 I think some people have mentioned using diatomaceous earth around the base of the container to repel things like ants and roaches from entering.
Omg I watched you 4 years ago then kinda dropped gardening and now I'm back and I can't believe how much you have grown!!!
Grow big!
@@MIgardener hey! Where's my naked gardening day vidéo???
I Luv you channel!
To start my bins I had gone fishing and got red trout worms, which I later found out were red wigglers. I put the leftover worms from a dozen in a 2.5 gallon tote with some coco coir shredded newspaper and food scraps. Within two months I had two of those bins. Now I have a 35 gallon tote and an old 55 gallon trash can full of worms. All from the original less than a dozen and I started about a year ago. It's truly amazing how fast they reproduce.
I make food scrap slushies like that and just pour straight into my garden instead of composting. I've done this for years. Great for the worms outside!
Sandy Lewis How do you do your food scrap slushees?
@@jodimoney1345 I fill up the blender with food scraps, add water, and blend. There's your slushy -- pour directly into garden.
Brings alot of vermin though which isn't helpful
@@jessrouse8475 No, it's ok if you avoid meat and cheese. Also, keep working it into the soil.
"Long gone to the compost in the sky" 😂😂😂😂
I laughed so hard 😂😂 😂😂 😂
Me too it was a good one
It really helps to see how something has worked over time! I am so impressed! I think I will do this.. but i will put a screen over the vents to prevent flies and gnats and other bugs from laying eggs in there.
Can't wait to start one of these for my small garden. I've watched your first video on this. Thanks for this update.
Great follow up episode Luke. I am starting to recommend indoor worm bins to my customers here in Arizona. It is much harder to compost because there is not that many leaves although it can be done.
I use shredded newspaper as my brown material, its a good alternative when I lack other stuff. Just stay away from the magazine type paper because they are harder to break down and have too many chemicals in them.
Never thought to blend up the food scraps! Unfortunately, my worms disappeared (I think a mole may have invaded my bin as it was in the greenhouse and the top was open) but I plan to get another bin going this year. Great tips, thank you!
Average lifespan of a worm: 4-8 years.
Earthworms can live up to 15
@@killuminatepeacefulness3948 True, that's why I said "average lifespan".
That’s amazing!
@@killuminatepeacefulness3948 he said "average".
Not if they're used for fish bait.
im in a process of prepping my garden soil during this locmdown period.Unrooted the grass and transplanted them elsewhere,covered the ground with cardbox and lay my grass cuttings on it..I dig a new spot once in 2 days and put my blended kitchen scraps inside..Soooo many new worms have been born..Gonna keep doing this for a month and go pick the worms for my new vermicompost bin
Worms are such a valuable addition to the gardener's plan. Thanks for the update and all the great information you share! Happy growing this spring!
Thank you for all your work! The knowledge I've gained from you in invaluable!
Thank you for all your advice and help. You have helped change my life of gardening to a new level.
When do you know that your castings are ready to "harvest?" Also do you leave the worms in the castings? (Release them from indenture for a job well done, so to speak.) If not how do you remove the worms from their castings?
I've heard of freezing food scraps first before giving them to worms so that they break them down faster. I wonder how it compares, smoothy / popsicle / whole scraps?
You can even freeze the smoothies
I use my leaf shredder, toss in shredded leaves put the scraps on top of them cover with more shredded leaves to soak up the moisture. Had my bin going a year with 0 issues in the garage even through winter. Your video gave me the idea thanks my plants are reaping the worms hard work.
How cold does it get on your garage?
Should put a link of your worm bin video in the description!
Don't ever stop your vids! Love your work.
Yes please. I was looking for it. :)
My wife put a stop to the worm bins about 5 years ago. Now she wants to start again 😁
Thanks for the video.. i used a cat litter bucket and 4 dozen worms sold for fishing.. red wrigglers. Stated six months ago. Ther were probably close to 1000 worms when i harvested last month.
One question, how do you harvest worm castings? Do you have a video on that?
That Sir, is a solid blender. Tom Dickson would be proud!
Thanks for the information! I can see that I have mine too concentrated in the bin they have now. New weekend project!
Cool to see them run that long. Most any thing like food scraps go to dogs, rabbits, chickens and maggot bucket to feed the chickens. Worm bins are a very good method for people on small area.
I have a small garden outside my apartment and after this video will start my worm bed this weekend. Didn't know it was so easy.
LOL!!,, I do like you for being you for the honest speech and yes!,, helping others to learning thank youewa
I'm an aquarist, I raise white worms in a much smaller bin in my house in a closet. I mist them a bit with water every morning with a spray bottle and feed them some fish food. Once the colony is established you can harvest daily for your fish. My bin is slightly different, the only thing I changed is I have a piece of plastic over the top of the soil for easy worm harvest because they stick to it and I put the food directly under it. They eat the food completely every day. So if you aren't interested in garden worms and like fish its a cool thing to do if you feed live foods. My only "pest" is springtails. Which aren't bad because I also have living soils in my reptile enclosures and its a good source of food for baby frogs as well. I don't feex them anything I wouldn't feed my fish and they are gut loaded with nutrients.
I've never heard of a worm bin.. thanks for sharing..
You're really good at this youtube garden channel stuff. Always helpful, very clear.
Compost bin in the sky! I lost it!
Great video, but it bugs me tremendously that we didn't see you blend that last half cucumber. You threw it in the bowl, but when you're done blending, it's no longer in the bowl! That is not possible sir! You created a cucumber black hole in time and space. You must undo this before unimaginable plagues will lay waste to our lands.
That is all.
Bruh
@@christopherwood3793 ikr
I've only witnessed such an anomaly 1 time in my life... It caused many sleepless nights...
10 months later we have a plague. Surely I am reading too much in to this?!
@@craigmcneill3677 Oopsy....
It's a zero edge idubbbz 😂 top video btw
Various specialists report that certain species have the potential to live 4-8 years. In protected culture conditions (no predators, ideal conditions) individuals of Allolobophora longa have been kept up to 10 1/4 years, Eisenia foetida for 4½ years and Lumbricus terrestris for 6 years.
Cat litter boxes and tidy cats totes are wonderful worm bins! I don't add holes to the litterboxes, but a ton of holes in the tidy cats bin. Rim, lid, and bottom, then a second container is on the bottom with a spacer to catch the liquid.
Always loved your videos on Composting, here's a tip if u consider it useful I feel lazy to chop watermelon peels and some other vegetables so instead of chopping them I put all my compost veggies in depp freezer overnight once they are nicely froen i take them out leave them in a bowl at room temperature squeeze them up and put them in my kitchen waste decompose bin and vermi bin.
yep, thanks. Learned to blend food and not let large scraps sit in the bin.
I'm sure somebody is already mentioned it, but the average life of a earthworm appears to be about 6-9 years. So some of those original worms may still be in your Bins ,😀
This reminded me to order a pound of worms for the flow-through worm bin I'm building. lol. I made a small indoor worm bin last November and it's doing well, but with very limited space, a 33 gallon outdoor bin will hopefully help with my vermicompost needs, especially since I'm also limited for space for regular compost bins.
Great video. I have a ton of worms in my garden beds. I get so excited when I see them. 😃
I would LOVE an updated worm video!
LOVE your channel & been watching a long time. Thank you for all the help Luke. Think you missed an opportunity to discuss the worms feeding in better detail, migration, harvesting, etc in more detail. Quick video update is cool and all, but also could discussed how many harvest there has been and how you use the casting. I put most mine straight into the garden or mostly finished compost piles to put them to work directly where they are needed the most. Hopefully you come back around to the worms to make more videos. Maybe a good project once the autumn frost moves in & we are inside more.
Thank you Mr. MI Gardener I am very new to the gardening scene as far as growing food I have been scouring the tube channels and internet for info as I am in the panhandle of Fla our summers are very humid and hot you see a lot of dried up gardens everywhere :( I love plants and fresh veggies so I wanted to grow my own but don’t want to make a lot of mistakes a few is ok but if I fail completely then my partner would not let me do it again. I have learned a lot from your you tube videos and appreciate all the info you share ! Thank you again I hope I can talk him into worm bins
A partner who would not "let you" do something in your garden doesn't sound like a supportive person in your life. My daughter had one of those and she's happier since his exit. Her garden is flourishing. Just say'n.
Oh wow they might be the same worms lol. Red Wiggler's live 4 to 5 years.
I started a worm bin because of you.
Thank you for the vermiculture update! Best wishes from Kate in Olympia, WA
Here's an answer I found on worm lifespan - captive composting worms are living the good life! "Edwards and Bohlen suggest (based on the research of others) that wild worms typically only live for a few months, while those in captivity can live as long as 4-8 years (or more). According to one study, E. fetida was found to survive for 4 1/2 years, while another (soil-living) species lived more than 10 years!"
Thank you
Aw, I tried commenting on the first upload about how around 10:40 there was a split second of footage with a still picture of you looking like you were about to drop a rap battle about gardening on us lol, but I see it's been removed. Great video though, I love your content and your attention to detail. Keep up the good work and keep spreading the positive knowledge!
how do you harvest your compost from these bins?
I use the paper towel rolls you showed earlier with shredded paper.
Not sure how I got here but I am happy I did. Good video.
thank you
Pineapple has an enzyme that dissolves parasites (worms) - so I would eliminate Pineapple from the food scraps that feed your worms
Mine love it!
Yeah its a enzyme that break down meat protein I think, worms aren't parasites tough and if kept in moderation I'm sure they wouldn't suffer
Linda Stoops my worms handle it just fine! Moderation is key!
That enzyme also breaks down the inside of my mouth.
@@rudyperez9940 no wonder my tongue feels weird whenever I eat raw pineapple
Definitely need to check out your starter videos. Thanks
Luke if you use the castings, how do you separate the baby worms and worm eggs? I never wanted to loose the babies so I never could get the castings out
If you feed on just one side and go to the other side on next feeding; the worm will migrate to the side with food naturally. Also, you can start a second bin with food, leave it on top of the old bin and the worms will crawl into it in search of food. You can put the bin under a light and the worms will burrow to the bottom of the bin that way you can scoop up the top part. Hope it helps!
Check his older video, he sifts the castings in a 1/4 to 1/8" mesh.
Just did my first harvest! Only had them since January! I've already divided into two additional bins.
Love the update. Many ways to do worms and looks like your method has worked well.
Do you alternate the side you feed them on or should you feed on the same side every week?
He alternates
Thanks for sharing, you're a great teacher!
Congratulations friends for five years. Good video
I started an organic farm and started on farmers market so I am doing this professionally, your videos have helped me create huge watermelons on clay soil, so everybody were liked WOW.
Anyway, from the internet information I cannot decide should I make traditional compost pile? or should I learn and base my farming on vermicompost? some people say it can harm the plants... but I am doing something similar to Charles Dowding and your techniques of course, and I will plant all year around to the same soil. So the soil will get weak so it needs the compost, right?
What if I did both? vermicompost and traditional compost?
Any plans on doing another 5 year video on you compost worm bin?
I need to learn to quickly harvest my worm compost. I worry too much I am going to put my worms in my garden lol
worms are good for a garden
How does the bottom of your bin look like ? how many holes did you put in there, what did you cover them with before putting your soil down ?
My compost bins have holes on every side and bottom and top I let the worms come and go as they please.
and when ever I turn over the compost there are tons of them
Worm composting has been popular in Australia since I was a kid (probably longer) I remember my dad making a worm farm out of a wheelie bin when I was 7ish years old. (I'm 31 now) 😂
How to drain the liquid ? Do they produce enough to drain ? I want to get me a bin going for my Patio and Deck pots.
I just went back and watched the original video. Got my answer, on your video :
How to set up a cheap worm bin for less than $10
My worm bin is outdoors (covered) and has been invaded by large slugs. I pick them out regularly and the worms don’t seem to mind them. Any seas on how to cope with them, or doesn’t it matter?
Love your videos !! Can you repost the original set up of 5 years ago? ty
Can you do a video on harvesting worm castings?
If I do get mold in my compost, is it ok to still add the compost in the soil?
I’m in Florida, zone 10b. Should I keep the bins outside or on my screen porch? The garage isn’t an option right now because it’s my husband’s wood shop! I notice yours is inside
What about housing springtails in the worm bins to combat fungus and mold?
Great information
Nice video I have been thinking about starting a worm bin so this was good info. Thanks
Luv the idea
The great compost bin in the sky 😂
Thank you for spending the time to post great material! I have seen a lot of different ways to get rid of fungus gnats. How do you get rid of your fungus gnats?
That poor whole cucumber that never made it into a salad lol seriously the bins look great. One day I’ll have one
If I got slug in the bin, will that be any problem?
Can use things like ginger, lemon or turmeric pulp as feed for your worms?
Can you link the original video, haven’t seen it yet
How do you get rid of the gnats once they enter your worm bin?
My worms will not eat onions or garlic. How do you get rid of fungus gnats?
Ive used a bottle with apple cider vinegar and dish soap, with a cone of paper/cardboard so they can go in and not out.
Mosquitoe dunks will take care of your fungus gnats.
@@michaelcklo do you put that in water and then use the water yo moisten the worms? how would you use that?
@@shanarhinehart1593 I put a mosquitoe dunk in a 5 gallon water bucket for few hours then I use that water for my plants. The BTi in mosquito dunks kill larvae so might take sometime before all your gnats tobe gone. You can also sprinkle some crushed up dunks on the soil.
Use sand it acts like glass to the gnats and helps the compost
your first worm bin video is actually how I found you a few years ago. glad to see you're still in the worms
Yay! It's back.
Do you transfer some of the worms to outside compost to thin them?
How do you keep them warm in winter? We regularly get into the teens and sometimes single digits here.
I like using my paper shredder for my cardboard tubes... and cardboard in general.
Hello very good video, is it better to throw the crushed food on the worms? Will they eat it before? and produce more humus and faster?
Can we see your garden storage space? How much perlite/ vermiculite/peat moss do you keep on hand? Do you keep on hand wood for building? Or sticks, or extra bins? Liquid food? What do you keep on hand for your “ I need some” moments?
What about your worm tea? Don't you harvest that or do you just leave it in with your castings?
When you say sometimes you get mites in the worm bin if you over water, are these beneficial predator type mites?
My grandpa dug a pit and lined it with used bricks for a worm bin. He shovelled a bunch of rabbit manure into it and grew tons of worms.
Was it a cold climate? Did they survive over a snowy winter underground? Or would they need to go deeper as they do in the "wild"? 😊
Grandpa lived about 25 miles Southwest of Lansing. I was just a kid so I don't remember much about it.
Great tips
I had one and I added too much coffee grounds and the acid levels got off and the mite population got completely out of control. It was bad. I haven’t set one up since.
My worms are always crawling on the sides and lid of the bin. They can still have food left, but I don’t blend it. I wonder if they are hungry? Maybe to many worms in the bin? Visually have a lot more worms than you do in the bin.
There is a Facebook page about experimental worm fun. People do all sorts of things to see what worms like and don't like. It is a great worm topic resource. Many worm people post videos.
I've had bins for a few years now, I think you might be wasting your time blending. I don't blend at all, I just bury the food under the worm castings and put a little water on it. No issues at all. Coffee, cardboard, veggies, fruit.
do worms have adenosine receptors in their brains ?
So, where did you get the worms to begin with?