Worm bin issues.

You can get yourself a reasonably priced juicer for under 100 bucks. The juice is a great health benefit for you...and your worms will love all the left over pulp. I feed my worms the leftover pulp from my juicer along with rabbit manure and a lot of scraps similar to what @Richard Drysift listed that he feeds his worms.

I don't throw any citrus in the bin in excess but I do use lemons and oranges when I make juice sometimes and the worms don't seem to be bothered by it. I imagine if I threw in citrus peels the way I throw in carrot and apple peels though they would get pissed.

you need to get some fruits and veggies in there bro, your daily fruit/veg scraps work perfect you dont have to go out and buy stuff just to feed them. might as well buy the castings!! theyre very slow eaters too you wont see a difference in 2 weeks just feed them every week or 2 and forget about them. not sure how your bin looks but i would cover up their food with your carbon source ( bedding ) to prevent other pests from getting in there.. they can ruin everything.

my worms are all dead now but before they died they left me a good old pile of shit. left over seeds growing in there.... might end up with an apple tree lol.

Another thing to keep in mind is that worms don't like the freezing cold. Or really hot days. I think their tolerances are between 10°c - 32°c. Much further outside those and you start seeing a decline in numbers.

I'm assuming, since you said you followed Uncle Jim's directions, that you just used peat? My worms get off to a much quicker start in a new bin when the bedding is something that's already living. Leaf litter, lawn thatch, rabbit shit with the piss rinsed out, aged horse manure, and compost (some shredded cardboard mixed into the living material is good too) have all served me well. Straight peat and coco not so much. Seems to take much longer to get the ball rolling with dead material.

Tyleb173rd said:

Shit.....should I remove the bread? We have very little waste in the food DEPT here and I used the but ends of a loaf. No body eats that shit....lol

Click to expand...

nah, i like to let it get moldy, then put it in with the frozen re-thawed fruits, helps to absorb the excess moisture
bread disappears super fast if it soaked in rotten fruit juices...
mmmmm tastytime goodness

unwine99 said:

I'm assuming, since you said you followed Uncle Jim's directions, that you just used peat? My worms get off to a much quicker start in a new bin when the bedding is something that's already living. Leaf litter, lawn thatch, rabbit shit with the piss rinsed out, aged horse manure, and compost (some shredded cardboard mixed into the living material is good too) have all served me well. Straight peat and coco not so much. Seems to take much longer to get the ball rolling with dead material.

Click to expand...

damn good advice, shredded leaves and damp cardboard seems to make them hatch eggs like a mofo too

they sure like fig leaves lol some leaves they won't touch
my comfrey is getting big almost time to start taking leaves 4 da bin

Fastslappy said:

they sure like fig leaves lol some leaves they won't touch
my comfrey is getting big almost time to start taking leaves 4 da bin

Click to expand...

man i cut the leaves off the comfrey when they get about 12 inches long.
it really seems to almost "like" being pruned, almost like roses
i cut the leaves off as soon as they get big, and overnight the plant sends out a replacement
hearty plant
i wish cannabis was as resilient as comfrey

green_machine_two9er said:

Hey grease! As always full of great wisdom. I neglected my bin all summer. Getting ready to start a worm farm from scratch. Any advice on homemade option for larger scale and ease of harvesting castings on a regular basis.

Click to expand...

I will post a couple picks for u. Cost me 50 for a pure bred bunny and the rest was free stuff laying around, minus the wire, which is cheap

I also spent an extra 90 on worms so I could start with pounds of the babies

Capacity of 200 gallons and everything on wheels, allowing for leaf compost/mold and more to be stored and grown simultaneously while your bunny feeds on free carrot tops and converts them to your worms automatically

Any bin you want to harvest from or do a tea from, just starve it for a few days to a week, and they'll recycle and refine further
Room to grow sprouts above
And room for two layers of 4 bins, stacked underneath, each holding 25 gallons
Plop plop plop, all day

greasemonkeymann said:

damn good advice, shredded leaves and damp cardboard seems to make them hatch eggs like a mofo too

Click to expand...

I wouldn't use bread, either, for sure a good point, unless it was toasted and burned maybe like bio char

@Tyleb173rd ay bro Hit up the market and snap some carrot stems off, they let ppl take em for free. but i would not use cardboard or paper, unless in diar emergency with no transportation or store access

Grease uses so many good things that are super weapons it probably kiboshes any of the cons, of any of his inputs, like his wicked comfrey for example

coco fibre and alfalfa hay are pretty good replacements

Bails of a good size for $4 if you shop around and pick them up, about 60 lbs worth

That would fill several bins and eliminate the need to buy alfafa meal

I buy alfalfa in pellets organic too $14 40lb sack I use teas,soil,worms I rehydrate when needed
Easier storage than bale .the pellet process keeps it fresh longer ,but 4 me ease of use is the plus

DonTesla said:

I will post a couple picks for u. Cost me 50 for a pure bred bunny and the rest was free stuff laying around, minus the wire, which is cheap

Plop plop plop, all day

Click to expand...

I got dogs,Irish Terriers they hunt rabbit. So bunnies r a no go here

Nice bunny coup Don

DonTesla said:

I wouldn't use bread, either, for sure a good point, unless it was toasted and burned maybe like bio char

@Tyleb173rd ay bro Hit up the market and snap some carrot stems off, they let ppl take em for free. but i would not use cardboard or paper, unless in diar emergency with no transportation or store access

Grease uses so many good things that are super weapons it probably kiboshes any of the cons, of any of his inputs, like his wicked comfrey for example

coco fibre and alfalfa hay are pretty good replacements

Bails of a good size for $4 if you shop around and pick them up, about 60 lbs worth

That would fill several bins and eliminate the need to buy alfafa meal

Click to expand...

Thank you sir. I'm headed for groceries today and I'll be sure to ask. Great idea!!!!

Tyleb173rd said:

Thank you sir. I'm headed for groceries today and I'll be sure to ask. Great idea!!!!

Click to expand...

Ask what they do with rotten produce as well! Some stores will send not so ripe produce to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen but not every town has those and some stuff is too far gone. That'll make great free worm food for you.

i love the bunny! whats his name? Also, worms love coffee grinds! Call your local starbucks or dunkin donuts and have them set aside a bag of grinds for you, I guarantee your worms will love it. You put all the food on one side and put newspapers or coco coir to fill in the other half so they can sleep in when they are not feeding. Also save all your eggshells, dry them and crush them into fine powder. Pour the powder over the food and the calcium will make the worms breed like crazy. Always keep the bed perfectly moist too if possible.

jucee said:

i love the bunny! whats his name? Also, worms love coffee grinds! Call your local starbucks or dunkin donuts and have them set aside a bag of grinds for you, I guarantee your worms will love it. You put all the food on one side and put newspapers or coco coir to fill in the other half so they can sleep in when they are not feeding. Also save all your eggshells, dry them and crush them into fine powder. Pour the powder over the food and the calcium will make the worms breed like crazy. Always keep the bed perfectly moist too if possible.

Click to expand...

Thanks!!!!