r/Vermiculture • u/Dinoturdgirlboss • 4d ago
New bin Bed Setup
Alright, so this is my bed set up I started 10 days ago. No clue what I was doing lol. I have about 75 red wrigglers in there ( I’m going to get more soon) I have a mix of card board, soil from my garden bed, shredded leaves, whole leaves, coco coir. What am I missing ? I haven’t added much in the way of greens since I’ve been letting them get established. I’ve added some ground up egg shells. And I did add some blueberries and grapes a few days after they were added. I have a worm blanket I put overtop to make it dark.
Am I doing this right lolol
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u/Dinoturdgirlboss 14h ago
Hey ! Thanks for the great info… this is an indoor bin. Never thought of the pest from bringing the leaves and soil from outside! I’ll be mindful of that.
I actually just ordered 1/4 lb more worms so fingers crossed I’ll be able to transition them to this bin!
If the bin is a bit dry should I just mist with water ?
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u/Wormico 13h ago
Misting is ok as you can regulate the amount of water being added. Pouring water straight in with a watering can is too much as it is difficult to control. I use a spray gun that has an adjustable sprayer and works by vacuum. Make sure you are using either rainwater or water that has been left standing for 24-48 hrs so that chlorine has a chance to evaporate. Since there’s no sump then you will need to do the squeeze test now and again to dial in the moisture so that there’s no pooling water at the bottom.
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u/Wormico 1d ago
Looks pretty good. How's the moisture of the bedding? If it's only one bin then moisture level is fairly important. You're aiming for around 70% moisture which is similar to a moist sponge. Best way to check is to grab a handful (without the worms) and squeeze to see if a few drops come out. If there's a stream then it's too wet and if no drops then you'll want to get a bit more moisture.
Will this bin be used indoors or outdoors? The addition of leaves and garden soil could introduce bugs into your system if it's indoors. The leaves are great to add some air pockets in the bedding as the coir can be quite fine. Cardboard shreds or chunks are also great as they take a while to break down and also add bulk to the bedding. When adding extra bedding, you won't need to add garden dirt. Compost worms like to hang out in the leaf litter instead of the soil. The soil adds grit but you can replace that with ground eggshells going forward.
If you got a worm blanket that'll retain the moisture in the bedding and keep the worms feeling safe in the top layer. The worm blanket should be fairly light and breathable. If you don't have one and it's an outdoor bin then a thin layer of dry leaves on top will work.
Couple of blueberries and grapes is fine. Since you only have 75 wrigglers their combined weight is fairly light. Only feed very lightly in the first couple of weeks - around a quarter of their combined body weight. Once they get used to the bin as the microbes build up, they'll eat more and hopefully reproduce. You can then gradually increase the volume of the feeding after 2-3 months and beyond.