Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel! Worm Bins I use: Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3w15lQt Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT 20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO Other Worm Bins: Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4 Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP Equipment I use: 12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade) Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Wrigglebrew Worm Casting Tea amzn.to/46PhV2A Food Dehydrator amzn.to/3O5Uj2H Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1 Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6 Other useful equipment for worm farming: 5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184 Cameras & camera equipment I use: Insta 360 ace pro amzn.to/3vgdmR8 Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80 Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6 4 Ocean bracelets I wear Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx Books on worms & worm farming Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2 Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com

Thanks for the reminder to blend when I have more scraps than I think the worms can get through. Giving them that boost toward digestability would go a long way

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Absolutely!! Spread out frozen then blended food is really the best formula for helping the worms eat faster!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment Linda!!🪱🪱🪱

Worms love the smooth style of feeding. Major casting production and egg production this way also.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Yes!! When blended and spread out there is no stopping them!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and share your experience with blended food!!🪱🪱🪱

Having more creative fun with a worm bin, someone else would say, "get a life", not me. What really opened my eyes to vermacompost, was a microscope. Just for $hits and giggles I take a peak to see what is living microscopely within the worm castings. It is really cool to see a nematode thrashing around, or a micro arthropod present itself like a T-Rex in a microscopic world. Ultimately, this is why I raise worms. All the banter of raising worms sometimes is lost, it is to reclaim our soils with the biology, nutrition and enzymes are soils are lacking for our plants. Really enjoy your journey with the worms, so cool. Posted a video on my new channel about my CFT bin kzread.info/dash/bejne/fWVnmtGElZCbcrQ.htmlsi=y7w4hGv0B1bbF1gJ Let me know what you think. Stay Well!!!!!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Awesome Brian!! So glad you are back to making videos for us on your new channel!! That DIY CFT you made looks awesome!! Really great modifications with the extended base and wheels! When I was getting my biology degree many moons ago I learned that nematodes were about to pass arthropods as the largest phylum of animals (by individual numbers) on earth...but I think they just keep discovering more insects to keep ahead!! I've owned many microscopes over my lifetime and I'm in a period without one right now!! This is a good reminder I need to get another one!! Thanks so much for all your support and great input Brian!!🪱🪱🪱

Great video, as usual! It doesn't surprise me that the blended food went faster than the whole food. Same principle in a compost bin- smaller pieces of material make the bin work faster. I gotta say, I loved the arrows pointing out which food the worms were eating next. Really helped me see how things were working in the bin! I don't blame Autumn one bit for threatening to put you and the vermihut out of the house. It seems from the sneak preview that the worms weren't going for the shrimp tails very quickly this time. I hope for her sake that it doesn't stink up the house! 😂 Can't wait for the final verdict on this timelapse. 🪱 Hoping I can get a vermihut set up in the next few weeks! Thanks for all the inspiration and knowledge.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the great feedback with regard to the arrows, I'll be sure to use them in my next time lapses. I really thought that big blob would negate the surface area principle by jelling together and letting anaerobic conditions take over inside before the worms could get to the center, but clearly I was wrong!! Even still, the parts that I did spread out went super fast so in the future, when I blend, I'll be spreading it out. Always good to experiment to find out!! The lid of the VermiHut is an absolute champ!! Our weiner hound, who can sniff out any food anywhere, especially meat, hasn't gone near the worm bin...but when we lift the lid it smells like a seafood dumpster😂🤣🤢 I'm actually surprised at how fast they appear to be eating the shrimp shells...they are moving them all around and almost burying them??!? It should be a fun one when we string it all together!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leave a helpful comment Amber!! You're gonna love your VermiHut!!🪱🪱🪱

Love your time lamps videos 🇳🇿🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by, watch & leave a nice comment!!🪱🪱🪱

Amazing! Very telling. Thanks

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and pass on good feedback!!🪱🪱🪱

I love your dedication

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I appreciate the great feedback!!🪱🪱🪱

Looking good! 👍🪱🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Ann!! I appreciate the good feedback!!🪱🪱🪱

Always most interesting experiments.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Joe!! It's always fun to see what the worms do!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & comment!!🪱🪱🪱

Great information, I blend my worm scraps, but lately I have just frozen them, thaw and feed to worms! Ground egg shell is fantastic too!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I also like to store my food scraps in the freezer and then take them out while I'm setting up to let them thaw a little...it is amazing just how much freezing the food scraps helps the worms devour them!! Of course blending is even better but with 4 bins it is hard to find the time (or the patience)! Ground egg shell is a crowd pleaser in my bins as well!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

I was just wondering if those shrimp shells were going to be stinky when you mentioned leaving them on top! :0 I have to admit that I don't blame the executive producer one bit for treating to send you and the vermihut to the doghouse! ;) Thanks for all the time and effort you guys put into filming the time lapses/experiments. I love watching those!! :)

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Lisa!! We appreciate the kind words!! We are on day 7 now (my video editing got backed up) and the VermiHut lid is working unbelievably well!! We have a weiner hound and she sniffs out any food, especially meat, and she has not even gone near the worm bin!! But unfortunately we are reminded how bad old shrimp smell every time we lift the lid😂🤣🤮 Thanks so much for all your support!!🪱🪱🪱

Always enjoy the time lapses 🪱❤

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! They are fun (for me) to put together!!🪱🪱🪱

Yoooo !! You didn't pin your comment. It's like forgetting the amendments at the end 😂 If you open that lid with the Exec in the room, you might not have one in the future lol ! Have a great weekend!! 🌱🤞👍🤜🤛

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Oh man!! Thanks for the heads up!! Not gonna lie, it smelled like a salty sailor was hiding in there with dead fish in each of his pockets!! Luckily the lid did an amazing job of keeping the smells inside...not even our weiner hound knew there was something fun and gross in there!! Thanks for the heads up and thanks so much for watching J&C!!🤜🤛🪱🪱🪱

I have found that egg shells go first in my bin too. Thanks for the content!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That's great to hear someone with experience finding the same thing!! I've tried to make excuses that maybe it was just randomly sticking to them or fading away as it got some moisture on it, but after seeing it disappear so fast over and over again, I'm convinced they love it!! Thanks so much for sharing what you've seen in your bins and of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@SteveEaton

6 ай бұрын

I am experimenting with wood ash right now. Wish me luck :D @@Vermicompost

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

@@SteveEaton Good luck and keep us updated on the results!

My worms love shrimp shells! I do bury them, though 😂 I added some mussel shells for the first time a couple of weeks ago as a source of chitin and calcium. I was surprised to find the worms love them as well. There were more worms hanging out in the shells than the feeding zone and a bunch of cocoons! 🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That is fantastic to hear!! I've buried shrimp shells in the past and they always disappear before I can check on them so I figured lets catch them in the act!! So far I am very surprised at the results...the worms went right for the shrimp shells and they seemed to be doing a little dance as I have started stringing the time lapses together! I'll have to throw in some mussel shells whole next time I get my hands on some! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Heather!!🪱🪱🪱

@heatherbagdasarian3656

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost haha, can't wait to see the dancing time lapse 🦐🪱 I'm sure the mussels shells will be around forever, but I don't mind. The worms seem to be enjoying them, so I guess they'll just be a part of the worm tower landscape

@chngdbygrace

6 ай бұрын

Did you do anything to prep the mussel shells?

@heatherbagdasarian3656

6 ай бұрын

@@chngdbygrace I steamed the mussels and removed the shells. Then I rinsed the shells. I tossed any shells with sharp edges.

@chngdbygrace

6 ай бұрын

@@heatherbagdasarian3656 how many worms did you have and how long did it take for your worms to clear them?

Gotta love a little Autumn vs Patrick/worms action! My bet is always on the Executive Producer. The salty seaside smell will subside soon (there's a tongue twister for you)! ~ Sandra

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That is the safest bet ever!! We are on day 7 (got backed up on editing) and it seems we have gotten the salty sailor to take a bath...it only moderately stinks when we lift the lid...but those first few days were doozies!! Luckily you can't smell a thing when the lid is on! The VermiHut and I may actually get to sleep inside!! Thanks so much for watching Sandra!!🪱🪱🪱

Hi Patrick and Autumn, great video as always. I really enjoy watching the time lapse vids. Looks like the next one should be good too, if not a tad smelly lol. Executive producer is going to ban you from having any indoor bins. Have fun, Mark : )

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Thank you Mark!! The first several days were rough…I even started getting tent ready, but the smell subsided after a rough few nasty smelly days!! Thanks so much for watching!! So glad you’re enjoying the time lapses!!🪱🪱🪱

I enjoy these time lapses a lot. I’m pretty new to this and learning all the time. Is there a reason that sometimes the food is buried and then sometimes left on top like this? It probably doesn’t matter, as long as they’re fed. I’ve watched some people feed just on top and was wondering if there was a better method or if it depends on the type of worm bin. I’m 53, but I’m in the ‘baby’ learning stage of vermicomposting, so thanks! 😄

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I only feed on the top to do the time lapses and get a glimpse at how they eat. Normally all my feedings get buried so the worms can get to the food from all angles and so other critters can't sniff the food out. It's a fast learning curve with vermicomposting so you're gonna be an expert in no time!! Thanks so much for dropping by to watch and ask a great question I'm sure others have as well!!🪱🪱🪱

I was shocked how fast shrimp shells disappeared in my bin. Just a few days. No smell. Baked and left semi-whole. Just added more today. Crab shells too, the softer parts.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Awesome to hear from experience! I bet if I baked these they would go faster. So far about a week in the shells are about half gone and what is left is almost clear! I need to try crab shells next time I get my hands on some. Thanks so much for telling us about how your bins attack shrimp & crab shells and of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Have same bin. Installed an aeration tube in center of trays so air can flow to all trays. Blend food and noticed all is consumed within 2-3 days if spread over each tray

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That's pretty cool! Is it a small tube or did you modify the trays? Spreading the blended food is the key!! The spread out sections went super fast in this time lapse!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

So are you sleeping outside yet?😂 Nice avocado shell experiment Patrick. I have started the count of my Vermihut. Now I have to get back to it 🤦‍♂️😉

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Surprisingly, despite being well prepared with equipment and knowledge, having raised three Eagle Scouts, the VermiHut and I have not had to set up tents outside😂🤣😂 I can't wait to see the final count of your VermiHut after starting with 350!! Thanks so much for watching Rick!!🪱🪱🪱

@GardeningwithBarchuckin

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost I’m getting counts from each level. 😁 still more counting in the harvest tray and I haven’t started the feeding tray yet. 😅

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Oh wow!! That is epic!!!

@GardeningwithBarchuckin

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompostprobably not doing this again 😅😮‍💨 Glad to see how many worms are in the tower though. 😁🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

My feelings exactly! I'm so glad you did it on behalf of all of us, so we can all know how many are in there!

My worms love Mushy food. ❤️

@nickthegardener.1120

6 ай бұрын

The way my teeth are I will soon 😮. I'm trying to pluck up the courage to get them all replaced. 😬 👍👌❤️🤠

@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920

6 ай бұрын

@@nickthegardener.1120 I'm sorry. I hope you find the courage ❤️

@nickthegardener.1120

6 ай бұрын

@@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920I'll get around to it. Next time I get toothache I'll be straight down the dentist or get a gizzad implanted 🤣😁😬❤️👍

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

😁 Yes they do!! I love to see all the things you come up with to feed them!! Thanks so much for all your support Peggy!!🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂 A gizzard implanted...that is hilarious Nick!! I'll save some extra egg shells for you!!🪱🪱🪱

I have a magic bullet blender that I blend my food in, and I put banana peels, egg shells, bread, lettuce, and anything else you would feed into it first to break it down and my worms go through all of it in about 4 days. Even the slow food like banana peels will be gone super fast. The added surface area vastly speeds up the process. Its great for large amounts of food that needs to go fast.

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

That is fantastic! I had no clue how fast it sped up slow foods until I did this experiment! I really thought leaving it in a big blob would slow things down despite the surface area as it fermented but the center big blob beat out all the slow food! Thanks for passing on how you feed your worms Michael!! And of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Oh no I hope you didn't have to stay outside with your shoulder booboo. 🎉🎉 Can't wait for the update.😁👍🏼🪱

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂 Luckily the smell went away after a few days...but this shoulder is really throwing me for a loop!! I have 3 videos to edit and haven't been able to spend more than 5 mins a day editing...uuuggghhh!!! Thanks so much for watching Ann!!🪱🪱🪱

@PlantObsessed

5 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost time to get an executive editor 🤔🪱😁👍🏼

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂

❤👍Hope all is well.

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Thanks Tory all is well, I just had shoulder surgery about a week and a half ago and I'm recovering from that. Something that's been bothering me for years, and I just had to finally get it done because the pain was too much. I'm in a sling for six weeks so it's been hard to edit videos and we might get a chance to see the executive producer digging in here soon!! Thanks for checking in on me!!!🪱🪱🪱

@tory464

5 ай бұрын

❤️👍I want too see her squeeze stuff and try too hit you.🤣Just kidding. OR AM I ??✌️

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

I definitely deserve it after everything I put her through!!😂🤣😂

When I had my worm bin. I use to cut up zucchini slices lay them in top. They would be gone rapid speeds, about 2 days. The weird thing is they weren't rotten zucchini either freshly sliced. My raised beds have worms in them, I'll try it again this year with them

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That's pretty cool!! They must be able to get through the flesh easily. All the squashes are a fan favorite in my worm bins!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with your worms and of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@IAmHumanJake

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost yeah was most exciting when seeing this. Can't believe I just now seen your videos. Great stuff

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

Awesome so I'm going to go ahead and resume my frozen smoothie feeding. I did it twice and held off because of fermentation but now I will resume it since it's too cold and it won't last long. By the way since all the worms I got from Uncle Jim were blues, I purchased another vermihut and ordered pure red wigglers for it who are coming in a couple days. Is it a good idea to borrow one of the already inoculated trays from the first vermi Hut or there could be blues cocoons already there? I don't want to mix the two. Thanks!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

If you don't want to mix the two types of worms, I would not borrow an inoculating tray from the other. I'm always surprised to see worms in even the driest of trays and the blue worms cocoons are so hard to see. The blended food I spread out was gone in no time!! The blob still took a while, but it sure did beat the beat and the pomegranate skins even though it contained equal amounts of them!! Thanks for stopping by!! I'm so glad you're enjoying worm farming!!🪱🪱🪱

My bin loves lobster shells!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Oh wow!! Do you put them in whole or grind them up? That is a lucky worm bin you have!!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Hello! I follow your channel since long time ago and I love it. Thank you for showing us all of this. Regards from Barcelona. I think that the blended food experiment is not quite as scientific as should be to determine if it's convinient to blend the food or not. It's pretty obvious that a blended food would dissapear first when you feed animals with no teeth but, in order to know how much it's better, the test should be done with no choice beetween each kind of food. First one option and then the other one. Or even better at the same time but in a two different bins with the same environment and ammount of worms.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Hello from Barcelona!! Thanks so much for all of your support! That is so true about this experiment. I fed them some very long term foods and some super fast foods at the same time and blended them all together as well. That clearly helped out the beet and pomegranate skins but it may have slowed down the lettuce in the blended side. Sounds like another fun experiment, but all with one food type, is on order!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment!!🪱🪱🪱

Do you have a video of starting a fresh bin by taking worms and castings from an existing bin?

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Yes I do! My Tiny Worm Bin is a bin that I harvest and restart about every 5-6 months. It has about 1,000 worms in it. Here is the bin of me starting it the last time: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h6d8lc1yYq7Oico.html and here is the video before that when I harvested the castings and counted the worms: kzread.info/dash/bejne/p3xn2rKsabebo5M.html I have a playlist of all my worm bin starts here: kzread.info/head/PLimznaPXKV09VLDzBAl71EZhmiBGmIMUN I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Hi Patrick I don't have time to blend but I'm lazy 😂.🤠👌👍💩🪱💪 Vermihut camping for you 😂

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Lazy worm farming means efficient worm farming in my book!! With the amount of worms you have I think it is impractical to blend when they will eat it all up anyway! Luckily I raised 3 Eagle Scouts so we have plenty of tents and camping gear for me, the VermiHut and the smelly shrimp shells!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment Nick!!🪱🪱🪱

Thanks for another awesome video! I got my vermihut two weeks ago and started with 2000 red wigglers. I’m hesitant about adding citrus, but I love clementines and hate to throw out the peels! Should I wait a little longer until my bin is established to add the clementine peels, or am I okay to start adding a little bit at each feeding? Thank you for all the information you share! Your worms are lucky to have you!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for the kind words!! I think you are ok to put a tiny piece of clementine peel in to see if they go for it. You started with the perfect amount of worms in my opinion! You will start to see them consume more and more food as the weeks pass and pretty soon you'll get an absolute worm population explosion!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

Can you and or the executive producer please make a full vlog style video on how to start a worm tower? Looking at the worms to buy at whichever widely available store(s) sells them. As well as how many to buy, and which species. How to acclimate them to room temperature, without half of the tub dying ( I speak from experience 😑) Looking for a low cost shredder. Which types of paper and cardboard shouldn't be used in a worm tower. And old pantry items food be worm chow. I'm asking a lot but my worm tower has been sitting empty since I was given it around...a year ago.

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

We've actually created a video on how to start a worm tower about a year and a half ago. The key, I have found, is to start with very little food and with about 1000 to 2000 red wiggler worms. Overfeeding is the number one issue with new worm bins and red wigglers are probably the easiest compost worm with the whitest temperature range. Here is that video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mWmHw8lwZbKniLw.html the only difference I would do than what I show in this video is I would add at least one tray underneath that feeding tray with just dry shredded cardboard. Here is a video that shows you how I rotate my trays that will help you understand why I put dry shredded cardboard as a tray underneath the feeding tray: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ioJ7lstxmbvJj8o.html Here is a link to the shredder that I use: amzn.to/3xYZKYu whatever you end up getting make sure it is 12 sheets so it can cut through corrugated cardboard and Micro cut so the shreds are as tiny as the ones you see in this video. You can use just about any kind of dried goods from the pantry that is expired just watch out for salt content. Here's some videos of me experimenting with some different pantry items: kzread.info/dash/bejne/maBkm5aTms61oJs.html & kzread.info/dash/bejne/m2h8u7SGpKfYe7g.html & results kzread.info/dash/bejne/p2152Y-Opc-rado.html I'm so glad you're not giving up and you're gonna give it a try again!! The most likely causes of new worm bin failures are over loving and too few worms. When you start with more worms, it's harder to overfeed, which is, like I said, the number one cause of failed warm bins, and when we check on them often we tend to overfeed. I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching our videos!!🪱🪱🪱

@tiffany7023

5 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost Thanks I'll try once it warms up here. And I'll be sure to let you know, if they make it.

I dehydrate then blend all worm food it works better even egg shell

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That's a fantastic technique!! I sometimes do that in my Tiny Worm Bin to help dry it out as the bin gets close to harvesting. Thanks for passing on how you feed your worm bin so others can learn & give your technique a try!! And of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Blended food is small bite size for the worms. Just started a indian blue culture with blended food. I learned here i should not overfeed a starter.

@Vermicompost

2 ай бұрын

That’s fantastic!! Yes, the number one problem with new worm bins is too much love in the form of overfeeding. The fermentation and ammonia rotting food can produce will really send the worms fleeing or worse kill them! Thanks so much for commenting and of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Blended is always faster! What happened to all the worms that crawled out??? I don't suppose I'm the only one asking. If you do a time lapse like that again, first take a spatula (That Very soft, one that. came with the trays) and clean off the castings and stuff from the sides of the inside of the bin. I think that might help. Keep up the good work patrick.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

No worms were harmed in the making of this film😂🤣😂 When I lift the lid occasionally a worm will fly out and some that are making the transition from the side to the lid get left in limbo...which is what you see as them trying to escape. Autumn and I always look all around and push any on that lip back into the bin before we put the lid back on. Because the light drives them down quickly I don't try to get them back into the bin or I would miss all the action. I only film for 1 minute so it's a quick situation for them! That is a great question Cookie, like you said, I'm sure lots of other folks are wondering the same thing!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

If the follow-up video to this experiment begins with you & your VermiHut out in the yard in a tent, then we'll know right away that the shrimp was too stinky to keep inside - haha! That blended mound of food got consumed so fast - very cool to see :)

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂 Autumn and I just both just laughed out loud after reading your comment!! That would be a hilarious intro!! Thanks for the good laugh & thanks so much for stopping by to watch AV!!🪱🪱🪱

@A-V

6 ай бұрын

:)

That looked pretty definitive that the eggshells where not just getting shifted around and lost under castings. It was also interesting to notice that error there was food in both sides the activity levels were about the same. So maybe it's possible to rule out advanced communication or communication that travels very far, as well as to much migration once a food source is found. There was something else but i forget One thing that i have noticed with some of the time lapse videos from worms vs the world and others, they film at an angel it from the side. The different angels allow you to see the worms push up and build up a mound of castings around the food item. One thing that might help is if you made it ask the company that makes Vermihut if they with make a transparent red lid. Growing up everyone said if you wanted to catch worms for fishing you need to take a red light out at night. I add a bunch of worms to my dirted aquarium in the hope that if i kept the water well oxygenated they would live, but that they would help keep the substrate rich with nutrients rather than waiting 1 to 2 years for stuff to diffuse and sift through the sand back into the soil substrate. They did well until they lost weight and the goldfish realized they could eat them, and that they could swim with half a worm hanging out of its mouth. At night i would use a red light to film them on the surface and in the substrate near the glass and none of them ever fled. A red transparent lid should allow you to record the worms without having to remove the lid and for longer periods than just a minute. This would also allow for you to see more of their travel and behavior around feedings... Like do the go and eat and then randomly just leave like they are full or do they stay in place until the food source is gone and then look for something else, do they have something they are eating on and travel straight to a different food source or do they seem to randomly zig zag around until they bump into something else. I have seen time lapse videos in which they used clear containers and got plenty of activity with light, but with your time lapses you can see when that minute is about done because the number of worms progressively drops...

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Yep, I'm convinced that they really are attracted to the egg shell grit...just too much evidence to prove otherwise! Time lapses have been my nemesis; I really want to make good ones without attracting insects or my dog, but I haven't figured out a good way to do it so I end up stringing together these 1 minute at time deals. The red transparent covering would be a great solution! Eventually I will figure it out, but I like your idea of filming at a shallower angle to get some depth. Thanks so much for all your insight and taking the time to jot it down for us!!🪱🪱🪱

@chngdbygrace

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost I just happened to encounter the information, and information should be free for whoever wants it. I think even a clear lid would work if the lighting stayed consistent. With the worms sinking with every filming session it is hard to make the argument that they don't travel any where else once disturbed rather than just coming back up to where they were...

How do you decide when to remove the castings for use in your veggie beds? How do you know if there are still cocoons to hatch. (I am yet to spot any cocoons in my castings)

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That is a great question!! For this VermiHut it is on time. Each of the 4 trays sits in each position for about 60 days then gets harvested. So one tray lasts on the system for about 240 days but I get castings every 60 days. But my trays start on the system as completely dry shredded cardboard trays, it does not typically take 240 days from start to finish for worm castings. My Outdoor Worm Bin just continually runs and I sift out worm castings as needed. It took about 4 months from start to get to the point when I could sift out castings. My Tiny Worm Bin is the bin I have to use my eyes to be able to tell. I also use time, it typically takes 5 months from start to finish. You will notice a worm bin start to have more castings than bedding at about the halfway point, then the bin starts to retain moisture almost too well as the castings build up. At this point you can try to feed less juicy foods, but keep up with the bedding. After about another month stop feeding bedding and just feed dryer foods like worm chow or fast foods like strawberries and lettuce. When it seems like the bedding is mostly gone and you have dark rich humis, you are ready to sift and harvest! But if you need the castings, you can sift a bin at anytime to try to get what is in there now and dump the rest back into the bin!! Even with the best sifting you'll have some cocoons and worms in your castings. I put mine in storage and try to bait them out: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iXeZ2LyLgNi_pco.html Blue compost worms have timey cocoons so they are hard to find. Once you see a red wiggler cocoon for the first time, you'll start to see them all the time😁 Here is a video of them hatching: kzread.info/dash/bejne/gaSXz7CtlpDLZpc.html I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Great video man. Would you recommend the vermihut to a beginner?

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I think the VermIhut is probably the best worm bin for a beginner that just wants to get started right away. It comes with everything you need except for the worms and you know I got your back with that! Check out this video of me and Jeff restarting his VermiHut, basically the same as starting it from scratch: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mWmHw8lwZbKniLw.html Thanks so much for checking out my channel and watching this video. I really enjoy your channel and Instagram!🪱🪱🪱

I have a vermibag tote and a 360 (Just ordered a vermihut). I froze, then pureed my scraps. Since it was so wet, I had a fine mesh bag and squeezed out most of the liquid. I put some of this into a paper egg carton (3 sections) and buried it. My bin was seeming a bit on the dry side and had to give it a spray. I am wondering if I should not try to get that liquid out. The food is still moist, but not very wet.

@Vermicompost

Ай бұрын

I think you're gonna love the VermiHut!! I'd be interested to get your opinion on the 360 versus the VermiHut after you have run it for 6 months or so! I'd say you are fine to just put the puree in without straining it to get some of the moisture out. I would add more dry bedding then pour the puree over it. I have found it fairly easy to control moisture with dry bedding but if you are close to harvest and want to kinda "dehydrate" the puree it sounds like that is a good way! As long as you don't overfeed and you add bedding every time you feed, moisture control kind of takes care of itself! With one caveat...with a new bin it kinda needs damp bedding since there aren't too many castings yet that help retain moisture. I hope this help!! Thanks so much for watching Mary!!🪱🪱🪱

@marytalcott1531

Ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost Thank you! I have pored over so many sites and videos and I have yo say yours are the most helpful. (I will not be traveling with my worms, but that was one of my favorites! )

@Vermicompost

29 күн бұрын

😂🤣😂 Traveling with them is a bit much, I know!! Thanks so much for the kind words!!

I wonder if you could put some activated charcoal inside the lid liner to help with odor control?

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

That is a really interesting idea!! The coco coir mat that is up there is actually doing an amazing job!! Even our weiner hound hasn't figured out that there is something nasty but yummy in the worm bin! I do have activated charcoal from my fish tanks but it smells like I won't be needing it! Thanks so much for the suggestion and of course thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@teetwo56

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost if a wiener dog’s nose hasn’t picked up a scent, you’re good to go!!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂

In regards to your cardboard bedding or bedding in general: Are the ink and dyes harmful to the worms? Would recycled copy paper with black ink be acceptable bedding?

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

The inks and dyes are not a problem. They are soy or vegetable based. From what I understand they did away with heavy metals and other toxic chemicals in dyes in the 1970's. I occasionally use office paper but I find it gets matted down in my worm bins, so it is good to mix it in with some shredded cardboard to help air get in between the layers. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching Brian!!🪱🪱🪱

What can I do about the trays staying really moist? I just came across these videos and it seems in order to get to what ur stuff looks like I’d have to dump everything and start over. Pls send suggestions.

@Vermicompost

4 ай бұрын

If you have a VermiHut like I do then it may be helpful to set up your rotation like I do in these videos: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ioJ7lstxmbvJj8o.html & kzread.info/dash/bejne/kamGtNKwisaziLA.html I find that having dry shredded cardboard trays on the bottom helps to distribute the moisture. The other thing you can do is leave your harvest tray out in the open air for a few days before you take the castings out. I definitely don't think you need to dump everything out and start over...worst case scenario just add some handsfull of dry bedding to each tray you find too moist. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@ursula7678

4 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost Really love your video's especially the time lapse. Well, I couldn't stand it any more so I revamped my trays more like yours and so far I'm happy. Now I have new dry shreaded boxes in the bottom, the next tray up has shreaded boxes that I started 3 weeks ago that are moist, next tray up are all the worms and compost and same at the top. I fed the top tray which I think will be there 3 more weeks and then I'm going to move it down one and start the clean out process you use. I really appreciate all the info and will follow your method more closely after the clean out. FYI, I bought my farm on Marketplace with worms and everything. I might have been better off starting new rather than doing that cause I didn't understand the process and realize now I have to be more patient. Thanks again for your help and reply.

@Vermicompost

4 ай бұрын

Ironically if I could do it all over again I would love to have an up and running system full of microbes. Of course I would change up the rotation right away but each worm bin is a learning curve and you will learn how to tweak your system into perfection as you go!! It sounds like you are off to a great start!!

It’s interesting that worms would eat harvested beets but not beets that are actively growing, I presume.

@Vermicompost

4 ай бұрын

That is eaxactly right! If compost worms ate living plants I have a feeling we'd have desert landscapes everywhere!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

4 ай бұрын

I just checked out & subscribed to your channel and realized it is about growing plants in the desert...that was after my 😂🤣😂

@OfftoShambala

4 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost oh thanks for scribing… I was in Phoenix and have virtually all my gardening experience there, I’m now in Chino, CA which is a desert, but not as extreme as Phoenix … there are strawberry fields everywhere here. 😉

Hello Very interesting experience. I've occasionally mixed the food, but I quickly noticed a significant increase in humidity in my worm bin. Have you observed the same? Also, I'm not sure if it's related, but it led to a mite infestation. Since then, I avoid blended food. What is your opinion on this ? I'm curious to see if the worms will consume shrimp carcasses, likely providing a good amount of calcium and more. Thanks for all your highly interesting and informative content.🤚

@julianperez7387

6 ай бұрын

installed aeration tube similar to those who use hardware wire in compost to increase airflow and haven’t experienced that since in vermihut

@paulhauchon2265

6 ай бұрын

@@julianperez7387 It's a very good idea... which I hadn't thought of, and indeed, could clearly work well. Thank you very much

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Hello! Yes, mites do like increased humidity and a slightly lower (more acidic) pH both which can occur form overfeeding which is super easy to do with blended food. The VermiHut does a great job of keeping the humidity perfect, but as with any other worm bin, if you feel like the bedding is too wet then you may want to keep the lid off for a few days. Or you could keep the lid off and lay a piece of newspaper across the top. I don't mind seeing mites in my bins as long as I don't get a huge population explosion of them. When that happens it usually means I have been overfeeding my worms. The other thing that can be happening is your bin has passed the halfway point with regards to casting production. Worm castings absorb and retain moisture super well, so as the worms produce more castings, the moisture level increases. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for the kind words and thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

👍 Thanks for passing on your tip!!🪱🪱🪱

@paulhauchon2265

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost Thanks for providing such detailed information, it helps me better understand what's happening in my worm bin. And thanks for all your highly educational content🤚

Can I ask you a question? It feels like you're giving your worms everything. Also 'forbidden' things like onions and citrus fruits. What about aloe vera? Have you tried this before? I've had my worm bin for a few days and have too many aloe vera plants. Can I give them to my worms? I would be very happy about an answer. 🤗 Thank you for all your great videos . I am watching since hours and days and nights all your worm videos and cant stop 😅

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching my videos! Yes, I see a lot of things that say different foods are forbidden for worm bins, but really compost worms will eat just about anything that was once alive and is now dead. It's just important to feed these 'forbidden' foods in moderation or very little at a time. The worms tend to eat them a little slower so they can build up in a bin and cause fermentation or off gassing. I have fed my worm bins, aloe vera plants and I made a couple videos on it. Here they are: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qWamkrSag8XAqLg.html & kzread.info/dash/bejne/ioSlmqVuZbO2dag.html since your worm bin is so new, I would hold off on feeding them aloe leaves right now, and just concentrate on giving them very little amounts of food until you can figure out how much they like to eat. Overfeeding is actually the number one problem with new worm bins. After a couple months and you get a feel of how much your worms eat let them have a little bit of aloe leaf and see how they do! I hope this helps! I'm so glad you're enjoying my videos, thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@JennyKylie

5 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost This really helps me a lot. Thank you very much for the quick, detailed and very helpful answer. Thanks also for the links, that makes it a lot easier. I haven't been able to watch all 333 videos yet 😁 but I will. It's so interesting and my boyfriend now has to watch worm videos every day too 😁 🪱🪱 I will also film my experiences and upload a video in a few weeks of my self-built worm tower and how my worms are doing 😁

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Please apologize to your boyfriend for me!! 😂🤣😂 My early videos are a little tough for me to watch, but I've learned a lot about editing, sound, and lighting since then! Thanks so much for giving it a go at watching my 330+ videos! We really appreciate it!! I'm looking forward to watching your videos I have subscribed to your channel!

I have a question? Can you give earthworms crushed waste in a mixer? It is a mixture of various waste.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

As long as all the crushed waste is from plants and animals, meaning it was once alive, then you are ok to use it. Just keep out any plastic or metals. If it has bits of bone or meat, then be sure to bury it deeper in you bin so it doesn't smell. I hope this helps! thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@KoLuX57

6 ай бұрын

I mean grinding plant waste in a mixer to make it easier for earthworms to eat this food.@@Vermicompost

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

@KoLuX57 Oh yes, like from the garden? Absolutely! I just fed one of my bins carrot tops with all the greens still on them. It will be in an upcoming video.

Curious, Do you use a lid on your traysystem? I was wondering that becauae I'm testing a commercial wormbin in France (eco-worms) and there are no holes in the lid. When I see other commercial stuff on the internet it looks like more systems have no air circulation. I'm after a few hours testing at the point going to drill holes in the system.

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

Yes, I use the lid that came with my tray system in the Vermihut. It has about an inch of depth to it and inside you place a coco coir mat that comes with it. Here is 2 videos that show you what the lid looks like on the inside if you haven't seen it already: kzread.info/dash/bejne/faWVpNmAfZands4.html and kzread.info/dash/bejne/iXd62alqfbq8cbw.html I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

@Versbreizh

5 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost I have several hundreds kilos of worm working great in my farm in bigger systems. Was just testing some commercial crap and was flabbergasted that there were no airholes in this one. Poor worms.

@Vermicompost

5 ай бұрын

You're right that is really surprising that there weren't air holes!!

My friend "juices" and gives me the pulp. That stuff disappears FAST

@Vermicompost

Ай бұрын

Yes!! That is fantastic! My worms have loved pulp from my juicer in the past, this is a good reminder for me to dust off my juicer for me and my worms!! Thanks so much for passing on your experience & of course for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

So what is the work chow

@Vermicompost

17 күн бұрын

Great question! Worm Chow is the name given to ground up carbohydrate-ish food that we add to our worm bins. For me I just check my pantry for old expired dry goods like flours, oats, old cereal, seeds, nuts, etc. that I grind up in my magic bullet blender then lightly coat on the top of the feeding. It's just another way to get rid of old food stuffs and feed the worms. So people have specific formulas for thier worm chow but I just use what I have available. It is important not to feed a lot of it to you worms because it can ferment in their guts and cause string of pearl disease where they get trapped gasses and their bodies bloat into what looks like a string of pearls instead of a worm. Unfortunately it is always fatal, but also always preventable! I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Thank you for doing this experiment as I requested 🥹 I was always debating on how I should feed my food to worms, and these results definitely helped me get a better understanding! Unfortunately I don’t have a blender that I’m willing to sacrifice 😂 but it could probably be worth the investment for the worms and my garden!

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

You're welcome!😁 Blending is the way to go if you have the time, but be sure to not overfeed. I use a cheap magic bullet blender that I also grind my coffee beans and egg shells with: amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 ...not sure if that would be helpful for your situation? I was really impressed that they even ate the super long term food like beets and pomegranate skins when blended up!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leave a nice comment!!🪱🪱🪱

@LuvaGurl808

6 ай бұрын

Yes, I use a coffee grinder to grind some chicken feed (for worm chow), eggshells, bone meal, and other pantry wastes. I also tried blending some veggies with my BlendJet & sure it helped but my blendjet was constantly pausing & giving me the red blinkers for some reason so I stopped using it & it didn’t properly blend the food so I was back to feeding my worms chunks of veggies 😂 but freezing & thawing seems to work as good as blending!

How many worms are in your bin.

@Vermicompost

Ай бұрын

I estimate I have around 4,000 to 5,000 red wiggler & Blue compost worms in this system. I started with about 2,000 to get it going fast! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Stinky shrimp. 🙂

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

You got that right!! I may have reach the limit of the Executive Producer's tolerance for my experimentation!! Thanks for stopping by AJ!!🪱🪱🪱

@AJsGreenTopics

6 ай бұрын

@@Vermicompost 🤣

Seems stupid to me. Of course the blended (broken down) foods didn't take as long. Normally the worms have to break their food down. If you break it down for them, that eliminates the longest step out of their process.

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Yep, the greater the surface area the quicker it goes! But in the past I have run into problems with blended food going anaerobic and fermenting...almost as if breaking it down and jelling it back together in a big blob slowed things down. Obviously the blended spread out food went super fast and the blob took much longer, but it really stole the show by allowing the pomegranate skins and beet to get eaten! It's fun to experiment to prove the obvious and not so obvious wrong sometimes!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment!!🪱🪱🪱

The time lapses are terrific. In one of my systems I didn't freeze the pomegranate skins and had to break them apart to small pieces and eventually they all went. Who knew. Blended was so effective?? 🪱🪱🪱🪱

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Mikko!! That is so crazy about pomegranate skins...they seem so fleshy and mushy but man, my worms want nothing to do with them!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

@SharynS.

6 ай бұрын

Blended is acting like digestion here. They prefer it (and the soft parts of the banana) so that the energy from the food gets in them faster. It’s like having an extra mouth and stomach in front of your mouth

@Vermicompost

6 ай бұрын

I’d be two hundred pound heavier if someone blended up all my food and it eat just as tasty!!😂🤣😂 Great explanation of what is going on!!🪱🪱🪱