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/3Xs1eGe 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 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 Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n 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: GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa 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

I’m so glad you checked!!! You’re very welcome 😊 Fluff it often so the heat escapes

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so lucky you commented on the first video! 1500-2000 thank you's from each and every worm!🪱🪱🪱

@indianfarming3436

2 жыл бұрын

I like vermicampost In India is very popular

Rice would be good in the winter, I would suspect. Thanks for the vid ;-)

@Vermicompost

11 ай бұрын

Absolutely, when used in a big enough bin like this it can be like a little centralized heater for them!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment!!🪱🪱🪱

Absolutely. Rice is super amazing to add to any compost. Great video❤

@Vermicompost

11 ай бұрын

Thank you!! I love adding the white rice we get from Chinese food take out into my regular compost bin!! So cool how it is the perfect incubator for microbes, fungi etc!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

Great experiment! Using rice may be beneficial for those cold, winter days. Putting rice on one side of the bin would be interesting to see how they react with warm/ cold days. Thanks for sharing!

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I always appreciate your comments! I definitely learned a lot looking back at the first video...I'm pretty sure I'm 80% the cause of the heat. Feeding on the side is a great idea, the worms would have a perfect temperature & food gradient for each of their individual needs/desires. Next time I'll try not to make a perfect hot compost pile in the middle of my worm bin!🪱🪱🪱

104 !! I swear when you broke the rice ball open at 2:31 mark, steam came out !! Aggressive fluffing!! We all knew you were going to feed them 🤣 Awsomeness brother Cheers J&C 🪱🌱🪱

@Vermicompost

Жыл бұрын

Oh yay...almost had to call the fire department!! Much aggressive fluffing to get rid of the heat and give the worms a chance to eat it all. I could not resist...had to add some food!! You're getting into the more modern era!!🪱🪱🪱

@clivesconundrumgarden

Жыл бұрын

@@Vermicompost slowly but I like the anonymity of the oldies !!

Rice would be handy added to compost rolls in winter to keep the worms from freezing. I`m going to give it a go.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Of all the things I've fed them, rice heated up the most & fastest. I think rice added to compost rolls with enough space so they can stay in the temperature gradient they like, is a great idea & should work well in the winter. Thanks for taking the time to comment & watch! Let me know if it works well for you when it gets colder🪱🪱🪱

Been away for a while. Good to know that rice can heat up. Always interesting.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Good to have you back! Next problem to solve is was it me or the rice? When I look back at the first video it looked like I was making a perfect hot compost pile...Probably should have put the rice in alone or off to the side. Thanks for watching!🪱🪱🪱

I love how you're always experimenting with the worms. I don't really feed my worms rice but it's good to know it heats up in the bin. Thanks for sharing.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I think it was about 20% the rice and 80% how I put it in the bin...almost like I was building a hot compost pile when I rewatched the video...Learning is definitely taking place here! Thanks for watching!🪱🪱🪱

@indianfarming3436

2 жыл бұрын

I like vermicampost In India is very popular

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

@@indianfarming3436 That is fantastic! I think it is becoming more popular in the United States as well. Thanks so much for watching!🪱🪱🪱

I saw somewhere where they blend the rice to powder. Then sprinkle it thinly so it doesn't clump together. He was using it as grit.

@Vermicompost

Жыл бұрын

Grinding up rice would be a good way to get them to consume it super quick!! It would probably take away the heating as well as it would be super obvious if we were over feeding!! I'm not sure how useful it would be as grit because as soon as it encountered any moisture it would become super mushy. Thanks so much for watching and sharing how you saw dried rice blended up for a worm bin!!🪱🪱🪱

I have a couple containers that I fill with rainwater and keep in the freezer. If I lift the lid and I feel warm air escape I put an ice 🧊 and it cools them down. No one ever told me to do it, but after 12 years I think you just get a feel for it. I think you are doing great 👍

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

I've always felt experience is the key to learning and you long time worm farmers have a lot of knowledge. When I look back at the video I did a pretty good job of making a hot compost pile right in my worm bin 😳 Thanks for all your support and for watching!🪱🪱🪱

@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920

2 жыл бұрын

@@Vermicompost Absolutely! Love your enthusiasm 🪱

@beesandseeds

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, I didn’t realize rice gets so warm. We do the same, one end of the bed gets fed. We use rectangle bins with a lot of room to move around but I’m wondering if rice could be an answer to keep them warmer whe the temps dip 🤔

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

@@beesandseeds It's worth a try if they have the room to get away from the heat 😀

@dogindiabeast

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful.idea I will try it I like to feed them And don't want to slow it down. But need to manage the heat. Perhaps experiment with bedding as well

With rice or mashed potatoes I tend to spread thinly and blend with bedding, then add veggies.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

That sounds like a good way to go with it...I really made a good hot compost lasagna right in the middle of my worm bin! I will definitely be trying your method in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting!🪱🪱🪱

I never realized rice will cause heat. Wow. Glad your worms didn’t die.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! After I looked back at the video I think the heat was 80% caused by the way I built the feeding zone, almost like I was building a hot compost pile. The bin is big enough that they have a place to go where it is cooler but I think in the future I'll feed them rice on the side, on it's own, and maybe on the top without burying it. All lessons learned from a bunch of the comments below. Thanks for watching! I look forward to your next time lapse video!🪱🪱🪱

@WormsvsTHEWORLD

2 жыл бұрын

@@Vermicompost that makes sense. And new time lapse will be out on Thursday.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

@@WormsvsTHEWORLD Awesome! 🪱🪱🪱

I feed brown rice but mix it in with the other foods so I do think it has a chance to heat up. They do seem to love brown rice. Thanks.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

That is a good idea, I should give mixing it in a try! I also haven’t tried brown rice but I’ll have to give them some next time we have left overs!! Thanks so much for watching and letting us know how you use rice in your bins!!!🪱🪱🪱

Hav3 u tried raw blended rice, I've been doing it without it heating up. Love the video cheers.

@Vermicompost

Жыл бұрын

I have not, but I have some left over take out rice, that has been sitting in my refrigerator for about two months...so It is completely dried out...maybe I could blend that up and give it a try??!? Thanks for passing on the tip!! & of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Good try friend Informative video Tips is also useful

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much 🙂 🪱🪱🪱

My suggestion is put the rice only on the surface and to one side. Never mix in any starches they will definitely heat everything up

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic advice! If that was a hot compost bin I'd say I did a pretty good job🤪 I'm definitely learning by doing with a little help from my friends! Thanks so much again for saving the day!🪱🪱🪱

@TheGardenAndWormLady

2 жыл бұрын

@@Vermicompost you’re welcome, I’ve killed a few worms through the years 😆🪱 But I’ve learned

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheGardenAndWormLady 😀

@indianfarming3436

2 жыл бұрын

I like vermicampost In India is very popular

I found worms in my baby bin down along the sides at the bottom. Definitely moved away from warm area with fresh food

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Good News! Good Luck with them!🪱🪱🪱

I usually feed on only one half of the bin to allow the worms enough room to get away to the other side. If you have too much in the middle, then they may not have enough room to get away and feel safe. If you leave the rice in a shallow dish to dry out more, I think you may have less heating up. Another great option is to precompost the food with prepared bedding several days in advance of feeding it to the worms. You can use an old cooler or bucket to do that, and then easily feed several bins really quickly. You can also wet down some large pieces of corrugated cardboard and kinda put it in to be a heat barrier. They love crawling in the large cardboard pieces, and they are easy to separate from the material when you harvest, as well as they will likely be all over the cardboard that you can pull out worms too.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Great ideas! I may try the feeding half idea and check population and temperature in different areas for fun. I'm definitely learning by doing as I make mistakes and you all help me out 😀 Ironically the rice was on the drier side and I soaked it in water, I did a pretty good job of making hot compost😂 Thanks for watching and for all your tips!🪱🪱🪱

@WDWormsnGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I agree it's a good idea to have an area in the bin where the worms can escape to.

@indianfarming3436

2 жыл бұрын

I like vermicampost In India is very popular

All do posting on plant obsessed Oh the mysteries. I love the idea of experimentation My baby bin with its new center feeding spot with cardboard around wetted cardboard around definitely heated up and I had fed it heavily. No worms were found anywhere in the bin I haven't looked everywhere but Now in the big bin which seems stable and not heated cuz I hadn't put any food in had a worm ball underneath the lid on the top in a handle area it was a big worm ball who knew knows why they got up there where they were going where they trying to get out were they looking for food there's no food up there I should have photographed it before I took it down I pushed them down into the not into the bin but onto the surface of the of the I'm wondering if I need to deal with better bedding

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

I have found bigger bins, like my Outdoor Bin, have an easier time adjusting to my mistakes (too much water, over feeding, etc.) Little bins can be tough because the worms don't have a place to go to escape any of my misdeeds. If your bin is new it really does not need much food. Feed them a small amount and check the feeding zone about 4-5 days to see if they have consumed it. if they have, give them a little more. I use shredded card board (from boxes) soaked in water and wrung out and a few toilet paper rolls for bedding and have had no issues. You can also put a handful of your garden soil in the bin to inoculate it with microbes. Contact me at my e-mail on my channel if you have a photo of the bin you want to pass on. There are a lot better people to help diagnose a problem but I'll see if I have experienced what you are seeing. Thanks for commenting! Good luck!🪱🪱🪱

Good experiment. Thank you. What type of fabric are you using for your worm bin.and do you have any holes underneath the bin. Thank you. South Africa

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

The fabric seems to be almost like felt. I purchased a pack of 5 twenty gallon grow bags for pretty cheap on amazon. They seem like they would be easy to make myself if I knew how to sew better. I did not create any holes in the bin however I have seen worms squirm through the stitching and there are some holes tiny holes from me not being gentle with it when I was growing plant in it. This is probably my easiest, most forgiving worm bin. I keep it outside in the Florida heat where the average high temperatures are in the 90's F (32 C) for around 4-5 months a year. Thank so much for watching all the way from South Africa!!! 🪱🪱🪱

I love it! Great bin! Is that a Smart Pot that you are using? I still have a few of them but keeping anything outside here where I live is a bit of a challenge. I just started my ANC bins on SEP 1 and the first feeding I gave them included Rice. The secret to using rice is to let it set and get a bit of microbes on it for a few days (assuming you have a place you can sit a carton of it outside and undisturbed).

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It is a 20 gallon fabric pot I found on amazon for cheap (came in a pack of 5), I could probably make one if I knew how to sew better. I was amazed how much mold had formed on the rice, none was present when I put it in (It would be interesting to start an IMO collection in a worm bin). Sitting the rice outside for a few days is a great idea, especially for a new bin I would think. Unfortunately, when I look back at the first video, it looks like I made a perfect little hot composting pile in my worm bin...definitely some user error contributed to most of the heat.🪱🪱🪱

@NorthernThaiGardenGuy

2 жыл бұрын

@@Vermicompost Don't beat yourself up. We all do it. Wait until you see my Bioremediation Stage 3 video. Wanna talk about a mess? ;)

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

@@NorthernThaiGardenGuy Looking forward to it!!!🪱🪱🪱

I haven't really enjoyed outdoor worm bins until I saw you do this one. It makes me wonder how deep the bedding would be in that bin and is the bottom of it flat or tapered at the lower end ? Would it be OK to keep a worm bin on the 2nd floor in Minnesota on a deck? It gets pretty cold here, so maybe not...... And would it be productive (eating and breeding) and active during the really cold part of the Winter, or would it be just a time where they would be kind of dormant...or worse yet, dead??

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Great question! I don’t have a lot of experience with cold weather and outdoor worm bins but @Thegardenandwormlady keeps one outside that is open to the ground on the bottom. I believe she says the worms flee or die off and the cocoons repopulated the bin each winter. The good thing about this bin is it is portable and flexible if you want to dump it out into a tote in the winter and fold up the grow bags to store. Here is a video of me dumping out the contents: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pZp5p6uPmZvaqJc.html I keep my outdoor worm bin directly on the ground which helps to keep it cool in the summer & warmer in the winter. I think being out on the second deck in Minnesota would make it super cold 🥶 the bedding is at most halfway full so I have room to fold the flaps down. I believe the affiliate links in the pinned comment has some of the grow bags and their measurements. Thanks so much for stopping by this video to watch!!!🪱🪱🪱

Hey Patrick! Do you reckon I could add some rice to my worm bin in winter to warm up my worm bin? My bin is 60litres - 65cm x 45cm x 32 cm deep, and is sitting in an unheated garage.

@Vermicompost

Жыл бұрын

Great question! I think that is a large enough bin to add rice to warm up your bin. You want to have enough room for the worms to flee the area where the rice is, if it gets too hot. It would be good to check the bin twice a day for temperature to make sure it doesn't run away from you. When I know we are going to have a bit of a cold spell I'll feed them some food I know will heat up a little. If you want to see how the worms flee warm/hot food check out this double wammy in my VermiHut where I gave them a feeding that heated up and my air conditioner broke in the heat of summer: kzread.info/dash/bejne/kZp-sMlpXZS-ZrA.html Thanks so much for asking a great question and thanks for watching!!

I'm in Australia, can you please explain what your grit actually is. I use coffee grounds and crush egg shells when feeding my worms. Thanks. EnjoyIng your videos too.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome from Australia 🇦🇺 The grit I use is just dried pulverized egg shells. I use a magic bullet small blender/coffee grinder to pulverize it almost to a powder. I add some every feeding and the worms seem to use it & spread it around pretty good. I never find clumps of it in one spot. Thanks so much for watching!!!🪱🪱🪱

@indianfarming3436

2 жыл бұрын

I like vermicampost In India is very popular

Definitely starch heat up

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Yep! A little bit of extra learning going on in that experiment! Thanks for watching & commenting!🪱🪱🪱

Odd, My worms love cooked rice. I just dump a load in a mass, it gets mouldy underneath, the worms congregate around that. The same happens with uncooked oats. Worms supposedly dont like carbs, but the only carb i wont put in my bins are bread. When i put in bread i got soldier fly larvae. Nothing wrong with having them in your compost, but they are highly visually unappealing. I can grab a handful of worms, but grabbing a handful of soldier fly maggots is a different story

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Yes BSFL can give some people the creeps for sure!! My worms loved the rice eventually after it cooled down. I’ve put it in, in the winter with no heating problems and I spread it out a little better. I’ve found that my worms like carbs in moderation and the even ate spaghetti and other pasta pretty quickly!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with rice, bread & other carbs in your worm bins!! And of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

Is the rice you give your worm cooked?

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, It was cooked and had been in our refrigerator for about 7-10 days. I think I added some water to try to get it even softer. Thanks for the question and for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

I have been having heating issues when I put food in there must be a lot of biological action happening I'm still not sure I've got a perfect mix of bedding because initially I had a lot of overheating and it was just paper shredded with some coconut choir I made a second bin and put a few worms on the edge where they like to be and I fed last night just a little bit not a lot some and sure enough the bin is warm I wonder if other others have heating problems when they feed thank you

@dogindiabeast

2 жыл бұрын

I love the cardboard and will experiment to see how they are attracted to it. Most of my bedding is shredded cardboard. I am going to start adding dry lily flowers

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

There are some good strategies for making sure your worm bin does not heat up in the comments below. As long as the worms have room to get away from the warmness you should be ok, 104 was very excessive, but momentary high 80's when other parts of the bin are in the 70's for red wigglers should be fine. I would keep testing different positions for you feeding such as in a corner or on the side and maybe mix it around after a couple days to dissipate any heat. We are definitely not the only ones with heat problems in our bins 😀 Thank you so much for watching and commenting, I know I learn a lot from peoples' comments and suggestions.🪱🪱🪱

You hot composted your bin where you fed. You needed a lot more bedding/carbon for the amount of nitrogen rich food.

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

You are exactly right! After I looked back at the video I realized I made a perfect hot compost pile lasagna right in the middle of my bin 😀 Thanks for watching and commenting! I learn so much from folks like you who take the time to comment. I will up the bedding in this bin and harvest more castings for sure.🪱🪱🪱

No way

@Vermicompost

2 жыл бұрын

Way! 😄 Looking back I basically made a hot compost pile in the middle of the worm bin…I don’t blame the rice as much as I blame myself🪱🪱🪱Thanks so much for watching!