Setting up a European Nightcrawler (Eisenia hortensis) vermi-composting bin

As promised, here is the way my European Nightcrawler bin is set up. I apologize for the overall quality of the pics, my only functional camera ATM is my iPad lol.

First thing you need to do is purchase two steralite storage bins of the same size. I use the ten gallon size.


Then drill or melt two rows of ventilation holes around the top of one container (top pic) and one round of drainage holes in the very bottom of the same container. I used an electric drill with, I think, a 3/8" bit but you could melt the holes with a soldering iron or a screwdriver heated on a burner of your stovetop. Be careful!


And the drainage holes...


The next thing you will need to do is prepare the substrate/ bedding for your little dirt makers...
A simple recipe I use for preparing a brand new bed is as follows:
Fill the bin approximately 1/4 full, about half way to the ventilation holes, with shredded newspaper, cut up egg crates, (the fiberboard ones not the styrofoam ones), paper towels, cardboard, toilette paper rolls... You get the idea.


Just for fun, this is what it looked like before I shredded it lol.


Since I can only load 5 photos per thread, I will continue this in the next post.

Once you have the bedding/ substrate shredded up we need to add a few things. Add about two cups of organic compost and two cups of organic potting soil or topsoil. I use earthgro composted manure and earthgro topsoil. You can use whatever brand is available so long as you make sure it has no added chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, or vermicides. I will also usually also add a pretty good helping of USED coffee grounds. If you don't drink coffee you could probably get some used grounds from a local Starbucks or fast food restaurant. Kind of stir it all up so the soil and compost is distributed pretty well throughout. The soil is more important, in my opinion, then the compost. The worms need the dirt for their gizzards. (Yep, they have gizzards just like a bird, and consume the dirt and coffee grounds to help digest their food.)

The next step is to moisten the paper. Add water in a little ad a time stirring it around until all of the paper is DAMP, not wet.

Now add food. Pretty much any plant based food item is acceptable. Vegetables, paper goods, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds.. You name it. You don't have to use edible portions either and your worms actually will prefer the food you put in to be past what would be considered edible.

Here are some snacking sweet peppers that went bad before I could eat them. I don't know if you can see the mold spots and decaying bits on some of them. Molds and funguses are fine in there too, the worms will eat that too. This pile is what I fed them today. If this was a new bin with only one pound of worms I would add much less.


In the past I've added mango seeds, which then sprouted in the bin and I was able to then plant... Corn cobs, veggie peels, left over hot cereals, dry cold cereal, pasta, moldy bread, unsalted nut shells, potato chips, fruit peels, plant trimmings, grape vines, apple cores, small bits of wood and wood shavings, cereal boxes, paper towels, etc etc. some things take a really long time to break down, but they'll get it eventually lol.

Things to stay away from.. Don't add them to your bin at all: shiny paper goods, like magazine pages or flyer inserts from your newspaper, oils, dairy, animal fats and proteins, onions, garlic, hot peppers, high sodium things. For instance I WOULD add cool ranch Doritos, I would NOT add salt and vinegar flavor chips...

Take your food items and bury them to about the middle of your substrate layer in a couple of spots and the interior of your bin is pretty much finished until you add your worms but you don't want to add them for about a week, this is a good time to order them though..

Next find something to use as risers in the bottom of the other container that you didn't put holes in. Here's what I use:


They are little bottles I get medical grade saline solution in but any similar size sturdy item will work. Place them in the four corners of your un drilled tub, like so:


You can hot glue them down if you want, I'm going to on my next build. Place your prepared bin inside the other bin on the risers and voila, you have a composting worm farm.


You can even stack them...


Still continuing to the next post....

My worm bin, at about 4 months old, has been harvested and had my worms put in a new bed about a month and a half ago and this is what they have produced again already:



I've stirred them up a little so you can see them. They are very photo-phobic which means, if you don't know, that they do not like light... at all. I don't think that pic is close up enough but there is tons of ootheca in there along with baby worms right on up to the adults. The Eisenia hortensis (European night-crawlers) are bigger then Eisenia fetida (redworm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm, red wiggler worm, red californian earth worm.. to name a few of the common names for them). They also eat a lot more, but are slower to reproduce. My bin, as of today's date, weighs 18 pounds. This is counting their castings, (which I'm almost ready to harvest again only one month after my first harvest), and the worms. Pretty impressive for a humble little pound of worms in only four months time!

When you add your worms put a thin layer of dry shredded newspaper on top.

That's cool. I've looked into black soldier fly composting but I can't seem to attract them. Worms might be the way to go. Is there anything organic that shouldn't be put in with them?

Just don't add papaya seeds. Unless you really really want a zillion papaya trees and every inch of your compost loaded with seedlings.

I don't think anything is off limits as long as it's a plant based material... you CAN add onions, garlic and citrus but the worms tend to avoid them they don't care for those things very much, although the citrus peels are more palatable to them as long as they're kind of rotten already. If you do add citrus peels, onions, garlic or hot peppers, add them very sparingly.

---------- Post added 09-01-2014 at 03:05 AM ----------

The Snark said:

Just don't add papaya seeds. Unless you really really want a zillion papaya trees and every inch of your compost loaded with seedlings.

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no worries.. LOL if you don't take the little seedlings out they will die and the worms will eat them too.. LOL!

I wonder if throwing in a peach pit or plum pit would germinate?? hhmm....

ratluvr76 said:

I don't think anything is off limits as long as it's a plant based material... you CAN add onions, garlic and citrus but the worms tend to avoid them they don't care for those things very much, although the citrus peels are more palatable to them as long as they're kind of rotten already. If you do add citrus peels, onions, garlic or hot peppers, add them very sparingly.

---------- Post added 09-01-2014 at 03:05 AM ----------



no worries.. LOL if you don't take the little seedlings out they will die and the worms will eat them too.. LOL!

I wonder if throwing in a peach pit or plum pit would germinate?? hhmm....

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I would suspect just about anything would germinate. The environment is ideal. That made me think of a possible no no for the worms: euphorbes. Probably a good idea to exclude milk sap plant material just to stay on the safe side. Many of them pack a toxic punch. Certain plants have evolved ways to exclude competitors from their space, even to the degree of poisoning beneficials like worms. A variety of privet comes to mind and several euphorbes, especially the spurges.

The Snark said:

I would suspect just about anything would germinate. The environment is ideal. That made me think of a possible no no for the worms: euphorbes. Probably a good idea to exclude milk sap plant material just to stay on the safe side. Many of them pack a toxic punch. Certain plants have evolved ways to exclude competitors from their space, even to the degree of poisoning beneficials like worms. A variety of privet comes to mind and several euphorbes, especially the spurges.

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good point. didn't think about that stuff... lol

Awesome thread! I don't have the space to do this now but it's easy enough to remember the steps. Will definitely be setting one of these up in the future!

Mike41793 said:

Awesome thread! I don't have the space to do this now but it's easy enough to remember the steps. Will definitely be setting one of these up in the future!

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My husband and I live in one room... The worm bin doubles as a nightstand next to the bed.... Truly, this takes almost no room.

ratluvr76 said:

My husband and I live in one room... The worm bin doubles as a nightstand next to the bed.... Truly, this takes almost no room.

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Planning on moving soon, so I won't have room to take it with me. Is more what I meant.

gothcha.. well, book mark it haha!

Already subscribed so I can't lose it!

gah, I over watered a little and added some moist food items.. the bin got a little too damp and a bunch of them started climing the walls LOL. Have to keep the lid off for a few days, let it dry out some. As long as I leave the light on in the room they are in they will not try to get out since they won't come out of the dirt if the light's on.

ratluvr76 said:

gah, I over watered a little and added some moist food items.. the bin got a little too damp and a bunch of them started climing the walls LOL. Have to keep the lid off for a few days, let it dry out some. As long as I leave the light on in the room they are in they will not try to get out since they won't come out of the dirt if the light's on.

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Oh well. I suppose we need to report you to the authorities: Keeps animals so poorly they climb the walls to escape.

The Snark said:

Oh well. I suppose we need to report you to the authorities: Keeps animals so poorly they climb the walls to escape.

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indeed. LOL!

By the way, there are moisture and temperature meters available very cheap to help you monitor your kids and compost.

I'll check it out but it's really easy to adjust honestly. Plus, they weren't quite drowning or anything and I check them frequently to make sure they're ok.

ratluvr76 said:

I'll check it out but it's really easy to adjust honestly. Plus, they weren't quite drowning or anything and I check them frequently to make sure they're ok.

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The temp and moisture monitoring helps in another way. It is possible to get your mix cooking too fast. Great for making compost (and even warming the room on those cold winter nights) but you will be feeding the worms constantly.

ooh? that's good to know! We have a LOT... and I mean a LOT of kitchen trash, we eat a lot of vegetables and fruit lol