Wormland wormbin instructions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:31, 24 March 2013

Instructions for Building Worm Bin Kids Alone

This is a guide to building the Wormland Worm bin created by team Onychophora.

Materials needed

Two half-gallon waxed cardboard juice or milk cartons, duct tape, scissors, and several sharp pencils/pencil sharpeners.

How to build your Wormland Wormbin

Obtain two half-gallon waxed cardboard cartons. Make sure they are rinsed out and dry before beginning to construct the worm bin.
To make the migration hole for the worms between the two cartons, a 2” by 3” hole is cut into the side of each container but in the exact same location along one of the sides, so that when the two cartons are lined up the holes match exactly. To make the hole, poke four holes in the shape of a rectangle in the same location on both cartons with a sharp pencil. This makes it easier to then cut out the holes with scissors.
Poke holes for ventilation and drainage along the sides and bottoms of both cartons. Three holes along the middle and five along the bottom is sufficient.
Flaps are then cut into the topside of each carton, i.e. the side with the largest surface area and with the label saying “Humboldt Creamery”, etc. The same method is used as for cutting the migrations holes. Poke one hole in each corner of the top side of the carton, but cut along only three of the four connecting holes to make a flap instead of a rectangular hole.
The two cartons can now be connected with duct tape. Tape the top and bottom of the cartons together lengthwise on both sides. If using cartons with flap dispensers instead of screw top spouts tape those shut as well.
Finally, use more duct tape to make tabs for the worm bin’s flaps

Fig 1: The Migration hole is shown on the inside of the worm bin

How to use your Wormland Wormbin

Start by putting a small amount of damp shredded newspaper, a handful of dirt or dead leaves, and a rough handful of food scraps (see: what to feed your worms) on both sides of your bin. Make sure to only put food scraps on one side, however. This forces the worms to migrate from one side to the other in search of food after digesting the given material.
Initially leave your worm bin for about a week or so without worms in it so that the contents of the bin can begin the decomposition process.
You may now add 100 to 250 worms(a rough handful) to the side of your bin that contains the newspaper mixture.
Once a week, use a spoon to mix up (“aerate”) the side of the bin that contains worms to keep harmful gases from building up. Also once a week, be sure to add a small amount (about a half a handful) of food to the bin.
Make sure that the worm bin is sprayed and moistened so the bedding does not dry out.
After 2-3 months, the bin will start to accumulate castings (worm poop). When this starts to happen, prepare a new batch of bedding and food on the empty side of the bin. The worms will then migrate via the migration hole to where more food is provided.
After the worms have migrated to the fresh side of the bin, you may remove the castings from the other side and use them in your gardening to produce bigger, healthier plants.


What to feed your worms	What not to feed your worms
Vegetable Scraps	Meat
Coffee grounds and filters	Fish
Tea bags and filters	Dairy products
Old bread	Greasy or oily foods
Fruit peels or pulp	Pet wastes

The projected lifetime of the bin is six months to a year. Due to the simple design,however, it is also easy to make another worm bin to replace the old one!

Modular Design

A modular design means that you can expand your Wormland Worm Bin to the size you want.

Get another juice or milk carton and place it next to your 2-carton bin.
Follow steps 2-4 of How to build your Wormland Wormbin with the new carton
Cut an extra migration hole into your existing wormbin
Make sure the migration holes line up then tape new bin in place
Repeat as necessary until you reach your desired worm bin size.

How-To Video

Error in widget YouTube: Unable to load template 'wiki:YouTube'

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ===Instructions for Building Worm Bin Kids Alone===
+This is a guide to building the [[Locally_Delicious_Kids_Worm_Bin| Wormland Worm bin created by team Onychophora]].
 ==Materials needed==
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 several sharp pencils/pencil sharpeners.
-==Steps==
+==How to build your Wormland Wormbin==
-)	Obtain two half-gallon waxed cardboard cartons. Make sure they are rinsed out and dry before beginning to construct the worm bin.
+# Obtain two half-gallon waxed cardboard cartons. Make sure they are rinsed out and dry before beginning to construct the worm bin.
+# To make the migration hole for the worms between the two cartons, a  2” by 3” hole is cut into the side of each container but in the exact same location along one of the sides, so that when the two cartons are lined up the holes match exactly. To make the hole, poke four holes in the shape of a rectangle in the same location on both cartons with a sharp pencil. This makes it easier to then cut out the holes with scissors.
+# Poke holes for ventilation and drainage along the sides and bottoms of both cartons. Three holes along the middle and five along the bottom is sufficient.
-)	To make the migration hole for the worms between the two cartons, a  2” by 3” hole is cut into the side of each container but in the exact same location along one of the sides, so that when the two cartons are lined up the holes match exactly. To make the hole, poke four holes in the shape of a rectangle in the same location on both cartons with a sharp pencil. This makes it easier to then cut out the holes with scissors.
+# Flaps are then cut into the topside of each carton, i.e. the side with the largest surface area and with the label saying “Humboldt Creamery”, etc. The same method is used as for cutting the migrations holes. Poke one hole in each corner of the top side of the carton, but cut along only three of the four connecting holes to make a flap instead of a rectangular hole.
+# The two cartons can now be connected with duct tape. Tape the top and bottom of the cartons together lengthwise on both sides. If using cartons with flap dispensers instead of screw top spouts tape those shut as well.
+# Finally, use more duct tape to make tabs for the worm bin’s flaps
 [[File:IMAG0049.jpg|thumb|Fig 1: The Migration hole is shown on the inside of the worm bin]]
+==How to use your Wormland Wormbin==
+# Start by putting a small amount of damp shredded newspaper, a handful of dirt or dead leaves, and a rough handful of food scraps (see: what to feed your worms) on both sides of your bin. Make sure to only put food scraps on one side, however. This forces the worms to migrate from one side to the other in search of food after digesting the given material.
+# Initially leave your worm bin for about a week or so without worms in it so that the contents of the bin can begin the decomposition process.
+# You may now add 100 to 250 worms(a rough handful) to the side of your bin that contains the newspaper mixture.
+# Once a week, use a spoon to mix up (“aerate”) the side of the bin that contains worms to keep harmful gases from building up. Also once a week, be sure to add a small amount (about a half a handful) of food to the bin.
+#Make sure that the worm bin is sprayed and moistened so the bedding does not dry out.
+# After 2-3 months, the bin will start to accumulate castings (worm poop). When this starts to happen, prepare a new batch of bedding and food on the empty side of the bin. The worms will then migrate via the migration hole to where more food is provided.
+# After the worms have migrated to the fresh side of the bin, you may remove the castings from the other side and use them in your gardening to produce bigger, healthier plants.
-)	Poke holes for ventilation and drainage along the sides and bottoms of both cartons. Three holes along the middle and five along the bottom is sufficient.
+{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
+|+
+! What to feed your worms || What not to feed your worms
+|-
+| Vegetable Scraps  || Meat
+|-
+| Coffee grounds and filters || Fish
+|-
+| Tea bags and filters  || Dairy products
+|-
+| Old bread || Greasy or oily foods
+|-
+| Fruit peels or pulp  || Pet wastes
+|}
+The projected lifetime of the bin is six months to a year. Due to the simple design,however, it is also easy to make another worm bin to replace the old one!
-)	Flaps are then cut into the topside of each carton, i.e. the side with the largest surface area and with the label saying “Humboldt Creamery”, etc. The same method is used as for cutting the migrations holes. Poke one hole in each corner of the top side of the carton, but cut along only three of the four connecting holes to make a flap instead of a rectangular hole.
+==Modular Design==
+A modular design means that you can expand your Wormland Worm Bin to the size you want.
+# Get another juice or milk carton and place it next to your 2-carton bin.
+# Follow steps 2-4 of [[Wormland_wormbin_instructions#How_to_build_your_Wormland_Wormbin| How to build your Wormland Wormbin]] with the new carton
+# Cut an extra migration hole into your existing wormbin
+# Make sure the migration holes line up then tape new bin in place
+# Repeat as necessary until you reach your desired worm bin size.
+==How-To Video==
+{{#widget:YouTube|id=Gc3nqkAReg8}}
-)	The two cartons can now be connected with duct tape. Tape the top and bottom of the cartons together lengthwise on both sides. If using cartons with flap dispensers instead of screw top spouts tape those shut as well.
+[[Category:Engr215 Introduction to Design]]
+[[Category:Locally Delicious]]
+[[Category:Vermiculture]]
-)	Finally, use more duct tape to make tabs for the worm bin’s flaps
+[[Category:Videos]]
+[[Category:Appropriate technology videos]]
-==Care and Matainance==
+[[Category:Engineering videos]]
-The bin is now ready to be filled.
+[[Category:Food and agriculture videos]]
-It is necessary supply the worms the material to make their homes. These materials are referred to as bedding.  Common bedding materials include damp shredded newspaper, grass clippings, leaves, and small amounts of dirt or manure.
-Bedding and organic material the worms will help decompose are placed in both of the connected cartons.  Allow bedding to sit for about a week before placing the worms in their new home.
-The last step is deciding what to place inside the bin. Worms love and fruit or vegetable matter, and most other organic material. Red worms
-enjoy breads and grains,cereal, coffee grounds and filters or tea bags,and any fruits or vegetables.
-Worms will avoid dairy products, fats, meat, oils, and any feces of a carnivore or herbivore.
-Once the bin is working and the worms are installed, minimal upkeep is required--make sure to keep your bin damp and your worms fed, and turn over the bedding every week to keep harmful gases produced by decomposition from building up in the bin. Also remember to collect castings periodically--when the bedding is gone and the bin is full of a dark, loamy material,the bin is now filled with nothing but castings and needs to be emptied. Replace the bin with new bedding, replace the worms, and start again!
-Commence composting!
-==Video==
-{{#widget:YouTube|id=Gc3nqkAReg8}}