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# 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.  
# 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.
# 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 roughly 100 to 250 worm(a rough handful) to the side of your bin that contains the newspaper mixture.
# You may now add 100 to 250 worm(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. Also once a week, be sure to add a small amount (about a half a handful) of food to the bin.
# Once a week, use a spoon to mix up (“aerate”) the side of the bin that contains worms. 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  
#Make sure that the worm bin is sprayed and moistened so the bedding does not dry out  

Revision as of 21:31, 5 May 2011

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

  1. Obtain two half-gallon waxed cardboard cartons. Make sure they are rinsed out and dry before beginning to construct the worm bin.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. You may now add 100 to 250 worm(a rough handful) to the side of your bin that contains the newspaper mixture.
  4. Once a week, use a spoon to mix up (“aerate”) the side of the bin that contains worms. Also once a week, be sure to add a small amount (about a half a handful) of food to the bin.
  5. Make sure that the worm bin is sprayed and moistened so the bedding does not dry out
  6. 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.
  7. 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

This process may continue however long you want your Wormland Worm bin to last. Due to the simple design, it is also easy to make another worm bin to replace the old one!

Modular Design

You can expand your Wormland Worm Bin to the size you want.

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

How-To Video

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