DIY stackable flow through vermicompost worm bin s

Easy to build and cheap($6/tray) but heavy duty stackable flow through vermicompost tray system using construction 2"x4"x8' and hardware cloth.
TOC:
1:13 - tray walkthrough (Start of better audio!)
4:17 - Tray plan
6:17 - tray assembly
10:28 - base assembly
13:56 - Weight test

[@StephanieDavis]

SUPERB! Very helpful. One little request is to speak a little louder. U have some excellent ideas...I want to hear them. Thank You

[@shelleycornell7282]

This is exactly what I had in mind but did not quite know how to make it manifest. Thanks so much for the inspiration. I bought my stuff today!

[@mynameisnobody8597]

I’m so glad the audio came though when you were providing instruction. We built the tower and love it! I’m so excited for our first batch of compost! Thank you for taking the time to post the video.

[@GIOVANNI-vf5ox]

I love it !! I've been searching for something simple and fun to build, thank you for providing measurements, and most importantly, thank for making this video. Super Happy I found this !

[@kathrinedelmenico4329]

Thank you for your excellent video. I have used your generous template to build my bed from Redwood. Since I only feed my worms organic home grown vegetables, I wanted to keep that theme going. I also used stainless steel for my bottom drain. I love that you used a rice bag. I wish I had an empty one now to use. Well done and thank you.

[@johnvance8599]

Actually i am going to make bunch of these - i am a home worm farm and i just know these are going to be super duper for my limited horizontal space! Thank you so much for this great instructional video.

[@mattuk1310]

& w/ wood you can stack them taller than you can w/ the 360 factory.

[@MartinRosendahl]

Spectacular and simple design. I've been looking for a modular flow through worm bin to build and most are too complicated and require more expensive materials. Yours is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm going to build one of these this summer.

[@adamschneider5305]

Thank you very much !!! I have been doing some intelligent study into red wiggler composting worms. It's something thats is still infant in it's potential. You just showed me what will be my design. I will make 1/4" and 1/8" for vermicompost for teas. Tomorrow I start ! Thank you again so much.

[@betsywallace1491]

Been searching for design that appeals to both a pleasing aesthetic as well as best for worms. You did very well! Thank you for sharing your design.

[@maudepotvin8660]

Ohhh super well done ! I was looking to make my own bin, but in plastic bins. This is so much cleaner and i've already have all the materials :) Yepeee !

[@sheilasmith5992]

I just made this. Wonderful instructions. Thank you very much!

[@isaaca6445]

Brilliant! One of the best I've seen! Thank you!

[@caaas]

Thank you for sharing with such detail! I love your design

[@danandrews6249]

Just finished this project. Thanks you so much for the instructions and ideas!

[@EarthyGarden]

Dan Andrews That's great! stay tuned for a follow up video for a simple rotating sifter :)

[@kimchi6918]

Your design is such a simple but genius design…I will be returning all the plastic containers back to Home Depot and have my husband help me make your system. Your compost tumbler is also a great design but it’ll be too heavy for me to manage…I’m so sure you have so many other creations. Please post more of them…thx for sharing your genius worm compost design!!

[@justinv6867]

I built this out, slightly different but love this video! Great job!

[@rosewood513]

Excellent job. Thank you for making this video. I learned a lot.

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

My tip: if you only have a hammer, use 9/16" wide Romex staples, which fit perfectly over the 1/2" wire mesh squares

[@user-qx6oh7ue9q]

Жəрəйсың! Керемет! 👍👍👍 Дəл осылай жасаймын бұйыртса!

[@EarthyGarden]

Well,The reason I couldn't speak loudly is because I didn't have a microphone.

[@wclintf]

just a psa, people can go to settings and turn on subtitles if they can't make out what's being said.

[@Vicky-di5kp]

Don't worry about it. Great video man!

[@chrisellemayyambao9340]

Thank you for this video. We just made ours last week.

[@penetratingstain]

thank you very much for sharing this information.

[@ablackwomanspointofviewl.l7007]

Thank you for explaining how to build the bens. When I get enough worms to build a ben I'm going to make this one ,Thank You

[@EarthyGarden]

you are welcome! It's been 3 months since I moved the worms to the new bins and they are happy & thriving. They pick their own comfort level in the different trays.

[@zubrismusic]

Great video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@tahogirlz]

I like your video. Well done. I would suggest buying redwood so it holds up with the moist environment. I paid around $7.00 each for an 8' redwood stick from Home Depot today. I had left over hardware cloth from my chicken coop. My cost is still low and I will make it myself which makes it so much more special. Thank you!

[@uchibauki2515]

Wow that’s really nice and very creative 👍🏻 I wish to have them for my worms 🪱

[@jimkinson4975]

Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.

[@Gnomewoodworker]

love it.. thanks for posting this! building one this weekend!

[@EarthyGarden]

Thanks! Please let me know how it goes. Also I rotated the bins so that the handles are front and back. That way, you can lift the front to add new food using the handle without having to lift the whole tray. The back handle serves as a blocker so the tray doesn't slide to the back. So far the worms are happy in it. I see them hanging in between the trays when i lift up the tray to add more food.

[@stephenmacdonald76]

this looks fantastic good work

[@EarthyGarden]

Just completed my new worm bins

[@puschmannn]

so how about a new video? :)

[@gruzlor]

Thanks for this movie! Greetings from Amsterdam

[@JW-uu9je]

thanks you helped me with what to do for a base!!

[@EarthyGarden]

Aaron, They are still happily eating & breeding in the bins but i'm not sure how much worms since i transferred from my previous plastic bin over. it was about 2 gallons of mixed worm & bedding i got locally. currently only need use 2 tray per bin for the amount of worm i have. There's been no issue with leachate or worms in the base. With the top cover, it's sheltered from rain, and well ventilated so i have not had any leachate in the can below. It might be better if the base tray is flipped up side down so tarp layer is right below the top tray's mesh screen but hasn't been an issue with current setup to make me try that.

[@CausticVCoso]

I ended up putting a wire screen under the tarp for support and putting some bedding down to save any unlucky ones that might fall through. I'm using about 2-3 lbs of red wigglers and have them in 2 trays but will be making a third to support the large amount of worms.

[@denysehuezo4364]

This is amazing! Thanks!

[@jdean1851]

great job! Thanks from Idaho"

[@carbonraptor5747]

I made one and love it. Hate those ants crawling up the legs though. Also, I made my own version of the base catch. Use plastic with a hole in the middle. Building one now for school teacher that has a tray (giant topper-ware) that slides out the side of the base. Figuring out how to make the catch is the fun part. But the trays are brilliant.

[@alicheffofficial]

Love this thank you so much! Super well done thank you.

[@Seezor]

I can't hear the audio in several parts of the video but this is soo simple and self explanatory that it's just easy to follow. Built in sifter, simple handles for each layer and good all around 2X4 construction. Wood is also a good insulator. I can probably do this with spare wood I already have with little else to buy. This only thing I may add to increase longevity is to add plastic to the inside frame of each layer, possibly use a bottle top for the drain and add a support to the bottom with a large cut out for the drain. Excellent. Simple and very functional. Thanks for sharing.

[@MikeTrieu]

I had actually purchased a very similar design from Wood Worm Farms in 2009 that used a plastic mesh rather than hardware cloth. It's still just as sturdy as the day I bought it, surprisingly, I don't have to worry about corrosion long-term, and I imagine it would be much less expensive to purchase in bulk. Also, their design made use of a large paint tray to catch the leachate as it falls straight through the mesh. That obviously limits the dimensions of the box, but I found that size to be just about right as any larger tends to be somewhat unwieldy to transport by hand. Plus, the slope of the paint tray gives any worms that accidentally fall through a chance to potentially escape the leachate. Bonus! 😄

[@austin2842]

I'm glad to see somebody's thinking. 👍

[@mofmm56]

Great! We are planning to start vermicomposting and yours give us a complete picture and concept to make our own farm-sized ones ...Tks....

[@danielrhodes367]

great video! well done.

[@bonniemurray8595]

Thanks so much! Next project!

[@justincurtis9094]

Very nice sir! I like it!!!

[@burnmeinc]

Thank you, very helpful video

[@jeffreystoesser6878]

Nice video. Thanks !

[@brenoruda2761]

Set it up on colums, like a drawer will help you manage it better... By the way lived your video man. God bless!

[@bongu7]

That sound good. but i wonder If It's gonna be better if you make the stages thicker.

[@chaplainand1]

I just found this video. I see it is about six years old. Are there more, as in, how to load and maintain, etc. Thank you.

[@tomtampersonal4309]

Hiya . Best video on flow through wormery by a mile. TWO QUESTIONS PLEASE. 1) whats to stop the finished compost in the bottom tray falling through to the liquid gathering tray at the bottom and subsequently blocking the tap ? 2) How many works do you need to get one tray started ?

[@robertnash67]

Good job!

[@oguzkulekci2191]

Teşekkürler kolay ğelsin

[@fredroberts3087]

I really like that video and I'm going to try it. T Y

[@jspyrogram]

Thank you!

[@sixmagpies]

Excellent.

[@jennifereverettplants2468]

How do you harvest from the lower bins? Must you lift off all of the top bins to get to the bottom ones?

[@michaelbrunk3625]

Thanks for the video..Would you be able to type up the instructions and dimensions, as well as materials etc. for easy to read install instructions.

[@CausticVCoso]

I also made the bins which I thought was a great design. Approximately how many worms did you include in your system and do you have any issue with soil or worms falling through to the tarp layer?

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

cool idea. what's the timing on when you add new trays and pull the bottom trays? I heard you say you wait for all the eggs to hatch on bottom tray...so say you have 3 trays tell when you add and take tray off. I think I will try this in the spring. I will paint this as well because my worms live outside here in North Carolina.

[@johnmorales7415]

THANK YOU

[@adrianfox9099]

Hey friend, it would help a great deal if you put your microphone in the same room as the video camera when making your video. On my laptop the sound is barely audible! Oh, it's just got a bit louder after 30 seconds! Can't you redub your video so it's good all through? Thanks for posting it though, great idea!

[@mattuk1310]

It was kind of low but that what they invent a volume knob for ..try it =)

[@adrianfox9099]

I'm talking MAX volume on my laptop.

[@jhonsmith5567]

lol

[@stephenschmunk3331]

Shut the fuck up you losers

[@scottwhite3563]

I have access to a bunch of 2" x 3" lumber that is quite a bit harder than the normal pine 2" x 4" stud. Do you think that 3"' is enough height for each tray or should I add an additional piece of wood to get to a 4" or even 5' height? Never farmed worms before so I am not sure about how critical that dimension is. Really like your design!

[@EarthyGarden]

2x4 is actually 3.5" so 3" should be fine. Keep in mind the weight of tray+ moist casting can be heavy if your tray is tall

[@danb3703]

Do you start loading the bottom tray where the plastic is OR is that a dry layer only for dripping leechate?

[@munchkin5674]

Are you just using leaves for the bedding in each tray? If I understand this right, you start out with only one tray, then when most if not all of the bedding is consumed in that tray you stack another one on top of that and fill it with bedding, and so on as the bedding in each tray is used up. When do you remove the bottom most tray; after you have two trays on top of it? I also wanted to ask if you supplemented your worms diet with organic kitchen waste as well? Im thinking a heavy milled sheet of plastic could be used for the bottom of the drainage tray. Over time anything would have to be changed out and it breaks down. You feel there is adequate ventilation without the need for ventilation holes, even in the lid? I like this design and it is very affordable! Thank you for sharing it! I look forward to your response. Thanks

[@EarthyGarden]

The trays are still solid and havent broken down at all. I mix whatever "brown" ingredient available(leaves,shredded paper, straw,etc). I discovered that they love straw as it keeps moisture well. I generally only use two trays each bin as i don't actively monitor them regularly and only feed them with kitchen veggy wastes when i remember. You can stop feeding the bottom tray when there are enough compost that you want to harvest . i leave them until they are full(about a 5g bucket per tray), which take multiple filling/breakdown. I keep the third tray with brown material to decay for later, 4th tray empty to be used as shifter for soil/etc--very useful. Any sheeting at bottom is fine, they wont decay for years as there's no sun exposure and are inorganic. You just need something so worms don't fall off. I dont bother with collecting leechay--not enough of a problem to worry about. You might have drying out problem at the edges due to quicker evaporation and neglect:), i usually stir them into the middle once a while. Hope it helps!

[@cold5usion]

2 thumbs up!

[@Vladviking]

I'm thinking 2x6" might be less intensive and less labor in the long run. Maybe too heavy for some.

[@tasaneesomintr871]

Very smart

[@daveyt25]

Hi, do your worms ever try to escape through the bottom of your system? I am currently using a basic plastic box system and worms have always escaped through the holes in the bottom (until I covered holes with netting) I have built something similar to your wooden system but it's not in use yet as I'm concerned that they will fall through and drown!

[@munchkin5674]

Question please...Because the bottom tray in your stack is a drainage tray, do you think it would be a good idea to drill some ventilation holes in the 2x4 sides of the worm trays and the drainage tray to maintain good air flow? Please respond. Thanks

[@EarthyGarden]

No issue with ventilation. Worm love moisture and are found most toward middle of tray where it'smost moist

[@MrHandoverfist]

can you show it in use, please...

[@mohamedtayel8625]

I HAVE QUESTION FOR YOU WHERE WORM BABY FOUND AND EGGS IF I HARVEST VERMI COMPOST IT WILL CONTAIN EGGS ABND BABY WORM

[@naldybibe9195]

any update on this? i'm planning to build one

[@Ibro79]

Can someone please answer my question? Do you have to make a bedding for each tray you put on top or just for the bottom tray?

[@MosesMLam]

When the lower tray (not the plastic bagged one) gets full, you put fresh bedding and food in the one above. That causes the worms to migrate up leaving the castings below. Before that, you don't put bedding above as that will suffocate the worms (and there will be an air gap so they can't migrate up).

[@user-bd9fs8oy6m]

Well lets see it at work...! Wheres the followup?

[@tim49013]

Will the metal grid rust and kill the worms as some food scraps will be damp ?

[@EarthyGarden]

haribo stinky hardware cloth are generally galvanized so they don't rust. in any case, i have not heard of any data that mention iron rust would harm worms.

[@the9kellys]

I have built the bins and after about 4 months, I have a couple of questions... 1) The second bin from the bottom is full of castings and is very heavy but the third bin (with bedding and food) is not ready to support the system yet. The worms continue to travel back and forth from the second bin to the third. What can I do to change this? 2) I have found dozens of worms in the bottom bin (with the plastic) and cannot prevent them from migrating down to that bin. How can I prevent this? Thank you for your time...

[@EarthyGarden]

Glad you tried it out! yea worms don't always do what we want them to. You could start harvesting the casting and merge the worms to one tray. They seem to prefer moving down so I put the new bedding/food under the finished tray so they can migrate down while the top dry out. for #2, I flipped the base with plastic so that the plastic is right at bottom of the first tray's mesh to make it easier for them to move around the bin

[@puschmannn]

Greetings. Why not placing it on soil somewhere - got place? So microorganisms can climb up into your worm bins. It would speed up the process a lot and would keep the earth more humid. Worms shouldn´t get lost if you feed them regularily so that they crawl up. What do you think?

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

This was recommended in another video and makes sense to me - bring in the diversity of organic matter processors by just setting it on the ground, and make your conditions in the bins optimal so worms wouldn't even want to leave. For those with problems with burrowing pests, fire ants etc. they will probably want to make this bottom bin so it's mobile

[@Seezor]

One more thing. I like your measurements but depending on the size of a persons mesh, this could be done to any size. Love it.

[@rickschulte8594]

hello, thank you for your video. found it through Pauly, would you send me as link, so I'll have your worm farm plans handy. thank you Sincerely Rick

[@pinballwizard6906]

✌️😎

[@bw7057]

You still have worms? You still doing videos? Can you post an update on your worm hotel?

[@keithbird1722]

Sound too quiet. Can't hear what you are saying for most of video. You need to sort this out soon.

[@aloysiuswharepapa6892]

What kind of wood did you use

[@EarthyGarden]

Construction grade 2x4 fir

[@briankane6547]

A bit Sotto voce mate. You'll have to YELL a bit for us wrinklies. : ¬ ( Can BARELY HEAR. Suddenly got VASTLY better @ about 1:15. :¬)

[@aj9973]

How tall is each tray?

[@EarthyGarden]

2x4 stud is 3.5" tall

[@penetratingstain]

do you think 1/4 inch mesh is too small?

[@EarthyGarden]

1/4 Should be fine. If anything, less stuff can fall through but worms still move around easy

[@penetratingstain]

cool, I'm going to go with the 1/4" .. thank you again for sharing this .. your video was very straight forward and easy to follow.

[@cherrie0915]

Hey anyone here who could help me identify the layering of materials for each box. Sadly i cant hear him loudly. But great video!

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/poOcha13gJidg9E

[@waitersluvhjy66]

You should visit woodprix website if you would like to make it by yourself I think.

[@ronthompson742]

I am old and my ears can’t hear your soft voice looks like it might’ve been a good video to watch maybe next time

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

It is a good video even with no audio it's not necessary at all, it's only until 1:11 that it's hard to hear because he's outside with no clip-on microphone, after that the volume is fine

[@rolojonzun]

The volume was too low

[@jamiefm484]

would like to watch this but the volume is too low and the cc is nonsense.

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

I thought the same thing but he goes inside and goes over the details at normal volume, it's a shame he didn't use a $10 clip-on microphone when he was outside, because I almost turned it off and surely he lost a lot of viewers b/c they couldn't wait 70 seconds

[@Blindmans_challenge]

What up with the sound, sounds like a do over

[@bhaswatibasu8073]

Audio is very very low

[@doylemetzinger1774]

I did it too. This is what I used Woodglut designs for

[@sugarwolf002]

What? Can't hear you!?!

[@EarthyGarden]

Sorry intro was low volumn due to sitting a bit out. It gets better at around 1:10 when I walk through the bin.

[@sugarwolf002]

Hey, you're right! Thanks great video!

[@lizf3478]

Can't hear you dude

[@zanabrawner6363]

Can you repost the video with clear & LOUD audio, please? That'd be most helpful!

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

Just skip to 1:11 the audio is fine, it's unnecessary anyway he shows the design you could watch it on mute and still figure it out

[@garthwunsch]

Nice design, but if you have leachate then the bin is too wet and that means the material is going anaerobic… very unhealthy for the worms and promotes the development of nasty microorganisms that you don’t want anywhere near your plants.

[@BrOoDkIlLeR]

you can whatch this video if you are with sleeping problems.......

[@texaspatty4697]

Rude.