How to Harvest Worm Castings from a Simple Worm Compost Bin

[@gardentours]

Black gold 👍🏼 I watched this video some years ago. Those days I didn't have a worm bin yet. Thanks for sharing 💛

[@hurricaneholley]

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I have been gardening for a very long time but had yet to try my hand at "farming" worms for the castings. With the price of castings (and everything else) going up astronomically I decided to give it a try. I used a plastic Rubbermaid bin similar to the one in the video and it has worked well. After watching your video I used some old 2 by 4's to make a frame that fit another plastic bin and attached a piece of construction cloth. I looks just like yours except it sits on the bin instead of on a table. Thanks again, good gardening!

[@HomesteadandChill]

That's great to hear you have started vermicomposting, there is nothing like freshly harvest worm castings either added directly to garden soil or through compost tea, your garden will thank you. Have fun growing!

[@bjb0808]

This is just what I was looking for. Everyone talks about making worm bins but they rarely show how you actually get out what you want. I live in a cold area and need to have something right in my apartment, so I need to know just how messy the job will be. Thank you!

[@HomesteadandChill]

Definitely not too messy, you could always get a small tarp, drop cloth or use those potting mats that people use indoors for houseplants to keep everything contained.

[@bjb0808]

Thank you so much for replying. 💕

[@Boobear83]

Amen

[@nanetteorchid6680]

Thank you thank you thank you! I have a small piece of property and no place for hot composting, so I've been dreaming about finding a way to make some beautiful compost, when I stumbled across your channel! How wonderful and beautiful your worm castings are! I'm getting all my supplies ready to put my worm bed together! thank you for such a great video and all of your experienced information.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Thank you for the kind words and it's great to hear you will be diving into vermicomposting! It really is a great way to compost and is one of the better things you can do for your garden as well.

[@13thDiscipleU]

I love that U are straight to the point because we all have families to attend to and enjoy the little things in life thank u.

[@Vixenaustin]

I made my own worm bin last month. I followed your worm bin tutorial and my worms are looking great. Thank you for your videos. 😊

[@RootingForSunshine]

I'm so glad I found your videos/channel! I'm looking forward to making a worm bin like this.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Good luck setting up your worm bin and have fun vermicomposting!

[@him050]

Your smile and enthusiasm is overly contagious! 😁

[@galactickim]

Great tutorial, thank you. I started my first worm bin July 25, almost 2 months ago. Another couple of weeks and I think I will harvest some of the castings! I love the worms so much I started a second one September 15. Love your simple method. :)

[@HomesteadandChill]

That's great to hear, they can be quite fun and their castings are amazing in the garden.

[@meriphiusfelamorr779]

Your channel has made its way into my top 3 favorites. The content here is always superb 👌

[@HomesteadandChill]

Thank you so much and we appreciate you watching.

[@taylorbuckner777]

Thank you for this! Of the worm composting setups I’ve seen, this is the simplest and seems to make it easy to harvest small amounts at a time. I don’t have a huge need to for castings but want to get started. Thank you for this!

[@ThomasBuellJr]

Best worm bin videos I've found. Thanks!

[@waydwnbama-way3089]

Awesome job , just getting started and this was very helpful, your husband is a blessed Man.

[@someutubchannel69]

Looking forward to do it in a few weeks!! 😊 Thanks for the video!

[@BroadwayGardener]

Great video! I just started composting this last year and I’m still struggling a little, but you made the worm casting bin look very doable

[@kf1683]

Awesome video. Can’t wait to start composting now that you explained it all so well.

[@hmck9988]

Thanks so much for the simple tutorial on how to harvest.

[@AJsGreenTopics]

I like your casting sifter. Thanks for sharing.

[@weroiuty]

I love your tutorials! Very informative, concise and to the point. Good tempo and camera work too!

[@HomesteadandChill]

Thank you so much for the kind words, glad you enjoy the tutorials!

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

This video, and your previous one showing how to set up your bin, are very detailed! I'll most certainly be doing this. The one thing I DO want to try, however, is attracting my own worms and not buying them. Let's see how that goes!

[@RADCOMJ1]

wow I work for a global broadcaster and your presenting skills are excleent. thanks for sharing. funnily enough i just had some worm castings delivered to day , I was also clearing some slabs form the front garden and underneath were thre very large lob worms ( I think) and nice small pot or two of castings :-)

[@HomesteadandChill]

Thank you for the kind words! Using worm castings really helps boost soil life, have fun in the garden!

[@pppsvetik]

Thank you for your videos. Straight to the point and very informative. I was going to give worm composting a try in a spring but your video make me wonder now if I should start earlier 🤔

[@GeauxGrow]

Thanks so much for the vid. I have a composter and worms on the way. So excited!

[@GeauxGrow]

@Beaf Supreme They are finally settled in. I had quite a few casualties in the beginning. I'm still trying to learn how moist to keep the bedding. Thanks for asking!

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

love your shirt. what a cutie pie :) Another worm guy uses a 1/8 screen for a second pass to screen out the eggs. seems like a good idea.

[@Tcarnes41]

Place several, cut in half avocados onto the surface of the castings. After a day you will notice worms gathering under the avocado halves.everyday after you will be able to scoop up with your hand a big handful of worms. Do this once a day for as many days as you would like. I got 16 hand fulls of worm in four days. And it's still giving.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Worms do like avocados!

[@coaxihuitl]

Yes, agree that avocados are very attractive to the worms. I hadn’t thought to use them for collecting them to one area, thanks.

[@JohnThomas-nn6qt]

adding your bio-char to the worm bin is fast way to add this nutrient to your soil and to get the benefits of activating the bio-char at the same time.

[@johnswarthout1962]

Oh you guys are awesome, thanks for sharing. I am a follower of yours.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Thanks for following along and we appreciate the support!

[@Gumby1978]

Excellent ideas and advice. Thank you

[@deadmolecule3236]

Thanks for sharing! There's a 3rd hand in the video!!!

[@simplegrower5838]

Thanks. Love the simple technique. Something I can definately do.

[@mmusichamburg8758]

Really great video!!!! I have a bucket exactly like yours and gave an idea how to remove the worms!! Thanks and please dont take it in a wrong way but you are amazingly beautiful! Keep these videos coming!

[@OregonChuck]

How long can you store worm castings and how best to store them? Excellent videos! I subscribed.

[@dignit1620]

Awesome ! You make it look so easy!

[@64marine]

Add a crank on the side to slide it back and fourth or make a vibrating screen such as is used in Dry Panning for gold.

[@64marine]

An Eccentric cam where the shaft is way off to one side and egg shaped will work wonders; can get motorized so a lot more or far faster speed.

[@topemeister3000]

Thank you for the video. It was a great help to a noob like myself!

[@tanyacanam6258]

I got my worms about two weeks ago. They seem happy and healthy. In worm videos on youtube only perfect castings are shown for the harvest. How do you achieve that if you are feeding them every week and have to keep adding bedding? Thanks!

[@joeshmoe7789]

I'm new this month, but I believe you stop feeding them for a couple of weeks so they finish the food and eat more bedding. If you're feeding them large pieces of food, it might take a little longer. After most of the food is gone, I plan on pushing everything to one side of the bin and making a new bed on the other side and adding food to that far end and any larger pieces of food still on the castings side. A whole banana cut in half will attract all the worms to leave the castings side. I think it's just a matter of timing and patience as to when to set up the migration end.

[@hooperelectronics2055]

Nice video, got my first pound of worms 2 weeks ago :-) I'm a little bit obsessed hence finding your video. Have subscribed :-)

[@HomesteadandChill]

That's great to hear, have fun composting with worms!

[@orkeryam]

Great video & also the earlier one on starting the worm bin. When you harvest the castings, you would have collected part of the coco coir. The balance bedding would be reduce in quantity. Do you need to top up new bedding?

[@zachadams5111]

I also really want an answer for this

[@SillyRichard]

Ty. I will try to build this as I haven't harvest in 5 months. Lol. I'm just throwing foods

[@JohnThomas-nn6qt]

using a small compost tumbler to raise worms in, feeding them food scrapes when I have them but mostly grass clippings (that I let dry out/ turn brown first, then wet again as I add them in.), worms love it, they break it down quickly, makes wonderful soil for the veggie garden..if you want more nitrogen added to the soil use wood chips, ground (lawnmowered) leaves,. You will get more nitrogen from woody plants, more (good) bacteria from grassy compost. Remember tree/ bush's, root crops love lots of nitrogen, other plants like a bit more good bacteria....

[@alton791]

Lightning is also excellent for nitrogen fixation.

[@mandiegarrett1706]

Love FREE stuff so don't have to buy coco coir like some people use. Thank you.

[@felixr.bourdon7392]

WAHOOO IM EXCITED LOOKING VIDEOS OFF HARVESTING THE WORM CASTING HAVE MY IN 3 BUCKETS 1 IN TOP OFF THE OTHER HAVE MORE THEN HAVE BUCKET JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO collect it but these video was really help full thanks

[@HomesteadandChill]

That's great to hear and good luck with your harvest!

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Those " fancy" worm towers/ vermaculture bins are not all cracked up to be. I have used many ways over the last more than 30 years of worm farming. Wound up doing it much like A V and his wormery. Which means shallow bins. But you are doing just fine.

[@rjk2646]

AV is the best. This guy is extremely Knowledgeable and there’s always experimenting. The shallow bins have worked the best for me.

[@Vixenaustin]

My worm bin's also shallow and my worms are doing great.

[@mrgreenjeansgenetics]

Do you use any soil in your worm bin? If so how do you separate soil from the castings?

[@TheNakidGardeners]

Nice informative video. Can't wait to see how you do your compost tea. Always interested in making that so I do not have to buy it from the big box stores.

[@HomesteadandChill]

We already showed a video on compost tea too!

[@bsferguson1]

Exactly! What an awesome place to learn right??

[@candaceholley5142]

I have recently started my own worm farm and every time I open the container they are under the lid. Is there something I’m missing or should be doing so they stop climbing and hiding under the lid? I almost squish them when opening the lid.

[@anilkapur1584]

Another excellent video, your explanations and visuals are just what is needed. One question, the peat as well as the paper will also be broken down into castings over time, so they will have to be replenished from time to time?

[@MRYEMAN]

How long can you store your excess worm castings and what happens if you don't harvest the worm castings? Will the worms be harmed if they're in too much worm castings? love your vids!

[@JohnThomas-nn6qt]

stored in cool dry place, castings will last long time, just be sure to wet it again when you apply to garden, still great for a compost tea....

[@korinnahuddleston2474]

Work casting is poisonous to worms but they will start to eat it if that’s all they have

[@irmasanchez5274]

That was my question as well. What happens if the casings are not harvested?

[@randomthings92497]

What do you do to the half empty bin? Do you add more coir or food or paper or everything new bed?

[@debraedgar179]

Hi, thanks for the great info.! How would I store extra worm castings I’ve made in the winter to use in my summer garden? Debra

[@alton791]

I’ve seen videos where people would use what I think is called feed bags. They’d take a trash can with the bottom removed & put it in the bag to hold the bag open. When you’re done filling up the bag, you can take out the container & close the bag up.

[@winstonsmiths2449]

My worm castings look more like very dark almost black coffee grounds and look no where as wet nor as chunky as what I see here. I add nowhere near as much scraps as I see here and on most videos. I use a two bin method where I stack the newer bedding area on top of the completed one. Darn near all worms migrate up to the new bin. I am not complaining or saying anything is wrong. It makes me wonder if I am doing it wrong but the castings I get are outstanding. I do use worm feed I make as a supplement. Acidic food such as cranberries are not on the worms menu LOL. I used potting soil on my latest worm bin setup as an experiment. I usually start with compost as one of the bedding ingredients. I believe this test bin setup will result in bulky parts left since they will not breakdown nor be eating by the worms. I am not liking the results of the big bits being in there. When using compost, I did not have to screen the bedding except to separate the worms that may not have migrated. Very few are ever left in the first bin.

[@HomesteadandChill]

If you are still harvesting quality castings, your worms have a good environment and healthy, I would just keep doing what you are doing unless one of those things changes.

[@peterturner1582]

Once you harvest your worm castings do you need to place another layer of coco coir and paper shreds where you have removed the castings or do you just even out the layer you have left?

[@mynamesnotdave695]

Any fresh Coco Coir or Irish Moss Peat, simply move to the opposite end of the farm/container... and repeat the cycle. Once the worms have migrated across (36 hrs or so).. No riddling needed. Fresh worm castings without pissing off the egg layers.

[@keeneye6407]

then post this do you add more soil to the bin since you have removed it in harvesting? Confused on that part. Thank you.

[@zachadams5111]

Would also like to know this

[@helliebellielove373]

I would too x

[@randomthings92497]

Yeah me too

[@rjk2646]

Stress

[@MathsPD]

Awesome, thanks for this. So it's no issue to have a lot of castings inside the bin as long as a) it doesn't get too wet and b) the worms have food? Also, cheers for the tip re feeding only on one side for a few weeks b4 removing some castings. That's kind of obvious now that you mentioned it but I assumed you'd have to get rid of all castings in one hit and start again. Am relieved this isn't the case! Awesome tutorials. Thanks.

[@HomesteadandChill]

You just don't want your entire bin to turn into castings as the worms will then resort to eating their own castings which are toxic and will poison them. However, I would think you would have to leave them alone for quite some time for this to happen as we have never had an issue after 15 plus years. Hope that helps and good luck!

[@f.e.industries3016]

Thank you! Very informative.

[@vista39]

What’s the size of the clear plastic bucket that you were sifting the castings into? Thank you for this great video.

[@HomesteadandChill]

I am not exactly sure of the size but I believe it was a Sterilite 40 quart container, a container that is more shallow is usually easiest. Glad you found the video helpful and good luck!

[@PlantGuild]

When the filter is pulled back and the “black gold” is shown and described: 🤤

[@lancerudy9934]

Can you tell when the casting are ready for screening

[@yuriy3732]

Hello :) Quick question here... So let's say after you harvested a decent amount of worm casting (like in this video), would you do anything to replenish the substance in the bin so to speak? Like add more coco coir/shredded newspaper or maybe from time to time? Or Is it okay to add dried leaves or pruned plant parts in there for the worms or not ideal? Anything else/tips you'd recommend long term wise to keep a bin going at it's optimal? Like maybe even yearly cleaning or as I said adding more material in etc...? I heard someone else mention that the worms don't ideally want to be living in their own casting, so that is why I am asking also... Sorry I am a newbie here, so just gathering all the information in at the moment, hehe :) And thank you for the wonderful videos and I love your smile along with your bright and cherry attitude! Contagious in the loveliest of ways! :)

[@HomesteadandChill]

You can add in more coco coir, peat moss, or even compost but we typically find just adding more shredding newspaper as bedding along with some food scraps is typically enough for the worms. You can add dried leaves as well and possibly pruned plant parts but it really depends on the plants. We have found they like comfrey and borage but would steer clear of any plants that have hard stems or twigs which they won't break down.

[@vagabonddeesadventures8491]

Great videos. Have any of you starting selling your castings too? I am worried it gets so hot here in FL zone 9b. My coworker said she lost an entire bin during the horrible summer heat last year.

[@HomesteadandChill]

We don't make nearly enough castings to actually sell them, we would need a much larger set up than what we have. Since Florida does get so hot, it may be best to keep the worm bin inside an insulated garage. If you do have to keep the bin outside, I would try and place it in the coolest, shadiest spot you have in your yard to help protect it from the extreme heat.

[@thebrodabode73]

Thanks Deanna! WANT that shirt.

[@Freedom_Now_2024]

Want that shirt off - fixed

[@shamusd86]

really thinking about this. we have chickens that eat most of the scraps. now this can take all the stuff the chickens dont like

[@Aj-ng6vm]

Question. How does the sifter seperate the castings from the actual bedding that you used in the last video? wouldnt that sift into the tub along with the castings?

[@lw5957]

Urban Viking Homesteading the worms should have broken that down by the time you harvest so you wouldn’t have much of that left. That’s my understanding at least.

[@miriammile930]

Serious question. Do the new baby worms eat what's growing in your garden or will they only eat dead organic matter?

[@paolaauranda246]

Do you put new worm beddings right away where you harvested the casting? Or you put it during the next harvest for migration?

[@HomesteadandChill]

We will add more bedding if we harvest a lot of the castings which is typically the case.

[@LushFoliage]

Very informative thanks for sharing ☺️

[@ezyjack826]

enjoyed the video. like how simple your process is. since I have time I was thinking that I'd do the 1/4 screening and then put my harvest in to a bin for a few weeks. then since it's fine I'd screen it again with 1/8 inch screen to get more of the worms and eggs out. primarily I'll be using it for potting soil and to feed my veg plants this spring. later in the season I'll use it for compost tea. do you think it's a waste of time to do the second screening? ty

[@justagirlsd3000]

How do you collect the cocoons? Thanks for the video.

[@HomesteadandChill]

We don't try and separate the cocoons but we do pick out the worms to add back to the bin. You would have to look through your harvested castings and pick out the cocoons one by one. There may be another way but we have never tried to keep the cocoons separate from the castings as we usually leave a certain amount of castings behind which contain cocoons along with the worms themselves.

[@EddyV9]

This may be a dumb question but when you take the castings out and there’s obviously less bedding do you add more paper and dirt like you do in the beginning of the worm bin process??

[@HomesteadandChill]

You typically add more paper each time you feed the worms to balance the moisture of the castings. We never fully empty the worm bin of compost but we don't often add much more coco coir after we initially set up the bin. Yet it's a good practice to add more coco coir or even aged compost to the bin afterwards until you get the feel of the worm bin down.

[@sawnyeinchan3990]

Have also included coco coir and newspapers in the worm castings?

[@HomesteadandChill]

If you are asking about what happens when you harvest the worm castings, by that point, most of the bedding as been turned into worm castings so you don't end up with too much of anything else. We also make it a point to only feed the bin on one side for a couple weeks before we want to harvest the castings so most of the worms and bedding/food material should be out of the way for the most part. Although we still pick through the castings to take out any large pieces of bedding/food. Check out our video on how we harvest worm castings: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIXEfmWwrqeHj6s

[@Carlos-kn5uo]

Hello Let me start by saying thank you for your videos and tips. After seeing your video how to start a worm bin and i have started one on my own. I think has been going well no worms trying to escape 😊 i started in April/May and for a couple of weeks have been feeding only on side of the bin. Despite that still have quit a bit of worms of side where i am not feeding. Anotner issue is that the castings r quit gooey and muddy despite adding new bedding lile cardboard/paper /straw. What can i do to have fluffy and loose worm castings like u do in this video? Thank you

[@Jamajalama]

Hey there, thank you for the video! Quick question: Would you plant for example a tomato in 100% worm castings or should the “worm earth” rather be used in smaller doses as fertiliser? How do you maintain a worm compost? Do you only add food/kitchen waste or also paper and that coco material every now and then? Thank you!

[@HomesteadandChill]

Worm castings should be added as a supplement to your garden soil, we like making worm tea to use throughout our garden beds or we add a small handful to transplant holes when we are planting out new seedlings. Check out our article on how to vermicompost as it will provide you with all the pertinent information. Thanks for watching. homesteadandchill.com/vermicomposting-101-worm-bin/?swcfpc=1

[@kaybegley9566]

I live in a cold climate. How do you store worm casting so the worms can continue doing their wonderful work during winter? And I can easily use a lot once spring comes.

[@HomesteadandChill]

I would try and bring the worm bin indoors or even into a basement or garage. We lived in Providence RI for a couple years and kept our worm bin in the stairwell to our apartment which was not very insulated at all. Wrapping the bin in blankets will also help insulate it.

[@patriciourrutia2297]

Hi, nice video. I have a compost bin like that, but mine is like mud and sometimes don't smells good. How do you do the maintenance of the system? You turn the compost from time to time?

[@HomesteadandChill]

Your worm bin is likely too wet, you need to add shredded newspaper, shredded paper bags, or shredded cardboard into the castings to soak up some of the moisture. There is a balance between food (usually wet) and bedding (usually dry) to make your worm bin more hospitable. It is also a good idea to turn the compost over on occasion to increase oxygen and air within the system. It may also be time for you to harvest some of those castings as well.

[@wasabiy817]

Great video, thanks! Lots of video I watched are with very wet casting, seems your worms are happy in this condition, I just starting, will try :)

[@TheCheah87]

At 7:45 what's the stuff on top of the screen? And thanks for all the videos they're very informational :)

[@HomesteadandChill]

Just some woody bits or larger pieces of food that haven't broken down full yet, so we put them back in the bin to further decompose. Thanks for tuning in!

[@TheCheah87]

@@HomesteadandChill Thanks for the response. I was getting what I thought were castings that looks the same as that and I was 100% wrong and was just wondering what it was, makes sense tho. But thanks again for the information and the response. Keep up the good videos I'm sure they help alot of people :)

[@johnb9886]

After harvesting do you just keep adding food scraps or do you need to replenish the coco and paper? Or do you start a new bin and add the worms there? Thanks for the informative video.

[@HomesteadandChill]

You typically don't need to add more coco coir but you should add more paper or other browns when you add food to the bin. It helps keep the worm bin at a good moisture level, too much browns will lead to too dry of worm bedding, too much greens (food) will lead to too wet of bedding.

[@HH-zb8yx]

Thanks for the video. How can we separate the cocoons as well?

[@bbsharr86]

Do you replace the bedding you've removed?

[@vgcarp]

How often do you replenish the bedding - coco coir and soil?

[@HomesteadandChill]

Not very often, we typically just keep feeding more food scraps and shredded newspaper or cardboard. Occasionally, after a really big harvest of castings, we will add a small amount of additional bedding material such as coco coir or soil in addition to the shredded newspaper. Occasionally, if your worm bin mixture gets out of wack, you may have to add more coco coir or soil if it becomes too wet or if it looks like the material is almost all worm castings.

[@shermansmith6946]

my worm bin is ready to be harvested, its completely black but its clumping together and im having a hard time separating the worms from the soil.

[@tongakid77]

I started this without much thought. Now I have a trash can 1/4 way full. it's impossible to get the casting without going thru the food and worms above. Do you suggest I scrap the trash can for a smaller tote and go side to side? I also do lose some works from the drain holes I made in the bottom of the trash can. Any help will be appreciated. I am currently thinking of abandoning the trash can at this point.

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Ps I sift with big screen like this then do a check on a large pan for eggs.and wisps..just because I have the time.

[@ImGinaMarie]

Thank you for this series ❤️ you do a great job explaining the how's and why's. Would I be able to tell where the bedding stops and the castings start? Hard to tell in the video, or does it matter since they have been there awhile and everything is castings except the food..

[@KenshinMasataka]

Im wondering the same thing.

[@fromcomposttotable4368]

Love love love!!🌱

[@ritabaker7847]

Great video! After harvesting do you replenish with more coco coir and paper? Thanks

[@HomesteadandChill]

Hi Rita, we usually don't harvest all of the compost at once and still leave some behind. You can always add more coco coir if you want (especially so if they don't have enough bedding) but we typically just keep adding more shredded paper and/or shredded cardboard.

[@ritabaker7847]

@@HomesteadandChill Thank you!

[@Skac01]

Sweet Dee Becomes a Worm Farmer

[@HomesteadAlabama]

Wow. Hmmm time to start

[@HomesteadandChill]

There is no time like the present! Good luck!

[@HomesteadAlabama]

@@HomesteadandChill my soils is terrible

[@HomesteadandChill]

@@HomesteadAlabama Well it may take a bit before you can harvest some castings but making compost tea once you do will help incredibly with your soil health. If you want to get things going sooner, acquiring some good compost locally and adding it to your soil or by using it to make compost tea will get things going in the right direction.

[@jocelynbergeron4803]

This video is so great! What do you do with the chunks you screened out?

[@johnswarthout1962]

Help, I have 2 totes of red wiggers that I have put holes all around the totes to collect the liquid ( I now know that is wrong) so I bought 2 more totes to replace them. My question if you have time to answer is how do I get my beds from wet to fluffy without hurting my worms.

[@HomesteadandChill]

It is fine to just mix in more bedding with your worms in the new container after you transfer them. Mixing everything up on occasion is beneficial as it introduces oxygen and helps break down clumps in the tote.

[@johnswarthout1962]

Ok guys, I’ve been involved with this for a while now ( 5 months or so ) I’m not a real techie person, but I have grown to 3 totes now and now really need some advice, I’m retired and my wife wanted a veggie garden, and I like flowers and hummingbirds, that’s how this all started. I’m not wanting to do this as a business just my family. So here’s we’re I need so advice because I think I miss understood as I watch your video again question (1) when you refer to worm castings are you also referring to the compost also ? Because I have been taking 1-2 inches off the top to collect the castings. (2) or should I leave it all together like your video show’s? (3) I’m now getting involved in worm tea and been using the compost and 1/4 cup of molasses to a 4 1/2 gallons of water with air 😜of course. Am I doing this right ? What’s your thoughts if you don’t mind?.

[@HomesteadandChill]

It sounds like you have the worm tea part down👍Now, when we talk about the castings, that is the worm compost or vermicompost. We don't typically harvest from the top of the bin either as that is often where much of the worms typically hang out. You may also be harvesting your bin at too quick of a rate unless you can tell that you are indeed harvesting the worm castings. We will typically feed the worm bin on one side for a number of weeks, in hopes that the worms will migrate to that side. Then when you are ready to harvest castings, you should be able to harvest a fair amount, all the way to the bottom of the tote on the opposite side where you were feeding. If you like harvesting castings more often, I would try a dig down more into the bin and collect the castings from the bottom. It is also a good idea to mix everything up on occasion to introduce air and to be sure that there aren't any anaerobic conditions towards the bottom. In all, it sounds like you are doing a great job and are putting those worm castings to use. It's great to hear you are getting into gardening and using worm castings is a great way to increase the health of your soil. Hope that helps and be well!

[@johnswarthout1962]

@@HomesteadandChill thanks got it, last question please for now lol, so all the the Teeny tiny mud balls is that just the worm poop that’s on top and on the sides of the tote? Because that’s what I have been keeping separate?

[@HomesteadandChill]

@@johnswarthout1962 Yes, that is likely the worm castings.

[@davidthomas1138]

instead of adding dirt to my worm bin, I added ground eggshell for grit also I'll give them cornmeal in lieu of grit is that okay? Also, I worry about ruff handling the worms and hurting them.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Eggshells are a great source of grit and cornmeal is a great food source but I don't think it qualifies as grit. Don't be too worried about handling the worms too roughly, they are pretty hardy creatures.

[@davidthomas1138]

@@HomesteadandChill Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

[@Elementalvr-b6t]

I’m trying to build one for my hermit crabs

[@tinaraebeck1306]

Excellent

[@brettdman2908]

Do you have a temperature range these worms need to be kept at? I live in Central Florida and it gets super hot even in the shade.

[@hai6089]

Could you realistically wait until the plastic bin is COMPLETELY full and then harvest? I am lazy and don’t need compost asap so could I just keep building it up or will it not be good for them to be in their castings for so long

[@HomesteadandChill]

Usually we let it go for some time before we harvest the castings, we usually only do large harvests of castings two or three times a year and take out a few handfuls here and there along the way as needed.

[@hai6089]

@@HomesteadandChill thank you very much! I just set up my bin following your video before I had a tier system which I knew they just hated! So excited to see them thrive.

[@HomesteadandChill]

@@hai6089 I think your worms should be very happy with this simple system, good luck!

[@HeLivzInMe]

How good is this for breaking down heavy clay soil?

[@jonathanmurphy2400]

How do the castings increase moisture retention AND drainage? Seems like opposing results.

[@HomesteadandChill]

Good question! They bring a perfect balance of both. For example too sandy of soil may drain or dry out too quickly (or have water run right off the top and down the sides, if dry and in a container). Hard compact soil, clay, otherwise poor-draining soil may keep things too wet and soggy, and usually don't have enough aeration. Worm castings do a great job at helping soil stay moist longer and absorb water better as needed, but also provide fluff - allowing for EXCESS water to move though and also keeps the soil more aerated = happy breathing roots 👌🏼

[@trusttheflow]

If you set up without drainage holes at the bottom, what do you do about excess fluid at the bottom? Thanks.

[@HomesteadandChill]

If the worm bin is maintained properly, you shouldn't have any excess moisture at the bottom. In 15 years of vermicomposting, we have never had a need for holes on the bottom, if your worm bin is that wet, your worms are not going to be happy. Those conditions are anaerobic and not optimal for living things.

[@trusttheflow]

@@HomesteadandChill so no need to drain the leachate? Does that get taken care of when you harvest the castings? Or just add more dry material?

[@HomesteadandChill]

@@trusttheflow We don't have leachate because we don't overfeed the worms. If your worm bin is too wet, add more browns to the bin to absorb some of the moisture.

[@trusttheflow]

@@HomesteadandChill Thanks very much!

[@hossamhassan1310]

v nice ❤

[@jessewilson73]

My castings are always wet and dry super hard. Any advice? Thanks

[@abisu5273]

I'm amazed how much drier these castings are than mine. I heard somewhere that you just add more shredded paper to the bedding, so I'll be trying that.