Building a 3-bucket worm bin Step-by-Step!

[@johnmcdonald9977]

From Liverpool England; may I suggest that you use dampened/wet cardboard to cover your worms. They love cardboard, in their compost, and hate sunlight. Happy worms breed faster. The cardboard also adds carbon to your mix which is essentially what has been leached from the soil by ploughing and open farming. Plain old cardboard, without stickers (or paint). You can even shred it into strips for faster decomposition. As other posts also say, a little bit of sand in the mix is beneficial for worm health. I am in process of gathering fallen leaves from our village roads to add into my compost. They are magic in the worm feeding world. A mulch of 3 or 4 inches is a great way of adding warmth to your trees and shrubs over winter, - just cover the roots. Keep up the good work - I so enjoy the videos from the U.S. and the way each zone copes with different challenges - thank you!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I once had a bin with nothing but cardboard (to which I added kitchen scraps weekly) and they did great! I also experimented with plain (non-glossy) newspaper and they did great too! Thanks for posting!

[@johnharvey5412]

Finally, a good use for all the free buckets I find in dumpsters at work.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

There's ALWAYS uses for them around the homestead!

[@katcruz876]

Just make sure they're food grade ❤

[@richardsabo6213]

Love your real life, practical and informative presentation. You’re a lucky man. No way my wife would let me film this in the kitchen. Lol

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

LOL! You need to get a new wife!

[@bradlafferty]

I appreciate that you review the chemical makeup of the food scraps (i.e., shrimp shells are silicone based and beneficial) sand explain the usefulness. Finally, a garden channel that talks science! Thanks.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The way I see it, the science that's useful is the science that teaches us how to co-exist with nature, not to manipulate it! There is a branch of science that seeks to manipulate it and I don't want to have anything to do with it!

[@BigWesLawns]

People buy what they hoped was going to be high quality compost and or castings, and see plastic from banana peels, and bread tags, and random bits of whatever Mc Donalds toy was last month. And lots of it, not just an odd piece. Someone in a comment said their Dad forund 55 pieces of plastic in 1 handful of compost he bought. I think I made my point. Thank you Sir. I saw your egg shell vid, and I uave an old coffee grinder sitting downstairs, so I grabbed it and immediately fed my composters hot\leaf mold, and an area where they come for food scraps I been tossing to see if they come. They do. I have a pile of castings about half a cup in the spot. I was crushing them up good like your demo, but hadnt known it was still too big for them. Thats the 2nd thing you taught me that others fly past, and miss the details in only a few short vids. I appreciate you Sir! We may not be experts, from University but, time tested, experience is priceless.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Wes, thanks for taking the time to respond. I HATE seeing plastic in my garden/compost just as much as you do! Some towns/municipalities are doing the right thing and recycling food scraps citywide, but there's no way someone is going to sit down and remove the labels off each of the bananas, the way we do! The towns may give it away to their townspeople for free, in which it's better than NO compost for those who don't know how to make their own. Or they may sell it to the highest bidder, who will make it into the "high quality compost" you were talking about and sell it for a lower price than the REAL high quality compost! The only way I judge the quality of compost is by looking at it under my microscope to see if it has all the beneficial fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and beneficial nematodes. If it has the right ratios of all that soil life, plus a nice loose structure and sweet smell, that's all I care about. If the compost meets all those criteria, I can tolerate the plastic which is for the most part inert and will neither help nor hurt my garden soil. What is FAR WORSE is a good looking compost that's either lacking soil life or too high in anaerobic bacteria and too little fungi. Usually, the free municipal compost has the worst of both worlds because the municipal workers are just doing their job, they're not going to go out and turn the piles every other day to ensure enough oxygen is going to get into the heap to prevent the overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. And they're definitely NOT going to wade through that anaerobic stinky decomposing matter looking for and removing pieces of plastic! For the most part, those workers have no idea how to properly make compost and the town managers can't let the workers take the time to do it properly! On top of that, who knows how many prescription medicines, and other hazardous materials people can throw into their recycling bin! AND get yourself a microscope and learn how to use it. If you buy a bag of bad compost, spread it on your lawn, and use a different brand for your garden! The bottom line... make your own if you can! If you can't, buy compost only from a company you can trust, like Coast of Maine, but always verify with microscopy! But, yes I do... remove EVERY plastic label from EVERY banana and orange! I HATE plastic in my garden!

[@calebfast8088]

Never thought I'd see plastic throughout my compost and potting soil until it happened. Store bought was dead to me that day.

[@chrisweaver41]

Thanks for this great idea! I think hot glue would be much easier and less messy than using adhesive caulk. Hot glue is thermoplastic and essentially the same material as the plastic bucket, no outgassing and it cools and holds quickly with no long wait for curing and easy to clean up or make quick repairs. I think it would have been helpful to add bucket rotation details to the end summary. Here is my thoughts on how this would work. After adding the third bucket you wait long enough for worms to migrate into the new feeder bucket ( average time? ) Remove the top feeder bucket with the worms Remove the bucket with screen, now full of castings and dump out castings for use in the garden. Dump the contents of the feeder bucket into the screened bucket and start over adding the top bucket again when the food is exhausted in the screen bucket

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for the idea!

[@soniamarshall9293]

Do you put the frozen food as is in the bin or let it sit to room temp. ? If no egg carton, can make cups out of toilet paper rolls , just thinking out of the box.

[@kimadams2995]

I didnt know they like cardboard. When I have no leaves, I can add boxboard and stuff. That’s great. Mine are very fond of coffee grounds

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That is awesome! A lot of people think the worms like the glue in the corrugated type. I do know that if you need to find more worms to establish a new bin, (when the weather's warm) all you have to do is lay down some sheets of corrugated cardboard on your soil, and you will find plenty of them under it in a short time!

[@Misterdandamanify]

Coffeegrounds is a "green" part of compostingredients, Nitrogen. Cardboard is a brown material, Carbon. In a compostbin we need a balance of C:N = 25:1 But I m not sure if wormbins work the same as a compostbin. Sawdust is a nice brown material.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@Misterdandamanify Actually... it doesn't work the same, even though the ingredients are mostly the same. You don't want your bin to heat up with the microbiology decomposing your materials, and you usually won't get that because there's not enough mass for it to heat up. From what I've learned, you should only give them enough "green" material for them to fully consume before adding more.

[@BigWesLawns]

Boxboard that has any gloss to it has lead in it as far as I know. Magazine covers for example. I would stick with cardboard. I am also weary of newpaper ink. Maybe see if you can find out what your particular newspaper ink is made from by contacting the paper itself, or just buddy up to a business and get a carload of cardboard... Blue Dumpsters may be a browngoldmine😅😂! This is what youtube is good for, we are all shooting for the best of the best, and help each other and learn continuously, and not give over all our cash to The Man... Big Ag... Shoddy companies posing and burning suckers like us, with plastic polluted bags of crapp.

[@saddammall3337]

​@@LiveOnWhatYouGrowhow long does it take for the worms to move to the 3rd bucket completly

[@applejuicecaboose]

Awesome vid! I made a "worm bin" trashcan with barely any info and little interest about a month ago. The hellscape it turned into was foul, but I sifted through it for a few hours to grab as many worms+eggs as I could before leaving what was left in the sun/for the birds. Your video popped up and I happen to have tons of buckets for my actual hobby (mushrooms), so this worked great. I can definitely say this video sparked my interest in actually doing some worm farming! I did your exact set up and have a bucket setup chillin in the shade now. Excited to find out how fast these worms will go through my little egg carton snacks and multiply!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for commenting, keep us updated!

[@Misterdandamanify]

27:48 somehow I just had a flashback to Back to the Future here

[@freddelarosa5748]

Great tip on pulvorizing egg shells!

[@DoverDanny]

Thank you for your video and sharing knowledge. Can you share what food not to feed them. Thank you!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Citrus, meat, oils from what I've been told.

[@naturesmoments1297]

Composting worms are different from the regular earth worms, red wigglers is one composting variety from memory, best of luck 👍

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, thanks

[@maryannn.1108]

That's true. Red wigglers do the composting. When I saw him throw in earthworms, I wondered if that was going to be a problem?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@maryannn.1108 They weren't earthworms, even compost worms can live in the soil, how else could they find and inhabit my compost pile?

[@SueOSullivan-qk1mq]

The earthworms will die if you add them to your red wiggler bins ​@@maryannn.1108

[@SueOSullivan-qk1mq]

​@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow compost worms only live in soil if you specially feed and mulch them and keep them moist enough

[@shakoorsoomro6592]

Sir i am from Pakistan very nice explore worm nice knowledgeable post thank you so much👍

[@humangoodness]

Thank you for the info. How do you separate the eggs from the casting?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I don't. There are plenty so if some get into my potting soil I don't mind!

[@loveishope4406]

Just found your channel and I must say Wow! Excellent educator. Thank you for breaking things down at times so newbies can join in and learn.

[@billseto7920]

Great ideas for the average family with practical stuff; thanks for the details of construction for all of us!!!

[@iartistdotme]

Awesome video and instructions! I understand now why my attempts failed - I used the big plastic tub and they had WAY too much to eat. Within 2 weeks, they had moved out and into my cold compost pile in the corner garden. We were all very happy with that result but I wanted more castings and I will now begin again. Just didn't learn enough last time. THANKS

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome! I did that video back in December, and I haven't fed them once since then! When I pull back the bedding, there are already a LOT of worms now. They're happy to eat the bedding at this point. Once they multiply more I'll start feeding them kitchen scraps that I've frozen first. I do that to kill any fruit fly eggs there may be hiding in my compost!

[@rolandocuevas4563]

Thanks Sir, from the Philippines

[@locksmith9580]

22:43 didn’t know that. Thanks for the tip

[@TheTamrock2007]

Loved the video. Another perfect way for me to get started. I thought the egg carton idea was genius. Watched the biochar series yesterday. Making a list of items I need and am so thrilled I am seeing a path to growing my soil fertility. My forever home is going to an ever more beautiful place for me, and the bugs, birds, soul, etc etc etc. Much gratitude to you, and blessings to your home.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@XCrystalXMoonX]

17:55 very helpful trick!

[@CinnamonBear-xv4eq]

Thanks for this tutorial! I am excited to get a worm bin started for myself. It’s like a compost bin that you don’t need to leave the house to get to :-)

[@kienlelife]

Could you make a video about sifting the castings? Thanks for making this video.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'm planning on doing one about that in December. Be sure to subscribe and click the ALL bell so you will get the reminders when I put up the new video!

[@kienlelife]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you, I am looking forward to the video

[@robertrhodessr3664]

Thank you so much! I have learned more in 2 videos than in the past year of catching videos on gardening. Especially how to process egg shells and how to make worm raising easily with this simple and very complete video. We appreciate all your hard work in making and editing this information, subjects that I needed to flesh out what little knowledge I have. 😀 Kudos to you and hopefully I will be able to employ much of what you have taught in this.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I appreciate that!

[@1whitecottagelife770]

I have an old coffee grinder that I got at a garage sale and I grind the eggshells into powder and sprinkle it on top of the dirt

[@GrandmomZoo]

Bing watching you two! I would like to be your almost 62 years old, SC gardening comrade please! I relate to everything you two do. 😊 Worm hunting begins.

[@George1mac]

What a great practical way to make the bin.....we have done some outside ones before, but this is so much better. I am always using buckets, and we are always on the look out for food grade buckets being sold locally....usually one can find them for 50 cents to a buck in the local advertising market. Thanks again!!!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

What I like the best is their portability... so easy to move around, and I can have as many as I wish with varying stages of maturity! That way I don't have it coming in all at once! Once you have several thousand worms it would be great to do this!

[@gardenstatesowandsew]

Thank you. I’d love to try it. I think I may ask the grandchildren to go worm hunting for me. Get them involved as well ❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

But make sure they're compost worms and not earthworms. Just get them from your compost pile until you know how to identify them. Earthworms won't live in your compost pile!

[@gardenstatesowandsew]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow thank you very much. I’m going to have to look them up and see a picture. My compost is very tiny. I’m new to that as well. I also want to try making my own biochar if I can. I have lots of pine trees down from storms. I hope that is good

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The next advice I give you will shave 10 years off your learning curve. Make a BIG, as big as you can enclosure out of fencing, shipping pallets, or whatever you have, and make as much compost as you possibly can! Put in fall leaves, grass clippings, hair from haircuts, weeds, brown cardboard, kitchen waste, newspaper, seaweed, etc., and make sure you dump the whole thing onto your garden beds. I use 6 tons in my quarter-acre garden every year. This is the one thing I wish I had known sooner! I have three videos you can watch to see this in action: • kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6OXeH56ppaSaq8 • kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGTagaVqndyGaNE • kzbin.info/www/bejne/an7EqYtmrs6ifqs

[@gardenstatesowandsew]

Thank you again so much

[@wendyeames5758]

​@@LiveOnWhatYouGrowif adding that much compost, it's a good idea to get a soil test done. Soil can become too rich. An example of this is on the OYR KZbin channel.

[@Backyard_Gardener365]

I have been gardening for 10 plus years, I learned the hard way about the health & fertility of soil is the key to successful gardening

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The thing I learned about fertility is that it's not minerals and nutrients that make soil fertile, it's the microorganisms! As soon as I learned that and made my garden hospitable to that life, the size of my plants, and my harvests, doubled.

[@Backyard_Gardener365]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow so true!, the amount of worms is a good indication of soil health😄

[@crossingtheline4372]

Excellent video! Thanks ❤

[@richardurdaneta530]

I watch many videos on this & I like your design the best. Buckets have a small footprint, so this will be my worm bin. Thank you❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

Great job on this video. You explained everything perfectly As the reasons why. Thank You.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shelleys.4265]

Thank you for the video! I have made a similar set up to yours after watching your video with a few exceptions. I bought several whitish clear buckets- i spray painted them black to keep the worms in a darker environment. Next i made the breathing holes on the side just under lid. I keep my worms outside and did not want the worms getting drenched especially during the hurricaine season we have in Texas right now. I wish i had read the one comment on the hot glue because waiting for this caulk to cure is a pain. But not sure it would hold up in Texas heat too well.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Good job!

[@leabritto1935]

Very good description and the step by step instructions. Been thinking about growing my own strawberries and blueberries,blackberries, cucumbers. I did once got some but I feel shot of caring for them. Now I have a greenhouse will be much better for me to care for them. And wild like had came thru. Very good teacher thanks 👍

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I appreciate that very much!

[@johoney5458]

thank you. I am inspired by the simple design. I think I can do this. lol. thanks again and look forward to more video's.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

If we all do this, we can make an impact!

[@shakoorsoomro6592]

I watch again an again you brief this awesome i like so much very teach great Sir👍👍👍

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Thank you! So we’ll and clearly explained! I am going to try this and I will let u know how it goes.

[@jonathanbuford1793]

You strike me as an incredibly nice and compassionate human who is worn out and tired I’m assuming from all your hard work and I appreciate all that you teach as I’m doing my best to retain it all as I agree and am starting a worm business- castings- plant food - home worm farms and just yesterday I learned how biochar is going to be a big part of what we represent. Have you heard of the hammer head worm epidemic I’ve found some here omg it’s not the end of the world but people need to pay attention as they are spreading throughout parts of the United States and they are in a good and bad worm scenario they are plain evil and destructive as destroying beneficial worms along thier journey- please spread the word as I am trying to as well people should be aware🙏thanks again we’re lucky to have caring folks like yourself in our corner- one of the good humans😁👍😁💪🙏😇

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks Jon for bringing the hammerhead worm topic up. Here is one website (among many) that tells you what to do if you see one in your garden: www.bobvila.com/articles/hammerhead-worm/

[@saintmaxmedia2423]

This is so clever! I have a wood worm bin with 4 shelves, but will definitely make a bucket system. Eva

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The best part about it is how easy it is to separate the castings from the worms when you're ready to harvest!

[@lisabeam8315]

I love,love,love your videos! You are a true teacher.I learned more in 1 video than I've learned taking master garden course in county.❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

So nice of you

[@Gravityforce70]

Great thorough video.. love the bolt rest idea- one note: hex head bolts pose problems due to their thicker heads- Phillips head screws at 1/4” works great towards allowing buckets to stack.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks!

[@daryllhutching339]

I really enjoyed your video. So much information, thanks!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@elaineshort5757]

Thank you so much .your truly a blessing

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're Welcome!

[@kristinwood5191]

Thank you! I love the way you teach! So helpful.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You are so welcome!

[@minniechafin7936]

I have to Try this ! The 3 bkt system takes up even less space, which is Great ! Thank you so much , for Sharing this idea !

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lanettelawrence6308]

Thanks for sharing.

[@vicroberts9876]

Most excellent!

[@NanasWorms]

Buckets are great if you have problems retaining moisture in a worm bin, but I prefer totes because of the increased surface area. I have both stacking systems with holes between the levels as well as just regular totes with no holes and no lids. As you said, keep it simple - it doesn't have to be complicated! ~ Sandra

[@geraldinemryan]

❤😂 excellent thank You! Enjoyed learning how to set up properly! I notice the holes are much bigger better air circulation and more will try out i like the egg carton system i have them stacked up already interesting! Greeting from Ireland and well done!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for commenting. One thing I forgot to say about freezing the food prior to feeding it to the worms is that it will kill any fruit fly eggs that may be on it, especially the banana peels.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Absolutely love and learned so much. Ty. I will let u know how I do.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Great!

[@222mmax]

THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thank you too!

[@My2up2downCastle]

I bought some silicon circular mats for my dehydrator....they actually also were a perfect fit for a 2 bucket water filter I built and so they would work perfect for this project. Three uses! 🌹

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks!

[@user-qv3ql4pv5q]

Bro you’re channel has so much good information for new gardeners 🎉 thanks

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome! Make sure to subscribe and hit the All Notifications bell, so you will get notifications when new videos go up. I've got some really important ones coming that will help to understand how soil life IS the engine of your garden, and easy ways to make sure you have it!

[@user-qv3ql4pv5q]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow definitely 👍

[@cherholo]

Thank you SO much!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome!

[@5wisebannerguys]

Thank you for this tutorial? I am going to make this bucket setup.

[@juliepoolie5494]

Great tips! I like nut and bolt and egg carton tray, and using adhesive caulk to keep the screens in place. I used duct tape for the screens but my tote has lots of bumps and the tape wasn’t flush against the bin. When I fluffed my bin one upset worm starting crawling up though the tape gap . I had a dickens of a time getting it out! I’m starting out with 60 red worms I bought from fleet farm. It will be fun to see how they multiply. I have 6 months until it is warm enough for gardening. Perfect!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Just make sure not to give them too much food at first!

[@nataliegist2014]

Thanks for surfing your knowledge.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

My pleasure!

[@felonebike9859]

When you added that bit of caulk to the last screen hole I knew you were doing it right. In my head I was saying it's not enough calk and boom you added some! Great video and thank you. ❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad you liked it!

[@randallwithee2189]

Actually, a better way to attach screens is to use metal screening, stainless is best, and use a wood burner with a flattened top to embed the screen into the plastic. That way the screen can't fall off at a later time when the caulking supersets from the plastic, and it will eventually.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@randallwithee2189Thanks, that's a great tip. I'll do it that way from now on!

[@juliepoolie5494]

@@randallwithee2189That’s interesting! I’m going to try that!

[@gfallon40]

As the worms migrate up into the 3rd bucket there is no screen on the bottom of the 3rd bucket. When bucket number 3 becomes the middle bucket, how do you prevent the worms from falling into the bottom of the first bucket?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Dump that bucket into the one with the screens after you empty the castings out. Sorry, I failed to say that.

[@canopy4203]

Thanks for sharing your very worthy insights and taking time to be very thorough with your explanations of how to s.

[@nataliegist2014]

I would have to by them I live in far west Texas. Lol

[@jaywatts86]

Pegs in the side!!!! Thank you for that tip !!!!!! My buckets are stuck together now 😅

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Happy to help! You can also put a stone in the bottom bucket to keep them from getting stuck.

[@joshslackslack8115]

I made one of these out of the yellow 5 gallon square tidy cat cat litter buckets they stack perfectly

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That's great! Here's an update: I made the bins one month ago, and when I poke around in the litter I can see lots more worms than the 50 I put in each of the two bins!

[@joshslackslack8115]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I started with 2 cups of worms from a bait shop few years ago now have a small composting business got into it because I got tired of paying for worms for fishing but now I've started using them to compost lot's of boxes and food scraps and yard waste and I have few rabbits so my worm's get the rabbit droppings also I don't use the bucket setup anymore but was just letting you know that the yellow tidy cat cat litter buckets stack perfectly and do not get a air sealed and lock together so you can pull them apart with no problem

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@joshslackslack8115 That is fantastic! And it beautifully illustrates the principle of starting out small, learning the basics, and then scaling it up to whatever fits your needs! I hope people are reading these comments!

[@markblix6880]

I add egg shells in my coffee pot. Just break them up. Shells react to the acids in coffee. Then shells go in garden.

[@patsternburg8737]

@@markblix6880started doing that a while back as well. Also add, cinnamon, powdered ginger some whole cloves with some tumeric, you can also add just a bit of the MCT oil. Just start easy.. not too much and build up from there to the perfect balance for yourself. We are all willing to share and learn from one another, I love it!🙏🏼

[@AJsGreenTopics]

Great information 👍

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@luisrobles4833]

tank you for you time.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome! Let us know how it works out for you.

[@laurasoftheart]

Loved this video! I subbed because of this.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@naturesbestsecret968]

We are just starting our 5-gallon buckets system with 100 worms. We are going to put 50 in each bucket. Do we need to do anything except feed them for the next 6 months? Do we stir the soil up to give them enough oxygen, or are they OK without doing that? How will we know when there are too many worms for a bucket? Are you going to do a video on how yours are doing? How did they turn out? Thanks for the informative video!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That's a great start! I have about a thousand in my bucket since last winter when I started it. You should have WAY more than that if you take care of them over the winter! I consolidated both of my bins into a single bucket and I got quite a bit of castings from it already. You'll know when you have too many for the bucket when it's just a mass of worms. One cup of worms is about a thousand, so when you get to about 2,000 you should consider dividing them further. In addition to feeding them food scraps, you do have to keep the soil moist. I may give them a stir once in a while if it seems to be too soggy, but mostly I don't. I'll probably do a one-year follow-up video in December. Please visit Worm Ohana in my recommended channels. Worms is all she does and I consider her to be the expert I look to! www.youtube.com/@wormohana

[@jonathankoehn8577]

You sir inspired me!! Just started worming. Mainly for fishing. Using the gray tote. But.... Maybe with your three bucket system i can grow it a little bigger???

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Keep in touch, and let us know your results!

[@renatobautista563]

Great video. I have a 2 bucket system right now and I think I will upgrade to a 3 bucket system following your approach. Are the shrimp shells cooked? Thanks❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, they are but it doesn't matter!

[@johnnym6338]

Thanks for the information. Did you say that the egg shells should be microwaved or oven baked prior to grinding in the blender? Also do you recommend using coir as a base soil mix since it has a neutral pH to begin with? Also how do you feel about adding gypsum and/or Calcium bicarb or carbonate powder to the mix to prevent acidification of the mixture? Now I'd like to offer you an idea in return. What about adding springtails and dwarf white isopods for coculture with the worms since they both consume mold and fungus thereby protecting the worms? I think that would help prevent one of the major problems with vericulture. I'm going to try that method since I raise both already. Also dolomite might be beneficial for the worms as well besides egg shells since it's both a grit and contains both calcium and magnesium which should be beneficial. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I'm not sure how I'll know if you respond as I've never written a KZbin comment before but I will try to see if you respond within the next week. Again thank you. Oh one last comment. The buckets won't stick together due to a vacuum because of the holes you dilled in the bottom. They just stick because of the tight fit.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hello Johnny, I microwave or Bake my eggshells to kill any salmonella bacteria that could be present, especially since We consume the powder. I presently don't add anything to the bins except the eggshell powder. I will consider what you said about the springtails and dwarf white isopods, but I don't know anything about them at all! But please subscribe and select notifications so we can have an ongoing dialog. Thanks for your help!

[@johnnym6338]

Thank you as well. I just found a bag of pulverized lime stone in my garage and it is a combination of calcite and dolomite as well as a very fine powder. That is a good substitute for egg shells without any concern for salmonella or even worse camplobacter which is arguably more common and just as bad as salmonella. Here's another idea for a tweak on your 3 bucket method which is an improvement on the 3 bucket methods of others. Yours is very insightful and logical. How about for the lid use an old tee shirt or other cloth material to cover the exposed top bucket? You can always cut the center out of the lid and just use the ring for securing the cloth from sagging or falling in if that's a concern. It can be wet directly for retaining moisture as well.

[@johnnym6338]

About springtails and dwarf white isopods, they can be culture in pure culture very easily. Springtails do best on calcium bearing clay in a rectangular Tupperware container and kept very moist and fed yeast. Either nutritional, powder or baking yeast, doesn't matter. So people culture them on wet lump charcoal but the population density is much greater on clay. You'll have 10s of thousands in a month or so. I'd recommend temporate springtails rather than a tropical species. For dwarf white isopods, parthenogenic so in theory you only need one to start a colony. Same Tupperware container in a bedding of coir and oak leaf litter, boil first if collected, and feed them supplemental veggies or a little dog or cat food for protein, one or two kibbles only. Don't worry about mold since they eat that as well. I'm sure they will compete with the worms for organic matter but they don't eat much but they will address any mold/fungus problems as well. I've never shipped them before but I've received them via the mail and can offer you a starter culture if you like. They're also available through numerous online vendors. I also have plenty of the clay and coir and oak leaf litter, although I'm sure you do as well. I'm not sure how I can have you contact me, but if you think it's safe I can post my cell number or email address in this thread. Just lmk. I've also added about a half cup of play sand to my worm bedding since as. You point out very correctly, worms have gizzards and perhaps the lime stone isn't hard enough or lasts well for grinding and quartz stone maybe better. Anyway it's in there so I'll leave the choice up to the worms to make. I sell these products I mentioned wholesale to pet shops I work with for bioactive terrariums for dart frogs and some lizards. Most of this information comes from dart frog hobby websites and chat boards. I'm sure that you can Google all the information I've mentioned here. I'm raising red wiggers as reptile food but after learning from you I'll be saving my worm castings and tea for my lawn and garden and I'm sure that my banana trees will love it! Again thank you for your information and if there's anything I can help you with please don't hesitate. John

[@smm1583]

Thank you, this was really helpful!!

[@Tinker46]

Outstanding, detailed video. 😊 my new worm farming friend. However I have a question regarding the worms being kept in the middle bucket by 8 holes covered with door screen. It seems to me that the tiny new worms could pass through the screen without much effort. Your thoughts regarding this question.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I don't think so, if they could pass through the screens, you would see them in the lower bucket, and to date, I haven't seen any.

[@ShawneeRising]

Think I'm going to try this. My only worry is the glue used for the screen holes. The buckets had no chemicals in them, but then you might introduce chemicals with the glue that you use. So, I would be careful with what kind of glue you might use. Thanks for the video. I learned a lot!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi, thanks for posting. I normally let the glue completely cure before putting it on the bin to allow all the outgassing from the adhesives to complete. After that, the glue doesn't come in contact with anything in the bucket. It's just there to let air in and keep out any fruit flies.

[@My2up2downCastle]

On ebay they sell circular silicon disk/mats for round dehydrators..... they fit these buckets perfectly! I discovered this when making a water filter

[@iamtmckendry]

Whoa this is so comprehensive! I've got a 3bucket system with a spout on bottom. I've been doing it very low management style, just having it be the cabin compost and putting in ripped up egg cartons, paper towels, and thin cardboard. Worked well for a year.. until them fruit fly's came. I've only got 6 worms left :( In my climate, winter is 5 months, and worms aren't for sale until the spring! I shall get more and be up to a big system by early summer. I shall be using many of your tips along the way! Thanks

[@garthwunsch]

You can’t likely buy composting worms at your local bait shop. You can buy red wrigglers on line any time of year.

[@5wisebannerguys]

Do fruit flies kill worms?

[@iamtmckendry]

@@garthwunsch Hey Garth, not in my climate. Unfortunately, the worms would freeze in the mail.

[@iamtmckendry]

@@5wisebannerguys I don't think they kill them, but It seems they steal the food and the worms seem to reproduce much slower when there are tons of flies. I think the main reason the worm population went down so much was a few below freezing nights when the electric heater crapped out and I wasn't home. The flies seemed to come back much stronger/faster than the worms. :(

[@dawniebee946]

I laughed when hubby bought a pet electric blanket for our worms 🥰

[@SparklyPixieDust1]

Thank you

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome

[@felixr.bourdon7392]

Where do you put what you grain frezer or hi just in the refrigerator

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I put it in the freezer to kill any fruit fly eggs that may be in it.

[@rjackson64840]

When you add the third bucket there is a gap around the side between it and the 2nd bucket you're putting it in. How do you keep the worms from crawling up this space and escaping?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You can wrap a piece of string or yarn around the top bucket a few times and when you have enough thickness push it down into the gap.

[@rjackson64840]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow awesome - thank you!

[@azannah]

I've watched this video twice and I am missing a step. Bucket #1 is for catching liquid. Bucket #2 has holes, and screen (to keep worms from falling into bucket #1). Bucket #3 has holes for worms to pass through when #2 is full. Do you dump the worms back into #2 after they have migrated into #3? There is no screen in #3 or they wouldn't be able to get into it. Does #3 replace #2 or is it just used to move the worm to a fresh bucket?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

1) Put new bedding and food into bucket #3 and stop feeding bucket #2. 2) Put bucket #3 resting on top of the castings in bucket #2 3) The worms will migrate up through the holes in bucket #3 in search of food leaving bucket #2 free of worms.

[@normanvn2003]

Excellent video. Thnks

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome!

[@belindalvmusic]

Didn't know.... worms .... fertile Mrytle❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Worms.... Fertile Mrytle... Abundant Harvest!

[@allybahk]

hi there, love this design. because it has less surface area than a bin or tote, would you recommend adding more holes in the sides of the buckets for air flow?

[@raydowdy6914]

Do you have to screen them? If so what size screen?

[@FefekaziShosha]

Wonderful 🙏🙏👏

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Appreciate that!

[@feeldafury]

Is the window screen mesh too fine for the worms to crawl through?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

yes

[@robynpatton6851]

I’m of the understanding that the normal garden worm won’t be effective in a compost bin Are the worms your collecting escapee’s from another compost situation?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Robyn, there are lots of different worms living in your soil and you just have to learn to recognize them. You're right that earthworms don't live in your compost bin. However, both earthworms and compost worms live in the soil. Otherwise, the compost worms wouldn't eventually get into your compost. They can't magically appear! The best way to learn to recognize them is to dig around in a compost or manure pile and pick those for your bin, After a while you'll learn to recognize them easily!

[@robynpatton6851]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you, it’s looking like a great day to get out there and do just that. Great idea, and great day to learn more about exactly what I have out there.

[@Misterdandamanify]

Are those red wigglers? I used to look for worms for my chiclids under pots and logs just like you did.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I believe they are, but it really doesn't matter much what they're called because they were living in my compost, in my soil, so they're the right kind for my microculture, rather than purchasing what are called the "right" kind from somewhere 3,000 miles away! I don't usually search for them under pots and logs. I usually put a banana at the top of my compost bin during warmer weather and all the worms I need will be attracted to it. I only did it that way because it was in December!

[@Misterdandamanify]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Eisenia Fetida seem to be the best worms for this purpose.

[@chamilrathmalgoda4240]

Thank you I am from sri lanka

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome!

[@marymcandrew7667]

What excellent ideas! I was thinking of two possible changes, just use one peice of screen to cover all those holes and instead of adding bolts to keep it sliding into bottom bucket you could put a pot or brick in bottom to hold it up. Do you have to glue the screen? Will they squeeze under it at edges if I used one big round peice?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

There's no right way or wrong way to do this. Whatever works, works. If you can figure out a way to keep the screen covering the air holes so the worms can't get out and the flies can't get in, great! The stone on the bottom to keep the buckets from sticking to each other is a great idea!

[@יונתןזנטון]

They will!

[@jessiehermit9503]

What plants are those in the background?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Just some house plants... mostly African Violets.

[@chngdbygrace]

Found that screens similar to what is used for windows have holes large enough for fruit flies to get in. I have also had them work their way through the cheese cloth on 1 of 5 jars I had started to store some worms while I modified my bins. Best thing I have used so far is the screen from a reusable coffee filter. I have also found that the eight 1" holes I put in my lid was not sufficient to cut down the humidity that was in the bucket increasing the chances of the worms climbing up and trying to escape.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Sometimes the fruit fly eggs are already on the food scraps that you're feeding the worms as well! Thanks for the suggestions!

[@chngdbygrace]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I have been thinking a lot about the moisture problem I have had, and think that it was more of a condensation problem from the heat created by the decomposing food and the external temperatures. The bedding with the buckets has never been saturated but every day I would check the buckets the sides would be wet and the would be castings and bedding all over the sides of the buckets. I am going to be modifying another lid to have a much larger screened in area to see if just having a larger surface area helps regulate things... After that I am going to run a small fan to draw the moist air out, and pull fresh air into the buckets. The one other thing I may try doing is setting the fan up so it has to blow that air through a baking soda filter to see if it can cut down the odor some...

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@chngdbygrace I may be wrong, but it sounds like you're putting in WAAAAY too much food scraps. That would account for the smell and the heating up of the buckets. You don't want ANY decomposition taking place, but rather the worms to eat the food matter. The heat is what makes the worms want to leave.

[@chngdbygrace]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow that's kind of where I am at. Trying to learn that balance and how to anticipate how much to give, and in some part over estimating the worms ability to eat... In the end it would be better to start with less and then just feed more frequently.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@chngdbygrace I agree. What I would suggest is to add lots of bedding like shredded newspaper or cardboard to help bring it back into balance.

[@StephStruble]

I loved this video! New subscriber here. Ok 2 stupid questions of the day...........(1) how much do you water them? (2) what is the purpose of the gray plastic tub?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The gray plastic tub is just an example of another way to house them, and I just water them just enough to keep it damp all the time.

[@katiew7757]

If the third top bucket has hole so the worms can travel up…. Do you remove everything in the 2nd bucket and transfer the 3rd bucket to the 2nd bucket?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes exactly!

[@LandonLanoue-nh8ks]

What was that stuff that you used half of????

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'm not sure what you're talking about. What's the timestamp?

[@adamdille6031]

How do you sift out the castings?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

It's not hard. When the material in the bucket is mostly castings, you stop putting food in that bucket and put the food into the bucket with no screens covering the holes on the bottom. Place this second bucket on top of the first bucket with the bottom resting on top of the casting mix. The worms will leave the 1st bucket and migrate into the bucket with the food and leave you with almost pure castings in the bucket with the screens. After the worms have migrated up into the bucket with the food, and you've emptied the bucket of castings, you will then transfer the food and worms into the now-empty bucket with the screens on the bottom.

[@cg579]

Did you make a video about the use of the liquid that is collected in the bottom bin?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

No, I didn't yet, I just dump it into my compost or on a garden bed. Nothing special.

[@cg579]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The more i think about it, it would be perfect to activate my biochar!

[@TheTamrock2007]

Question, can I buy fishing worms to get started. I realize they are available on Amazon, but I need a cheap way to get started, as I am just starting.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Fishing worms are generally the wrong type. Instead look up composting worms. You'll waste your money and you wont get the best results with fishing worms.

[@daveclark8726]

Do you grow hydroponics? Can you make some videos on the Kratky method of hydroponics I appreciate how thoroughly you teach each step. Not everyone covers the do’s and don’ts, and why like you do.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I am working on it, but I've presently got it on the back burner! There are a few difficulties of growing organically with hydroponics, and I'm making some progress, but it's not a priority for me right now! Make sure to subscribe, AND hit the notify button, so you'll be notified when I put my results up!

[@almostoily7541]

I have some gutter grow kratky boxes. I'm wanting to not have to use fertilizer in them if possible. Well , fertilizer, just not the type I have to order. Stuff I can make or source locally. But I don't want them to stink either since there's no aeration lol

[@altonfender5168]

I live in South Florida I am trying to learn how to grow worms to make a worm farm I do my own compost I do my own raised beds because the ground here is no good are there any tips that you can give me of doing a worm farm and how to get the minerals out of the worm farm the castings

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The best thing to do is to head on over to Worm Ohana's channel, www.youtube.com/@wormohana for advice. Worms are all she does, and I would consider her to be the expert to ask!

[@altonfender5168]

Ok

[@himateesookhai5302]

What happens to the liquid from the third bucket?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I dump it in the compost pile.

[@Deo-Bushido]

After the worms migrate to the 3rd bucket do u empty the 2nd bucket and put the worm back into the 2nd bucket?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, exactly, I'm sorry I didn't say that in the video!

[@MariaWalker-qo3vi]

How long do you microwave the eggshells for?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

30 seconds

[@MariaWalker-qo3vi]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow thanks!❤️