PART 1 - DIY Indoor Table Top Pre-Compost Bin for Worm Bedding - HOW TO MAKE! RECIPE INCLUDED!

Hello! I’ve been pre-composting my work bedding for quite awhile now. There’s several benefits to doing this - it gives worms a more natural bedding environment, provides a constant food source for the bins other than adding worm chow or vegetable scraps, and it’s kinda fun to do! Also this process can be done with little cost and not a lot of effort and time.
Pre-composted bedding is particularly useful in breeder bins. You don’t want to disturb your breeders. You want them calm, happy, eating effortlessly, and making the cocoons. Having a natural food source - micro biology - available to them all through your breeder bins is a great way to go to maximize cocoon production as much as possible.
The materials needed are few and simple. You may have many already on hand. The materials needed the most are shredded paper/cardboard and coffee grounds - both free for the asking at just about any store. Starbucks gives away the used coffee grounds as part of community outreach. I’ve only come across one that doesn’t participate and that was inside a Target store.
The last main ingredient is vegetable juice/liquid. You absolutely can use plain water but using vegetable juice ramps up the decomposition process. Anything you’d pour down the sink (that isn’t dairy, grease, that kind of thing) you should pot instead into a gallon jug and save in the fridge until you need to make compost. There’s a lot of options here if you think about it.
The last thing you need is a generous piece of fine mesh screening that will amply cover the top of your bin. I am experimenting with simply using a very large plastic bag instead of the screen but don’t know how that’s going to work yet!
The video gives step by step instructions to construct the indoor table top compost bin. Please follow along - maybe give it a try along with me! Please comment below, ask questions, etc. I’d love to hear from you!
Yours in the dirt,
Jayne.
#redwigglers #vermicompost #worms

[@user-ow2fy5lh7t]

Hi Jane, I didn’t have any screening available so while looking around the house I found 5 gal paint strainer bags . Yup stuffed them. Tide them up and covered the bin with pillows. It worked and no mess.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Jocelyn! Perfect solution! Great innovation! 😍 🥰🪱

[@louisvello2513]

I'm here to tell you a story of a disaster I followed all of Jane's video's some twice. I spoke to jane and asked if Banana puree was O.K. she said yes so, I proceeded. I pureed the whole banana's using water saved from items that were boiled. Being late I filled a jug with the banana puree and put it in the screen porch. The next morning, I went to the porch. The gallon of banana puree had exploded and there was puree all over the porch, everywhere. Plus, therenwas a million fruit flies everywhere. I spent the best part of the day cleaning the mess. Just remember if you do the same thing use the puree right away or leave the lid off the water bottle. They say you learn by your mistakes. I never want any of you to make this mistake. Lou

[@RockinWorms]

Oh Lou! I’m so sorry this happened 🥲. I had one gallon jug of thick purée burp out and it was enough pressure to get my face as well as a lot on my shirt. I don’t recall what mix was in the jug but it also was out on the warm patio for several hours. I think the super thickness played a part too. I’ll be sure to talk about this in future videos so others don’t experience the big mess you did and the little mess I did. Again, I’m really sorry and I thank you for telling us what happened! I hope it won’t put you off pre-composting entirely! ❤️🪱🪱

[@kennethjackson7574]

“Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like bananas.” Sorry. I can resist anything except temptation.

[@NanasWorms]

Hi Jayne, this was really clear and helpful - thank you! The closest I came to pre-composting is when I tried to make an aged bedding bin. I started with cardboard shred and added a few other amendments and kick started it with some living material (worm castings). Well, wouldn't you know it but the castings contained cocoons and eventually I had a worm bin! Actually I had two worm bins. Those are now my Eat My Shorts and Peekaboo bins. So my weakness is anytime I find myself with an empty tote, I seem to end up with a new worm bin! ~ Sandra

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Sandra! Thanks for stopping by! I’d argue that you were exactly pre-composting that cardboard and got a lovely surprise out of it 🤣. I’m glad it didn’t heat up too much and destroy the cocoons. Do you know how how high a temp cocoons can survive? I know they can withstand freezing but haven’t found yet the heat tolerance side of their capabilities.

[@NanasWorms]

No, I don't know the upper range of survival. Our compost right now is really cooking and the live worms are finding cooler pockets to survive. Maybe we will find the answer about cocoons when the pile finally cools down and I can see if there any cocoons in the middle. ~ Sandra

[@RockinWorms]

@@NanasWorms Please share what you find out with the class!

[@angusmacduff3471]

I "kind-da" do the same thing. I use a cement mixer (Harbor Freight $100), Put rain - water in, add hardwood pellets, coffee grounds, shredded cardboard, Soy pellets for horses, cooked shredded carrots (5 pounds) with the liquid that they were lightly cooked in, some coir, a lot of coffee grounds and finally some chicken crumbles. I mix it up real well - and let it sit for a day. If it is heating up I run the mixer for five minutes - I do this every day until it has stopped heating up. I put it in three gallon containers with a cover and let it sit outside for a few weeks. Works great. I take a gallon of it, a gallon of coir and a few of gallons (+ - ) of shredded cardboard (judgement call) and rain water - mix it all up and that is my bedding.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Angus! That really is a compost pile recipe and a half! Have you tried it as an indoor method? I have a harbor freight cement mixer too - bought used off marketplace of course 😆. I used it once to mix my table top bins but loading and unloading from the bins was a hassle and not worth the mess. When I get the time (haha) I want to figure out a good way to use the mixer for the table top bins - mixing by hand sometimes makes my elbow very not happy. Thanks for sharing what you put into what end up being your worm bedding. I’m sure the worms ❤️ it!

[@angusmacduff3471]

Correction on above - it is Alfalfa Horse Pellets - not Soy. The main reason that I use this mix is that there is nothing to attract bugs - the bins (20) are all in the cellar. I use 16 quart Sterilite bins - they don't get very heavy to lift - ninety-three years old - have to be careful. I empty the mixer into the Gorilla cart and then use a small shovel to fill the buckets. I separate the worms like you do: Bloom and Gray does it that way - I enjoy her channel - when I can understand her - have to use CC, but I'm getting better at it - at least it isn't Gaelic.

[@angusmacduff3471]

A correction on the above - alfalfa pellets not soy pellets. I have all of my bins (20 - small 6 gallon Sterilite ) inside in the cellar. I freeze all of my food scraps and use them outside. I don't have any bugs - I think most of them come in on shredded leaves. I separate the worms the same way that you do - learned that from a blog from England - it is so easy and fast.

[@angusmacduff3471]

Hey "Old Man" your repeating yourself (Don't tell my son)

[@RockinWorms]

@@angusmacduff3471 Hi Angus! Thanks for for the correction. People do read the comments and if someone wants to try your mix recipe, it’s good to have the right ingredients 👍. I’ve not used alfalfa - I did use timothy hay pellets once, that a friend gave me, in my worm chow mixture. I hear that they can heat up pretty good - which would be a great add to a pre-composting bin. Hmmm…. so if I’ve got this right, you’re mixing the ingredients in the cement mixer dry and then putting it into buckets - when do you add the in the liquid? It’s the liquid that makes my bins get heavy and become a workout! It’s very inspiring that you’re doing what you’re doing! My hat is off to you!!

[@denaewilliamson2559]

Incredible how helpful this is and right in line with what I was wanting from composting. Thank you!

[@hala_harb_]

Thank you

[@JennStowe]

Found this so informative and fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing. I look forward to following this process along❤

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Jenn! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is a fun project with lots of uses. Not only for worms but for adding to the garden and I actually throw a few handfuls of the pre-compost, once it’s full of biology, to the chickens. They love digging thru it ❤ Thanks for watching!

[@funnysods]

Just found your site after subscribing to every worm breeding site known to man. This video is exactly the one I've been looking for. Thank you so much for passing on your knowledge. New subscriber, now to get through all the rest of your videos.

[@RockinWorms]

Welcome! I’m so glad you found me 👍. And thanks for subscribing ❤️❤️. You’re in for a treat as I have quite a few vids on breeder worms specifically, even a few where I messed up 😳🙄🤣. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. 🪱❤️🪱

[@evelynknight5627]

I appreciate you making this video, and look forward to seeing your update video on it! When I'd asked in the past what precomposting was all about, it seemed like all the advise I got involved piles and whatnot that I could not do in my apartment. This however looks perfectly acheivable for apartment living! Though my partner might not allow for it... 🥴 Maybe when we get a bigger space I'll just go for it and beg for forgiveness if I get caught! 😂

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Evelyn! This IS perfect for apartment dwellers! I have land and outdoor piles but wanted something I could control better. I live in SE Florida and have enough critters in my house already, thank you very much. I had all the materials needed but was stuck on where and how to make compost that would be ‘clean’. And then I thought ‘a big bin!’ And here we are 😂. It’s worked amazingly well. It takes a bit longer and won’t heat up as much (less mass working in our favor) but what we can achieve with a little effort, very little money, and several weeks of time - with NO SMELL and NO BUGS- is fantastic. Good for the worms, good for the plants, good for the earth. Love it! I can’t in good conscience encourage you to not share with your living space companion(s) about giving this a try but….. 😊. If you do talk to your companion first, make a deal - if it smells (it won’t) or brings in bugs (it won’t) you’ll throw it out immediately. I am posting another update today. It goes quick in the beginning- that’s why the rapid updates. I want to keep it close to real times! Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@evelynknight5627]

@@RockinWorms Love that! I think I would be nervous about doing piles anyway and introducing that to my worms, for the same reasons as you. I'm okay with springtails and small amounts of mites or even pot worms, but I might lose my cool over a BSF larva, grub, or centipede! 😣 I even baked/boiled the leaves that I had acquired before I would put them in my bins. About convincing my partner, I'll probably go that very route. In our upcoming move I'll have my own worm room/basement where I can tuck everything out of sight, out of mind... So I imagine he'll be much easier to convince then! Very encouraging that you are not getting any smells out of this, thus far. ☺

[@RockinWorms]

@@evelynknight5627 Hey Evelyn! You can just put boiling or very hot water over the leaves (takes less time and less energy usage). That’ll encourage anything in there to move on. I usually crush my leaves very finely (by hand or blender) and that also eliminates any bigger bugs. Oooh! Your own wormery? Heaven! Yes, the out of sight thing works well 😂. All I’m smelling now when I walk by the bins is coffee. I think it’s from the plastic bag covered bin. I’ve had time to think about that bin. I’m going to make another video tomorrow and address it. I think it’s helpful to show how it’s not always ‘perfect’ first time around but it’s not too hard to figure out what the problem is and fix it. That’s the kind of project I like!

[@cassidywillever2157]

Congratulations! You’re almost at 200 subscribers!!!

[@RockinWorms]

I’m quite surprised there’s been such a positive reaction to my videos! I’m thrilled! Thank you everyone!!

[@CF39D4FB4A]

​@@RockinWorms #295, I love your channel so much! I really hope more people will begin to see the value in vermiculture

[@RockinWorms]

@@CF39D4FB4A Hello! Thank you SO MUCH for your kind words! It means a lot to me that people are enjoying my videos ❤️. Thanks for watching!!

[@malingoodwin7867]

​@@RockinWorms Here we are 4 mo later (July 24-2023) and you are just 18 subscribers shy of 1000!! I bet that you will break the 1K threshold in no time. A testament to the great content that you create on your channel!

[@RockinWorms]

@@malingoodwin7867 Thanks! It’s been a joyful ride 😊. I’m awed and amazed and grateful for all the support people have shown me. Not only subscribers but other worm channel folks too. It’s a fantastic community 🪱❤️🪱

[@nancyobrien2854]

thank you.

[@RockinWorms]

You’re very welcome! Is it easier or harder than you thought it would be?

[@nancyobrien2854]

@@RockinWorms easier. Just have to find a source of shredded paper. Could I make a smaller batch like a 5 gallon bucket?

[@RockinWorms]

@@nancyobrien2854 Do you grocery shop? Go to any retail shops at all? 🙂. I’ve got all the cardboard I wanted at Publix, Walmart, warehouse clubs, etc. for FREE. Your brand of stores may be different but I bet they’d be happy to load you up. It’s all waste to them that they have to bundle and ship out or pay to have picked up. Ask a stock clerk. Take the empty boxes off the shelves. Cruise the neighborhood or go into town on garbage pick up days. I always see lots and lots of Amazon boxes on the curb waiting for the garbage guys. Too many for me to take. I do suggest that you pay attention to the thickness of the cardboard. Too thick is hard to rip, hard to cut, hard to shred. Thicker pieces if you can cut them are great to line the bottom of your worm bins if you like to do that. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. Mostly it depends on if I’m making a new bin and I remember 😂 I hope you give this a try real soon! It really is an easy process, with a little effort here and there, that uses time - and biota - to do the really hard work. The payoff is so worth it!

[@nancyobrien2854]

@@RockinWorms I have a bad ankle that makes it hard for me to do a lot of walking. Therefore, I have pretty much become a home body. The paper shredder I have access to will not shred standard shipping boxes. I have jammed it trying to shred both amazon and what the local grocery store has (my hubby works in the meat market and has brought home boxes before). I will have to try the actual boxes used for packaging pasta and cereal. If I could get my dad to stop shredding up charge card offers (with the plastic cards in them), I would probably have enough paper. He was taught to shred anything that anyone could possibly use to steal your identity.

[@RockinWorms]

@@nancyobrien2854 Mobility issues are challenging for sure 😒. Do you have a public library in town? Could your husband stop in? Mine gets the bigger newspapers as part of their services. I’ve asked and received the old newspapers from them a few times to make paper planting cups. They may be willing to hold a weeks worth for one pick up. I’ve had the paper shredder issue too. I finally got a new one that takes more sheets (get at least 10 sheet capability) at a time so it handles cardboard easily. Since I’m all about saving money and reusing, I bought mine used off Facebook marketplace for a super price! And I mean cheap. It is totally worth investing a few dollars, especially if it’s used and heading for the trash, to make your life easier and achieve great benefits. I hope you can figure this out. Put on the McGuyver hat 🤣

[@malingoodwin7867]

Thanks for a great tutorial! My first batch is now "cooking", 12 hours in already at 114F. I was able to get my hands on a used 36 gallon Rubbermaid tote for next to nothing, and used it to blend/work all the ingredients. Lots of room to blend and turn the content around. At first I thought to put it all in a smaller tote once blended, but decided to leave it for now in the big one. The burrito cover works well, insulating but still not air tight. Found some rather old veggies in the back of my freezer that came to very good use, ground them down to a mush in food processor, with some ancient bananas, blended with water for a thick concentrate. Have some of that "concentrate" saved to be further diluted and used when adding more material in phase II of this bin later on. I found the rhubarb to be a bit "stringy", so I cooked it on low heat for a while to break it down a bit before grinding further, it worked well. Thanks for the tip about the gloves! They provide great grip and I am able to massage and work the material much more effectively than with my bare hands. Also, hands not covered in coffee grounds another plus. Very excited to start this new chapter of pre-composted bedding. I used to add dry cardboard shred directly to the bin and found when harvesting castings that there was a lot of cardboard pieces still partially intact. They were a nuisance to pick out, as they went right through my DIY screen of 1/4 hardware cloth. This new type of bedding will certainly address that issue by providing partially broken down cardboard. Also thanks to your earlier tip, now with my new sifting pans I have a second remedy for the screening problem. Question1: Do you use all raw veggies or is there anything that you purposely heat/cook before using in your pre-composted mix? About how many pounds of veggies do you use in a batch the size in this. Question2: Do you ever add your cow manure to the pre-composted mix (while it is "cooking"), or do you only add it directly to the worm bins when adding new bedding or preparing a new bin? Many Thanks Malin

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Malin! WOW! 🤩! You are doing amazing 🪱❤️. The bigger bin helps (good on you for finding a bargain!). I had the same issue with adding raw cardboard shred too. Don’t like it at all 😡. I’ve seen it work for others but not for me. In 2 worm bins I added it in to try quite a few weeks ago, it’s still there! Less but still obviously there. I do get a few random pieces with the new pre-compost but only when I’m pushing harvesting on the really early side. Like you said there being only a few are easy to sift out 👍. I have not purposefully cooked any veg or fruit. If it is, fine, but it’s basically all raw, mostly already soft, going to rot vegetables and fruits from my veg guy. I think your cooking very stringy veggie like the rhubarb was smart - otherwise it’ll wrap your blades and be a PIA. I do not added the sifted cow manure into the pre-compost. I stripped the recipe back to bare bones so it would be more accessible to more people. Both in resources and time commitment. But once you’ve got the basics down, start playing with it 😎. The manure certainly could be added into the heating process. I guess the main reason I don’t add the manure in up front is habit. I didn’t start that way and old dogs change slowly 😆. That said by keeping it separate I could add it in directly to the bin if I needed to. In fact, I could have done that when I ran out of pre-compost and potentially avoid my over processed castings 😡. Of course then I would have run out of manure - I’m getting close to that now. It’s been raining constantly for weeks and weeks so drying it down to prep for sifting simply hasn’t been an option. And now it’s so freaking hot to go out into the pasture to collect it. Whine, whine 🤣. In fact now that I’ve got lots of pre-compost in the pipeline, I am cutting back a bit on the manure to stretch it out. It’s always one resource or another that’s in short supply it seems! Thanks so much for sharing your process and results! It’ll encourage others to give it a go!🪱❤️🪱

[@RockinWorms]

I absolutely use the thicker gloves when I mix the pre-compost. I keep 2 pairs on the tables where the totes are. It’s the perfect middle thickness to help my hands but thin enough that I can easily manipulate the shred pieces to better coat them with the veg slurry. Don’t hesitate to make the slurry any consistency that works for you. Sometimes mine is kinda thick and other times it’s simply potatoes or pasta water. I store my ready to use slurry in reused gallon jugs - easy to store in fridge until needed. 🪱❤️

[@malingoodwin7867]

@@RockinWorms Agree, the gallon jugs are very handy. I borrowed a few from my collection of jugs tucked away for future winter-sowing activities.

[@user-no6ty3ml8f]

❤

[@itsasickness4939]

This is the bedding I use as well. Except I use a small tumbler I found on CL for $20. By far the best bedding I’ve used in my 5 years of raising worms and I’ve tried lots. The closest would be rabbit manure but I had to buy that. Only downside is they love it so much they go through it very fast but they grow fast, mature fast and reproduce like crazy.

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! $20 on Craigslist - totally excellent! My daughter calls me a Facebook marketplace menace 🤣. I’m so glad you posted as I’ve forgotten to check CL lately for deals. There’s other lists now like swip swap, neighborhood lists, etc. They are all worth checking out! Thanks for sharing how well rabbit manure has worked for you! I just bet the worms loved it and grew very fast and healthy ❤️. I’m eager to give rabbit manure a try. We have lots of wild rabbits here but I’m not chasing them down 😂. So I’ll stick with the 3 cows in my pasture for now. Horse manure is often available for free. A 5 gallon bucket goes a long way. A few phone calls to a riding academy or similar can net a great bedding component for FREE. Thanks for commenting! I hope to see you back for the updates - I’m posting one in an hour or so!

[@itsasickness4939]

@@RockinWorms I watched all three of the series. I think the lack of heat in your second actually your first tub is not enough mass. When they shrink I would add them together. If someone gives you some rabbit manure then absolutely take it but the bedding you are using now is the best I’ve used in my 5 years. Plus my worms told me so.

[@RockinWorms]

@@itsasickness4939 😆 You’ve stolen my thunder! Not enough mass is exactly the conclusion I’ve come to. I’m planning on making another video on that tonight so others can see what’s ‘wrong’ with this bin and how easy it’ll be to fix. I’ve combined some of my prior table top bins into a large tote on the patio. Works a charm! Despite not giving a spoiler alert warning ⚠️, I hope you comment more! ❤️

[@madhat127]

Hi Jayne, Very interesting video. Very easy to follow. I will have to have a go at this for my worm bins. Any suggestion for using something other than coffee grounds? Looking forward to watching the rest of this pre-compost play list. Have fun, Mark : )

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Mark! Welcome! The worms love this bedding! If you’re looking for lots of castings and cocoons, then this bedding is a game changer 👍😎. The coffee grounds are the nitrogen component. You can play with other nitrogen ingredients such as fresh cut grass, green leaves, alfalfa and blood meal, etc. I like the coffee grounds because they are free but also east to work with. They don’t mat like grasses and fresh leaves can. It’s less likely to get anaerobic and stinky. The veggie slurry is also nitrogen as well as liquid so make it thicker 😊. Ok? 🪱🪱

[@madhat127]

@@RockinWorms Hi Jayne, Thank you for the reply, very helpful : )

[@johnwilliamson4231]

My chickens love peppers.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi John! My chickens will eat them but it’s not a favorite. And definitely not the hot ones. Same with the cows. I try to use in the veggie slurry the things they’d rather not eat. As picky as toddlers 🤣.

[@crapton9002]

Subbed. I got started 2 months ago. Eisenia Fetida and Perionyx Excavatus with Eudrilus Eugeniae on the way. I'm not addicted 😂

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! Me neither.

[@crapton9002]

@@RockinWorms I'm in Polk County so You're my Local inspiration. Free worms I haven't found yet but I'm looking.

[@RockinWorms]

@@crapton9002 If you find a source for free red wigglers be sure to share with the class! To be perfectly honest, I don’t know if *I*would 😆

[@peggywaters2589]

My my my, I have learned a lot! I think the most important thing I learned: Have all your ingredients! I thought I had enough, enough of everything for a small batch….a practice batch-you know. A 5 gallon tub of shredded cardboard, is how much cardboard? Is that compacted, is it loose? Add water, add coffee grounds, add vegetable soup. What was a little over a half a bucket, is a little more than a third of a bucket, the next day. The temperature went up 20 degrees the first day, but by the second day, it lost 10 degrees. I really think the problem is; volume and it’s mostly likely, nitrogen. Now I’m digging out frozen vegetables and frozen bananas out of my freezer, to make a slurry. I hope that I don’t end up with a big stinky mess!

[@RockinWorms]

Oh my Peggy! I have to admit I’m chuckling a bit 😊. It’s a bit of a leap of faith the first time making the pre-compost. My demo here was with an 18 gallon tote. You do have to adjust based on that and of course how humid it is, how loose your veggie slurry is, even the moisture content in the coffee grounds can make each batch different. You can thin out the veggie slurry and add more nitrogen in the form of coffee grounds to make things work. I’m sorry to say you just have to play with it until you get the hang of it. The cardboard shred is loose, not packed. I have batches that need a lot of liquid added and batches where it’s not so much. 🤷‍♂️. Getting the quick heat jump is so satisfying! But always always keep in mind that anything over ambient temperature shows that the biota is working 👍❤️. Adding more nitrogen will speed things up but it’s also the thing that can indeed turn a batch, at least initially, into a stinky mess. It happens (add tons of carbon!). Having some volume is really helpful as you point out. I haven’t done less than an 18 gallon tote (with about 15 gallons of material in it) so I can’t say what a minimum amount would be that works well. I have seen someone using a 13 gallon kitchen garbage can filled most of the way up and that worked well. I think a key to that one is the vertical space that keeps the composting action very contained. A tote is more square and therefore more spread out so to speak. I don’t know how far in the series you’ve watched but there’s a secret ingredient coming up (baking yeast) that can give your compost a big boost if needed. I encourage you to stick with it during this learning phase and before you know it - batch 2-3 - you’ll be throwing this together without a thought! And your worms will thank you with amazing castings! 🪱👍❤️

[@peggywaters2589]

@@RockinWorms Jayne, I’ve watched the whole series, twice! The “secret” will be my next option…I don’t want my bucket to explode! 😮

[@RockinWorms]

@@peggywaters2589 So to be clear, what sized bucket/tote are you making pre-compost in? I may be able to give you some measurement advice. Maybe! 🪱

[@RockinWorms]

@@peggywaters2589 So to be clear, what sized bucket/tote are you making pre-compost in? I may be able to give you some measurement advice. Maybe! 🪱

[@peggywaters2589]

@@RockinWorms it’s a 5 gallon, Home Depot bucket. Too hard to mix in the bucket, so I dump most of it in a 7 gallon tote and stir well before dumping it back in the bucket. I thought it would heat up better with less surface area. I thought I could handle a 5 gallon bucket better than a large tote. I also use the buckets to sift my castings.

[@RockinWorms]

@1DutchKiwi-omafaraway Hello! I saw your post on my friend Peggy’s channel 😊. If you’re interested in composting your kitchen food scraps indoors, the playlist that this video starts off gives step by step directions on how to do this ❤🪱🪱

[@peggywaters2589]

When I was brand new at this, it scared me to see orange (looked like webbing) spreading across the cardboard on top of my bin. I got rid of it as quick as I could.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Peggy! Ah, when we were new and young! 😆😎. Thanks for watching 🪱❤️👍

[@Annie-vg5bk]

Thanks for video. Definitely want to try this. What do you use to shred so much cardboard?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Annie! I have (cough cough) 3 paper shredders. 2 bought used and one new. If you can find or afford a shredder, it’s a great investment that pays off in several ways. It saves time and work and increases the turn around time for bedding to be consumed by worms and made into castings - either thru composting the paper/cardboard first or directly adding it into a worm bin. If a shredder is not possible, then soaking the cardboard first before ripping into smaller pieces can at least make the job less difficult. Here is the link to the unboxing of my brand new shredder so you can see what features I look for: UNBOXING Micro Shredder kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZS9opeCrLmfmbc I also suggest reading the comments as additional helpful information on what to look for is given 🪱❤️

[@Annie-vg5bk]

Thanks, just watched the unboxing, very helpful. I’ll check it out.

[@kylewestrom7849]

My next pre compost try once the bedding has cooled down. Going to use a PVC pipe and dig holes throughout the bedding and leave these holes open while the compost ages to allow sufficient oxygen throughout specially the bottom to avoid anaerobic conditions. See how this works.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Kyle! Using pvc pipe with holes drilled into it to bring more air throughout the composting pile is a Mathis used by lots of people. Works well I understand! For these small table top bins and totes, it’s really not necessary. A good hand mixing on a regular basis is sufficient. Please let us know how your experiment goes! 🪱❤️😎

[@kylewestrom7849]

@@RockinWorms I’m just lazy and thinking of ways to compost this pile without turning lol.

[@RockinWorms]

@@kylewestrom7849 That’s not lazy. That’s smart! I think that’s why this method was developed - it’s a lot of work to turn a decent sized compost pile if you don’t have equipment and space - and adding air in thru perforated pipes eliminates the need to turn the compost. Mostly anyway. I hope it’s effective for you! Please report back!! 🪱🪱🪱

[@kylewestrom7849]

@@RockinWorms I will! I had success on a small scale doing the PVC method with holes but figured why can’t I just dig a pipeline hole and leave it, assume it acts the same with. Oxygen penetrates a foot in from the tunnel so hoping it creates a healthy aerobic environment. Once I’m done with the heating stage I’ll let it age as cold compost with this method until it’s ready to be used. I’ll report back on my progress.

[@suzettestroh2840]

By adding some vermitea can also increase the microbes/fungi.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Suzette! Yes! You are exactly right 👍. Adding in vermitea , a handful or 2 of castings, etc. will also act as the inoculate when setting up a new pre-compost bin. If you already have an pre-compost bin active you can also use some of that to start the new bin. In this series I’m specifically trying to help people that may be just starting out and not even have worms yet, let alone castings, but want to get prepared, as well as current worm owners that want to get started as simply as possible 👍❤️🪱 Thanks for reminding everyone of another option to use! Are you going to pre-compost??

[@shaunnichols8170]

Thanks for the video. I'm running a tray system and have a tray of raw cardboard that sits at the bottom of my system for 90-180 days before I start using it as a feeding tray to inoclate. Do you remcomend using the pre-compost in the inoculation tray instead of raw cardboard?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Shaun! Welcome 🤗. Pre-compost would certainly work wonders on all of your trays. That said you’re making at a minimum prepared bedding doing what you’re doing, which is a great step vs adding raw bedding into your trays. I guess which is better comes down to how much that inoculation tray breaks down the bedding and gets loaded with biota prior to it being rotated into a full on worm tray. And that depends on how you run your system aka how much castings and moisture fall into the inoculation tray during that 90-180 day period. Also there’s a definite space savings using your bottom tray to make prepared or pre-compost vs using separate totes. But if you do have the space, or are thinking of expanding your worm wrangling beyond the tray system, making pre-compost in totes is a great way to go. This probably isn’t the cut and dried answer you were expecting 😆. But what’s best/better really depends on your individual circumstances and I hope the above will help you decide what to do 😎. Thanks for asking and watching 👍🪱❤️

[@shaunnichols8170]

@@RockinWorms Thank you for the response. Thats actually makes a perfect sense. I do see a good bit of breakdwon on the inocculation tray and by the time It becomes the feeding tray I see almost 0 cardboard. That being said I'm sure it wouldnt hurt to mix in some additional bedding like leaves, coier and coffee. I have been putting coffee in with the feedings but adding it to the bedding doesnt sound bad.

[@RockinWorms]

@@shaunnichols8170 Adding coffee into the raw bedding, along with any decent amount of moisture will start actively (as opposed to cold) composting. Be sure to keep an eye on temperatures in that tray and how it might affect the upper trays. The trays have good ventilation but you don’t want it to turn into an oven! I should have said that in my first response 😬. Be sure to report back your experiences with trying this if you do try it. I don’t have a tray system but many people do and the feedback would be beneficial 👍🪱🪱

[@deanthomas1973]

Can I use farmyard manure in bags from my local centre as bedding

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Dean! You can use any kind of animal manure you want to make pre-compost. The composting process will break down the high levels of nitrogen and make it safe for the worm bin after the heat and cool cycle completes. It’s always best to know what and where the manure comes from but it’s not always possible if you’re not raising the animals yourself. I don’t add manure into making my pre-compost. I simply use other ingredients but that’s personal preference. I’m eager to hear how your process goes if you proceed with using manure 👍🪱

[@plan-b-portugal]

Hi Jayne, you mentioned onions and oranges go into the vegetable liquid. I learned not to give worms citrus or onions. Does the pre-composting mean those rules do not apply any more?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi! Yes that’s exactly what it means. Pre-compost totes and worm bins are 2 very different things and can NOT be equated. The pre-compost process - both the biota doing their magic and the chemical reactions due to the heat generation - changes toxic or harmful or not great items into perfectly good/super foods for the worms! Woo-hoo! Not to mention that hot composting, which is what we’re doing here on a smaller scale - gets too hot and will cook the worms 😳😬. Ok? 🪱🪱❤️

[@eleanoraddy4683]

I just need to get some flexible screening from somewhere and I'm ready to go! Screen doors aren't a thing where I live but I'm sure there will be something I can use😊

[@RockinWorms]

I wonder if the nylon bags onions and potatoes or similar items come in would work? Maybe not as convenient to make the burrito from but they could be sewed together maybe? Shade cloth from a garden shop? That has a tight woven weave…?

[@eleanoraddy4683]

​@@RockinWorms hi! I got a bit keen and already started mixing stuff together so due to lack of other plans it's going to be the curtain, pretty sure it's synthetic...wish me luck! I will let you know when I get a temperature rise!

[@RockinWorms]

@@eleanoraddy4683 How exciting! Good luck! Waiting to hear!

[@eleanoraddy4683]

​@@RockinWorms hiya! Been all excitement around here, I've got a muntjac deer in my garden and I live in the city centre! Anyway it somehow eclipsed my fantastic 10°C rise in temperature! I went down this morning and it had risen a little, about 3° but looked volume wise like only half the bin I'm using so I added more of everything plus the yeast and plus a very generous cup and a half of kombucha because it seemed like a good idea at the time. At 6pm it had risen by ten degrees! So off to a great start I'm super happy with it❤

[@RockinWorms]

@@eleanoraddy4683 Hey. Had to look up the muntjac deer :). Apparently they are becoming a real nuisance even in urban areas. Fantastic start to your pre-composting!!give it a few days and then mix it all up so any pockets of moisture get reincorporated. I’ve found it’s ALOT less work if you have another bin at least the same size you can off load the material into, mixing it to separate cardboard clumps or whatever. This way the too goes to the bottom and the bottom to the top and the moisture will automatically redistribute. You may not have to add any liquid at all or just a small amount. My blue bin I made on the videos is still cooking at over 110F on the center. I can use the edges in my worm bins 👍 Keep posting updates please!!

[@allanballiett2269]

Jayne - I'm mostly interested in creating worm castings for my garden. Will this pre-compost bedding be good for that? (I know you said it was best for breeding bins) If not pre-compost like this, what should I use? Thanks!!

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Allan! Welcome to the Castings Crew! This pre-compost will give your worms great food and bedding - period! Whether they are set up as breeders or a mixed grow out bin that’s main job is making rich castings for your garden. One of many great things about this pre-compost is how fast your worms turn it into castings. You don’t have to wait 6 months to get gallons of castings like with many ‘normal’ bedding materials. You can get 2-3 gallons of castings every 3 weeks from approximately 800 adult worms in a standard bin by using pre-compost as the bedding. 👍 I have not tested this out as frankly I have plenty of castings for my garden, but I suspect the pre-compost could be used directly into the garden as well. 👍❤️🪱😎 Thanks for watching and asking questions 😊

[@allanballiett2269]

@@RockinWorms thanks so much for answering my question and thanks so much for making g me aware of pre-composting!!

[@jeanettekennington8006]

Is purple egg cartons bad for the worms.? Is there a cheap way of shredding cardboard?

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! Purple egg cartons are fine for the worms 👍. I’ve used them myself with no issues. I think the best way to shred cardboard is to buy a used shredder if you can. Be sure to test it before buying as having it turn in and the motor run isn’t a guarantee it’ll take and shred cardboard. Even if you have to buy a shredder new I think it’s worth it as you’ll save yourself so much time and physical labor. If you can’t get your hands on a shredder then you can soak cardboard to soften it to make ripping it into pieces easier. Wet corrugated cardboard will separate and become easier to rip up. Does anyone have tricks they use to shred cardboard?? 🪱🤩

[@rianne9236]

Hello, is it also possible to close the bin with a lid? By the way I really like your video's. I started a wormbin 2 months ago and it is my new favorite hobby! Greetings from the Netherlands:)

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Rianne! Welcome aboard the worm train! Congratulations on starting a worm bin 👍🤩. Excellent! And thank you for the kind words 🥰 I don’t recommend closing a pre-compost bin with a solid lid. It’s really necessary to get good air into the mix. If you haven’t watched part 2 yet you’ll see that the experiment with using a plastic bag cover was a failure 😞. A solid lid would be just as bad. Now if you have a lid with plenty of air holes or cut out with screening over the opening that would work. It also wouldn’t be that much different from eliminating the lid and just using the just the screening after all! The cardboard shred on top serves a few functions. It keeps heat and moisture in and also bugs out as the mix cools down later on without cutting off the air circulation. Ok? 🪱🪱🪱

[@rianne9236]

@@RockinWorms thank you so much Jayne for the explaination. I know what to do now and also why. :) I am going to buy some screen later this weekend and get started. I havent got the time to watch the whole series but I got them saved to watch later today. :) have a nice weekend

[@RockinWorms]

@@rianne9236 I look forward to hearing how your pre-compost goes! 👍😎🪱❤️

[@tanchewleong2078]

Greetings from Singapore.., where to buy the gloves u r wearing? How much is it ? Thanks

[@RockinWorms]

Hello Singapore! Thanks so much for watching ❤️. The gloves are from Home Depot. I was in there last week and they had a special price on them so I bought 3 packs 😊. It was something like $11 for 10 pairs. A very good deal. I hope you can find something similar. I find thicker gloves are better than latex gloves for working the compost - my hands cramp less. Thanks for your question and I hope you come back for more videos! Take care!

[@millyzwezereijn9177]

Hi Jayne, it’s me again, the Dutchie from Hungary! So, I made my first batch of pre-composed bedding. I hope it will be a successful first attempt. Ingredients: 1 part coffee grounds, 1 part vermicompost, 1 part homemade compost, 1 part greens from the garden (grass clippings, nettles), 1 part moisted coconut coir, 2 parts of spent wheatbran --a failed attempt to make my own Bokashi starter: it was too wet and started to get moldy-- 1/2 cup EM-1 and 2 tbsp of molasses mixed in warm veggie water and lots of shredded cardboard. Yes, I have my own paper shredder now! I also ordered an electric pair of scissors, but it hasn't been delivered yet. So I went out of the box as you suggested and used a mini version of a chain saw. It's the size of a very big handgun and just rips to multiple layers of cardboard to make strips for the shredder. Who knows, it might become my favorite tool! I'll check the temperature tomorrow and just hope it has risen. Fingers crossed!

[@millyzwezereijn9177]

I do not know why some of the words were crossed out. It WAS spent wheat bran after a failed attempt to make Bokashi starter ;)

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Millie! OMG! There’s so much to unpack here! First off - excellent!! Taking the leap is the hardest part. Your use of castings and compost is a wonderful way to jazz up the microbial life in the bin and get it cooking. Pay attention to the carbon to nitrogen balance and overall moisture to keep any potential bad bacteria from making a home :). If they do - you’ll smell a sour or vomit smell - it’s almost always at the bottom of the bin which you won’t smell unless it gets really bad - which means you ignored your part in the process by not it over after several days. And the way to solve it is…. Turn the compost over and get air in there and then if needed add a bit more carbon to soak up any pooling water. The mini chainsaw!! I have one too and never ever thought to try it on the cardboard! It doesn’t gum up the chainsaw blade? I bought the electric scissors about 10 days ago. Took me a few hilarious tries to figure them out 😆. But got them working now and it’s great! Really saves my elbow joint.

[@RockinWorms]

@@millyzwezereijn9177 haha! The cross outs made total sense to me so I didn’t give it a thought. It’s great to change a ‘failure’ into a total success! You go girl!

[@millyzwezereijn9177]

Hi Jayne! It’s a shame I can’t post pics here or I could have shown you the temp in my pre-compost bin: currently at 133.9F / 56.6C. 😊 After an initial very modest rise yesterday to 90.3F / 32.4C I concluded it was a bit too dry and lacked a sufficient amount of nitrogen, so I amended that. I also added some lavameal. This morning the bin felt warm on the outside and inside it was pretty warm! I fluffed it all up to aerate it and added a little more water to keep it moist. So far, so good. I’ll keep it this way until temperature drops. I’m not sure how to proceed next: let it cure or add more cardboard and nitrogen. Any suggestions?

[@RockinWorms]

@@millyzwezereijn9177 Wow! 139 degrees?! I want to try YOUR recipe! Excellent!! I’m actually posting a video in a few hours about next steps for the bins as I’m wrapping up the series and it’ll answer your question. With such great heat rise you’ve got lots of time to decide what route you want to take next 😊. Thanks SO MUCH for posting how it’s going! I think it’s really helpful to others to get independent verification that the whole indoor pre-composting is entirely doable and an effective way to provide bedding and food for worms - and plants. THANKS!! Keep updating us!!

[@jtran7517]

Hi Jayne, How many time will you add more material to reactivate the breakdown ? Do you have to wait for it to cool down completely before adding more material ? Thank You

[@RockinWorms]

Hi J. I now do a modified material addition. As I move the pre-compost from one tote to the next in an assembly line fashion it gets turned and the tote gets filled back up. It’s not new material in the totes until the last tote which gets all the new material. Often I need to add moisture to the totes during the turning. This addition of air and moisture reactivates the biota. The refill gives the biota more material to process (even if the material isn’t new as it’s not fully broken down either) as well as more mass to keep moisture and heat in which also give the composting process a boost. If I feel it’s needed I add a yeast/bacteria booster like bakers yeast, worm castings or tea, beer, moldy fruits/veggies, etc. No, you don’t have to wait until the tote completely cools. In fact it’s more productive to add in any new material (whether new-new or new-already semi processed) when the tote is still somewhat active - usually around temperatures of 100F-105F. Is that clear at all?? 🤣👍❤️🪱

[@jtran7517]

@@RockinWorms I watch 7 parts videos , and read 3, 4 times . It is not clear yet, but I will watch and read again and again , hopefully 1 day I will understand . Thank You very much for making videos so we can make compost in the winter inside

[@RockinWorms]

@@jtran7517 Hi J. I’m sorry you’re struggling with the the steps 😢. Would having the videos in another language help? I can add subtitle languages now 👍. Here are the steps in a very brief overview: - mix 2 parts carbon (cardboard) with 1 part nitrogen (used coffee grounds). This ratio can be modified closer to 1:1 as you gain experience. - add liquid and mix until materials are very damp. I use veggie and fruit liquid. Water, worm tea, beer, etc can be used also. - add a bacteria source if your liquid doesn’t have active bacteria already. Worm tea, castings, soil from the yard, compost you already have on hand, etc. - mix again to ensure no pockets of dry material. If material is drippy wet, add more carbon and/or nitrogen to soak up excess liquid. - cover tote with a oversized piece of fine screen and then cover the screen with a thick layer of dry cardboard shred. These keep bugs out and heat and moisture in. - in a few days you should see the temperature rise well above ambient temperature. This means bacteria is working to breakdown the carbon and nitrogen materials that when the processing done and the materials are no longer hot, can be added as bedding to your worm bins. Does this helps you? 👍🪱❤️

[@jtran7517]

@@RockinWorms Yes, it's easier to understand now . Thank YOU 😀😘

[@CrackerFL]

Hhmm? I have old coolers that I don't use. They would probably work as good or better. Is there mold? Is it safe to have indoors close to where you sleep?

[@RockinWorms]

I think old coolers would be perfect. I love it! And they can make good worm bins in the future too! Watch out that you have air exchange /ventilation. Otherwise go for it! Congratulations on thinking outside the box, uh, bin 😂.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi again MJ - As for mold, yes there will be mold in the composting material. I add mold in directly - remember those oranges?! Mold, fungus, other micro organisms will grow in the bin and do the work of breaking the materials down into worm approved food 😊. The screening and thick shred on top of that will do a lot to keep bin contents, including any potential odors, inside. I don’t feel comfortable telling you if sleeping near (how near? My bins are maybe 30 feet from my bed, in the next room) them is safe for you or not. I don’t know your medical condition and am not a doctor in any case. Sorry I can’t help you on that topic.

[@CrackerFL]

@@RockinWorms Great advice! Thanks so much!

[@chuckadams-jw2xm]

I may have missed this info but how long should you wait before using the pre compost. I realize it is not exact but is there an approx average time?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Chuck! Welcome! You’re are right - there’s no exact time frame for pre-compost being ready to be used but I can give you guidelines 😎. The first heat and cool cycle generally takes about a week to 10 days for an 18 gallon tote. This includes giving it a least one mixing to add air into the system and redistribute moisture. Peak temps are around day 4-5. Then it starts to cool down. This is when you have a decision to make. The pre-compost can be used in worm bins successfully at this point. The materials aren’t as broken down so it serves as bedding and longer term food. It will continue to breakdown in the worm bin but at a slow pace, not causing any heating up issues. I use this one cycle pre-compost when I want to slow down a bin. Sometimes I simply need or want more time between harvests. Using one cycle pre-compost gives me that time. The other option is to do a second heat and cool cycle. This jumps the biota back into action. There’s a few ways to make this second cycle happen. If you watch the next videos in the series I talk about at least 2 ways to make the cycle start up again 😊. 2 cycle pre-compost is much more broken down and the worms eat it up fast! I use 2 cycle in my breeder bins and they turn 2.5-3 gallons of pre-compost into 99% castings that will sift thru a 1/4” mesh screen (I show that in a video but can’t recall which one 🙄). Additionally it’s so fine of castings that I really get almost 2 gallons of castings that sift thru a 1/8” mesh screen and about 3/4 of a gallon that sift thru a 1/12” screen!! If I use one cycle pre-compost in my breeder bins (which I have) I don’t get as much of the finer 1/12” castings, which makes sense 😊. The other thing to remember is that the pre-compost that’s still in the tote waiting to be used is continuously break down more every day. At a slow rate but still doing it. It’s always ready to go! I hope this gave you some general insight and you can play with it and manage it to get the results that best for your desired outcome 👍🪱🪱

[@chuckadams-jw2xm]

@@RockinWorms thank you for taking the time to write so much in detail. It was a very logical and interesting read. 😊

[@franckelatter9829]

Do u use unbleached paper, I was told too! But it’s a bit hard to come by or using junk mail, should I leave out the shinny brochures?

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! I use regular white copy paper, junk mail letters and envelopes, etc. EXCEPT I do remove any cellophane (or whatever it is) mailing windows, glossy paper (although I do think it’s ok to use, I choose to not to use it mostly 🙄🤷‍♂️). I take off sticky labels and packing tape. Sometimes I rip off the part of an envelope that has the glue on it. The bottom line is that it takes a lot of chemical processing to make the paper products we use today. A little bleaching agent isn’t going to make a whole lot of difference 😎. Even recycled paper and cardboard has gone thru extensive processing to be reformed into new usable materials. I’ll go a step further. Any of the paper products I put into my composting system I’d be ok with putting uncomposted into my worm bins. 👍. Thanks for asking 👍🪱❤️

[@franckelatter9829]

Thankyou yes I can see your logic with paper and cardboard!

[@RockinWorms]

@@franckelatter9829 Also worms are being tested for toxic spill clean ups. I don’t know what species specifically but I’d wager that worms that can take that level of toxicity- including heavy metals - are not going to be phased by chemicals that we are exposed to in our household usage. Its a broad statement and I’m willing to be wrong of anyone does have information and data on this 👍😊

[@traceybier1128]

What do coffee grounds bring to the mix?

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! Coffee grounds are a high nitrogen source. They are easily available for most people and either cheap or free. I am sharing how a regular person with access to regular easy to get ingredients in a small space can effectively make pre-compost worm bedding and food. Coffee grounds fits that bill nicely! Ok? 😊🪱

[@denisecardoza66]

Hi. My shreds come out really small and I fear because of the denser quality that I’m putting way too many shreds per coffee grounds. Plus, it’s taking over 3 gallons of liquid to wet to the squishy stage. What does 5 gallons of your shreds weigh and maybe I can make a comparison? Thanks!

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Denise! I’ll try to weight it out tonight for you 😊 Heavy on the carbon will slow the process down. It’ll still Compost, just take more time. If you have the bin space and coffee grounds (maybe make a quick dash to a local Starbucks?) add in more to balance the cardboard. As long as the liquid isn’t forming a pool on the bottom of the bin - which will get smelly - don’t worry about how much liquid goes in. I wish mine took more liquid as I have so much stored in the fridge 😆. What’s your temperature movement look like? Is it heating up?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Denise! 5 gallons of my micro shred weighs 3lbs 2.5 oz. That’s without packing it into the 5 gallon bucket. I wouldn’t worry too much about the weight compared to the weight of coffee grounds. Most recipes including my own are more volume based. As I suggested in my previous comment I’d just add more nitrogen in. Mix it all up. Give it a day or two. See if the temperature starts to rise. If it does then you’re on your way! You can add in more nitrogen or yeast after the initial rise. If you don’t get the initial temperature rise then add in even more nitrogen. Of the bin your using becomes awkwardly full - that’s happened to me - take a bunch out and store in a plastic bag. It’s not cooking anyway so it won’t kill bacteria that’s not in there anyway 😊. You’ll simply add this material back in later on as the volume reduces and you do a second heating round. No big deal. If you happen to go overboard with the nitrogen trying to kick start the process, simply add carbon in until you get the balance right. You’ll get a feel for it 👍. Let me know how it goes!

[@candywalker483]

Where do you get your shredded cardboards from? Sorry if you mentioned and I missed.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Candy! No worries! Ask away! I get my cardboard mainly from a warehouse store. They use sheets of cardboard as separators between layers of cases of water, paper towel packs, etc. They also have several large bins of boxes products came in. I help myself to what I want as all shoppers can. It helps the store lessen their garbage output too. Regular grocery stores are the same for product boxes. I’ve gotten them there too. I get boxes that don’t have a lot of stickers on them (cause I’m lazy and don’t want to pull off a lot of tape) and aren’t too thick for my shredder. Liquor boxes and appliance boxes tend to be too thick. As an added tip, if your store has a bakery ask them for empty icing buckets. Especially before holidays. I don’t always score but I do often enough to keep me asking 😆.

[@vistacendhani]

Can you Use the tote lid?

[@RockinWorms]

I recommend against it. Lots of air flow works best. The biota needs it. Also they put out a lot of respiration which adds condensation to the mixture if there’s a lid. That leads to too much liquid and the anaerobic environment we talked about in your last question. On the good side a lid keeps in the heat generated and the biota like that. But the trade off benefit isn’t there. The shred burrito top gives you all the good benefits without any bad bits. 👍 You’re asking good questions! 🪱

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

You said add liquid from canned vegetables...I am wondering about the salt???????

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Marjorie! Good question! Since the liquid is going into the pre-compost bin to be processed by microbial organisms it’s not an issue. I wouldn’t put in a block of salt of course, but the amounts in canned veggies, diluted over much more water or other non-salted fruits and veggies won’t negatively effect anything. I would NOT add it directly to worm bins though, just to be on the safe side. It’s one of the benefits of making pre-compost. You can add large amounts of organic material that you would never add directly to a worm bin. Yea! Thanks for watching and asking - others probably wondered too! I hope you give this process a try. I’m starting to realize there’s even more benefits, which I’ll share once I’m sure of what I’m seeing 😊.

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

@RockinWorms asking mostly because I don't buy many canned vegetables but I remember canning and the salt I used.....been an organic farmer all of my life...

[@monicawallace9582]

Hi again! I dont think my first compost bin was successful and I’m guessing it’s because it’s in the garage and too cold. I’ve rewatched the videos and the ambient temp and total volume are the two things I think could be keeping me from success. Im going to double the volume of materials in my bin and then move it into a spare bathroom. Is there a preferred ambient temp? Any other ideas. Not giving up and appreciate you and your videos ❤

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Monica! I’m sorry it’s been a struggle 😢. Don’t throw that trouble maker bin of material out though. Once you get a tote working you can feed this stuff to it. Or to your worms- they’ll eat it just fine even if it does take them a bit longer to chew thru it all. Don’t add all at once though!! My first many totes where inside my house as you may remember. 77F to 85F at night. South Florida, gotta love it. 😳🙄. Normal house temps are fine. Mesophilic bacteria works at normal human temps. Volume helps keep moisture and heat in which the biota love. Remind me, what did you use for the starter biota? 🪱🤗

[@monicawallace9582]

I’m not sure I have anything I’d call starter biota. I guess I thought greens took care of that but they were frozen prior to being blended up so maybe they’ve got nothing really going on. My recipe was 5G chipped leaves, 3G coffee from Starbucks (thanks for that tip) 1Q puréed scraps and 2Q filtered water. I’ve put a heating pad under it so if there is anything living maybe it’ll help them out. Being a new worm farmer I don’t have much in the way of castings I can add but I can get horse manure if you think that’s a good idea.

[@RockinWorms]

@@monicawallace9582 The leaves may have biota on them but overall it doesn’t seem like you’ve got much going on as you said. Manure will work although I don’t do that with my pre-composting. Give it a try and see what happens! Or go more traditional with yeast - not more than a few dollars for 3 packets. Someone suggested beer as that has yeast in it too. A decent amount of soil from around the base of a healthy plant will have lots of biota in it too. Even letting a few veggies go rotten for several days can do the trick if that easier. The rottier the better! Purée them up with water or juice and mix it in. Do you think you can do one of these ideas?

[@monicawallace9582]

So I added more bulk to my bin by doubling up with more chipped leaves, coffee grounds and pureed fruits and vegetables. I also added a yeast packet per your recommendation and about 1.5 gallons of compost from our garden/grass pile. I then put the whole bin on a seed mat for warmth to hopefully help get things moving along. Fast forward 3 days and my bin is maintaining about 100f without the heat mat for the last 11 hours. So happy I didn’t give up and really appreciate your coming along side me to help get the hang of this. Never thought I’d be so excited about a bin of “stuff” cluttering up my kitchen table 😂

[@RockinWorms]

@@monicawallace9582 That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for your success 🤗. Sometimes things are slow to take off or there’s just something off in the balance and we need to do some serious tweaking. Good on you for sticking with it and getting the success you deserve 🎊 Tanks you so much too for coming back and sharing your trials and tribulations and final win! I’m sure it’ll help and inspire a few others that are struggling too. It happens! I’m looking forward to hearing how your worms like the pre-compost when you decide to add it into your bins ❤️🪱🪱

[@chriseverest4380]

Anybody know what the UK term might be for indoor tabletop bins might be?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Chris! Are you asking about what plastic bins are called in the UK? Maybe totes? You’d be looking for 68 liter totes.

[@kthorsen100]

How do make your worm food that you use?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Kathleen! I’m So sorry to take this long to answer - somehow I missed seeing it 🥲. I use a variety of ingredients that include rolled oats (I’m experimenting with using horse rolled oats instead of people rolled oats), wheat or rye flour (whichever one I happen to grab off the shelf), any stale crackers/croutons/ non sugary cereals, cornmeal if I have it. About 2 cups each of oatmeal and flour, 1 cup other grains/dry breads/cereal/etc. Then I add 1/2 cup wild bird seed, 1/2 cup chicken layer feed, and 1/4 cup dried herbs (I have a lot of wild cilantro, moringa, etc). I put the seeds and coarse grains (cereal, crackers) and layer feed in my blender and powder them up as best I can. Then I mix it all up in a big bowl. Store in an airtight container- one with a spout or shaker features is nice 😊. Lots of people also add in the powdered eggshell, dolomite lime, azomite, etc so they don’t have to add them in as a separate item into the worm bin. I don’t as I like to adjust those amounts depending on how big a feed I’m giving, how many worms are in the bin, etc. Both ways work just fine! I will be adding more/different ingredients into my worm chow as my garden comes in - dried beets, powdered peas, that stuff :) I don’t know for sure but I believe it’s the grains - oatmeal, flour, cereals - that are most responsible for fattening up the worms. I hope this helps. Sorry again for the delayed response!!

[@corinnecarr5653]

What do you use to shred your cardboard? My family wasn’t happy for me to shreds in our home office shredder

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Corrine! I have several shredders 🤣. All are at least 10 page capacity shredders. One is a cross cut which I now use mainly for paper or non corrugated cardboard and 2 are micro cut shredders for all other/corrugated cardboards. The best idea I found is to literally take whatever cardboard you normally use with you and test out any shredder you’re considering. A Royal brand shredder’s 10 or 12 page slot is different than Ativa’s slot is different than Office Depot’s slot, etc. I bought 2 shredders off Facebook marketplace and 1 brand new from Sam’s Club. I might return the Sam’s Club one - it works great - now that I got the similar one for half the price off of marketplace. I actually did an inboxing video of the Sam’s Club shredder but haven’t posted it yet. Maybe I’ll do that this coming week 😊.

[@arakanelite]

There is a great micro shredder at Sam's club it's about $60 and makes amazing shred that is also smaller than typical shredders

[@juanitanoble3190]

Question about the liquid from cooking potatoes or pasta, and canned foods: what about the salt?! I have been discarding instead of using in my bins. I'd rather not!

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Juanita! The amount of salt going into the pre-composting process is moderate - unless you are a super salt user! The biota in the pre-compost will breakdown that salt just like they will the other organic compounds. Remember - pre-composting totes are NOT THE SAME as worm bins. Pre-composting will break down to compounds organic material BEFORE it hits the worm bin. What comes out of one cycle and certainly two cycle pre-compost totes are completely safe for your worms. Thanks for asking! ❤️🪱👍

[@juanitanoble3190]

@@RockinWorms so, water from my cooking but not hubby's. Got it! LOL I'm so used to the "salt will sterilize your soil" thing that I'm going to do a small trial batch and test it out, just to convince myself. So, pre-compost, cycle it through a small population of worms, then add it to some soil and try to grow something in it that hates salt. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@RockinWorms]

@@juanitanoble3190 salting the earth into infertility is definitely a thing. It does take ‘quite a bit’ of salt to become toxic however. I’d think hubby would experience salt toxicity before touching saw negative effects in your compost bins flowing thru to the worm bins. If you’re diluting salted water with non-salted liquids (water or other liquids) you’re going a long way to reducing concentrations. But I’m no soil expert for sure! I’d you conduct the experiment I’d love to hear about what you find. The cycle you outline sounds perfect 👍🪱🪱

[@juanitanoble3190]

Hi, Jayne! Another question. I have some very, very expired soy milk hubby bought, not realizing I'd never use it. Can it be added to what's used to moisten the cardboard? (Not having a lot of success reprogramming the family to save the usual ingredients but anxious to give this a try!)

[@RockinWorms]

@@juanitanoble3190 Hi Juanita! I’ve not ever used soy milk but I have almond milk. They both can be composted 👍. The same ‘rules’ apply - make sure it gets mixed into the carbon really well and cover the tote with a deep layer of shred (burrito style!) to keep creepy crawlies out. I’d really appreciate you reporting back how it goes using it 😎. Thanks for asking a great question regarding a common ingredient worm wranglers might have on hand! ❤️🪱🪱

[@roseannejacquette9347]

Do you get your cardboard shredded or do you shred it at home. If so what is the shredder you use. Thank you so much. ❤

[@RockinWorms]

Hello! I get sheets of cardboard as well as boxes from various stores that I then cut into strips using electric scissors. I then feed the strips into a shredder. I have 2 shredders. The main one is a 12 page micro cut shredder by Aurora. The other shredder is 12 page cross cut shredder by Mailmate, which is a Staples brand. I bought mother shredders used off of Facebook marketplace. I understand that the Amazon Basics brand is very good too. It’s very important that if you want to buy a used shredder that you test it before buying, to make sure it’ll take whatever your usual cardboard thickness is. I did call a few places about getting pre-shredded cardboard or paper but no place would allow it to be taken, due to customer security reasons (aka I could potentially reassemble documents). I get that! 👍😎🪱

[@roseannejacquette9347]

@@RockinWorms thank you so much for your response. I got one off of Walmart. 12 sheet and it didn’t begin to cut the cardboard. I’ll keep trying. I called staples but they didn’t have one in our local store. So the downside of that is I can’t try it. It was a 20 sheet. 👍 thanks for your time.

[@RockinWorms]

@@roseannejacquette9347 Not all X number of sheets shredders are the same. There’s no uniformity unfortunately 😡. I hope you can return the Walmart one 🤞. Staples online has a 12 page micro sheet shredder for $70. It says free shipping too. ??

[@roseannejacquette9347]

@@RockinWorms I tried to return the Walmart one and they refunded my cost. They said I didn’t have to return it. I have Walmart plus so there was no shipping. I look on market place also.☝️one more question I did veg powder after blending everything. Can reconstitute that?

[@RockinWorms]

@@roseannejacquette9347 Sometimes that happens - the store just says keep the item instead of retuning it. 🤷‍♂️. Does the shredder work on thinner cardboard or paper? Yes you can reconstitute the veggie powder. I don’t think it’s necessary if you’re using it in a worm bin though. If you’re using it as part of making pre-compost then that makes sense to me 😊. What are you wanting it for? 🪱

[@user-sj9dq2kw1c]

👍🪱👍💞🌸🥀

[@vistacendhani]

How does it smell?

[@RockinWorms]

I smell the pre-compost several times throughout the series. iIt smells like the coffee grounds to me until it becomes fairly broken down, at which point it doesn’t smell at all or smells like clean dirt. I will say that if anaerobic pockets develop, mainly in the corners on the bottom, that can smell a bit funky. It’s not overwhelming or sustained. You mix the material up and air gets added and it’s gone. One way to avoid this to a large extent is by having the material moist but not at all wet. It’s the pooling liquid that causes the anaerobic environment. In full disclosure there was one crew member that did have a bad anaerobic situation develop and she said it stunk pretty bad 🤩. She got the batch rebalanced but it took some time to achieve it. She’s not reported any issues since 👍

[@traceybier1128]

Would it be ok to use the lid for the bin instead of the screen and such?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi again! The bin lid could be used IF you drill lots of air holes in it. The biota needs air. If you haven’t watched the next video yet, spoiler alert (🤣), I tried using a plastic bag covering and it failed completely. Due to lack of air I believe. A closed plastic lid would act too much like the plastic bag. Not good. The burrito top serves a couple of functions. It allows air flow as already mentioned plus it helps keep the heat and moisture in that the biota love. We are essentially making a very scaled down version of a standard hot composting pile. 👍🪱🪱 Several Castings Crew have developed their own versions of the burrito: mainly using some type of breathable bag (pillowcase kind of thing or tight mesh bag from say onions or citrus fruits) filed with the shred. This gives the breathability and limits the mess.

[@traceybier1128]

Thanks so much for the great information! Just one more question, how long will veg liquid be safe to use and does it need refrigerated? Or can I just let it sit in the basement with my other supplies?

[@RockinWorms]

@@traceybier1128 Ask as many questions as you have! The veggie slurry/liquid is good forever for using in the pre-compost mix. That doesn’t mean you’ll WANT to keep it forever, just that it going yucky only makes it a better add to the mix. I just made a video that sorta mentions this and it’ll be uploaded Tuesday! I show a jug that has obvious floating mold pieces in it that I use 👍. I store most of it in the garage fridge, especially the thicker stuff. When I run out of space - I’ll literally have up to 10 gallons in there at one time - I will just keep the thinner liquid ones on the patio. I choose the thinner ones as they don’t build up the decomposition gases as much so less tendency to explode 😳. Which only happened to me once, on camera, as I opened the jug , and I got a face full of the yuck 😱😆. So bottom line, if you need to store jugs of the liquid/slurry in the basement where it’s probably cooler anyway, you’ll be good. Maybe try to open the jugs once a month to relieve any built up gas. Ok? 🪱🪱😎

[@traceybier1128]

I'm so grateful for all the support. This is a new venture for me after 30 yrs running an animal rescue on my farm. My health won't allow that any longer so this is a way of contributing for me.

[@RockinWorms]

@@traceybier1128 You are more than welcome! Worms and composting are a great way to contribute to the earth! I salute you for finding a new way that fits your circumstances. We all have to make changes as life progresses - that doesn’t mean we have to give up! 😍🪱🪱

[@corwin81]

Could worm casting or compost tea be used for the liquid?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Corwin! Yes you absolutely can use castings and worm tea both into making pre-compost! The castings would be counted as ‘other solids’ so you’d still need liquid. I suggest you super charge the microbes in the worm tea by aerating it and feeding it directly with sugar or unsulfered molasses to be the best biota boost into the raw bedding ingredients to jump start the composting process as much as possible. I uploaded this video a few days ago and I use worm tea as the liquid: Making Prepared Bedding Instead Of Pre-Composted Bedding Plus 3 Pre-Compost Bins Comparison kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnKQdJJ4d7CYf80 You need quite a lot of liquid so keep that in mind. Also if you do have at least some veggie liquid I’d still add that in to give good food variety to the the biota 👍. Thanks for asking! ❤️🪱❤️

[@corwin81]

@@RockinWorms thanks! I have some store(well, locally produced) bought castings that I figured I’d use to help get some better castings in the future.

[@RockinWorms]

@@corwin81 Awesome! Please report back on how it goes so we can all learn from your experience 🪱❤️👍

[@corwin81]

@@RockinWorms I have a bag of rabbit manure that a friend gave me (it has hay mixed in), so I decided to use that as my nitrogen source along with some coffee grounds and worn castings. Hopefully that along with cardboard shreds will heat up and break down in my garage in a 18 gal tote. I don’t have the screen or cardboard on top yet though. Need to find some screen.

[@RockinWorms]

@@corwin81 Rabbit manure is great for worms! You don’t even need to compost or age it first like you should other manures. So running it thru the pre-compost cycle isn’t necessary. However, if the rabbit manure is what you’ve got on hand for nitrogen for composting then by all means use it 👍. The screen is used to separate the top dry shred from the active composting for easy removal to work the pile over time. If you don’t have any screen right now, still out the dry shred on top to deter bugs from moving in. When you get some screen, scrape off the dry shred as best you can, mixing in any bits that remain, then place the screening and reapply the dry shred on top. I look forward to hearing how the rabbit manure works in the pre-composting process! 🪱❤️👍

[@roseannejacquette9347]

Is there anything you can use instead of coffee grounds.

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Rose Anne! Yes! Coffee grounds is the primary nitrogen source for the pre-compost mix. Any alternative nitrogen source will basically work. Worm wranglers here have reported using grass clippings, chicken manure, alfalfa pellets (I’d grind them up), etc. if I didn’t have coffee grounds I’d be using grass clippings or chicken/cow manure. You can post here what nitrogen sources you have and we can talk about them if you’d like 👍😎

[@roseannejacquette9347]

I’m in the desert. No grass, no chickens or cows. I may be able to source something. I’m not giving up. ❤

[@RockinWorms]

@@roseannejacquette9347 Well, you have a free source of nitrogen but most don’t like using it - human urine! Seriously good source of nitrogen 😳🙄😎. Human hair - ask your local barber or salon. It may have some chemical in it which we’d like to avoid though. To be sexist, I’d try the barber first. Of course you can use fruit and veggie scraps but that’ll slow down the time to get to a decent pre-compost. Depending on how much pre-compost you want to make you may have to break down and buy (gasp!) a cheap nitrogen source if you’ve tried all the coffee places, neighbors, etc. just had another thought. Maybe a florist for their greens? Wilted flowers, ferns, arrangements that didn’t sell, etc? We will keep brainstorming! 🪱

[@roseannejacquette9347]

@@RockinWorms good thought. My daughter lives out in the county so she may know someone with something in the manure area.

[@RockinWorms]

@@roseannejacquette9347 Just as a reminder, you do NOT want dog or cat manure. Do you have cacti? Could you cut off sections, let dry and shred it up? Prickly pear cactus comes to mind. I have that. Grows crazy well so would have lots to use if I needed it by cutting off a few paddles. 🤷‍♂️🪱

[@matthewgriffin9104]

Would it be ok to use a locking lid? Or would that now allow for enough air flow?

[@RockinWorms]

Hi! You definitely need airflow. I used a plastic sheet (which is in the next video I think) and it didn’t work at all 😫. There’s also moisture transfer from the biota to the surrounding air and if they gets trapped in you’re going to have a really wet composting bin and the chance for anaerobic stink is going to go way up. If there was a large gap between the top of the material and the lid AND you aerated it every day you might be able to make it work. But that’s alot of time and energy/work commitment. Let me ask you, why are you thinking about a locking lid? Spills? Smells? Bugs?

[@matthewgriffin9104]

@rockinworms Mostly because that is what I had and not a screen.

[@RockinWorms]

@@matthewgriffin9104 Ok I get that. I still don’t think a lid is the way to go if we can come up with another idea. So you buy any produce in bigger net bags? Like onions? Or those huge bags of peanuts? 😎. Or you have a fabric store that sells tulle? Which is nylon. How about mosquito netting? Loose weave cotton fabrics like burlap would work too but would disintegrate over time and I don’t know what timeframe that really would be. Weeks? Months? If you have some old cotton towels or sheets or canvas you could use that and see how long it holds up. The bottom line is you do need the air flow and moisture exchange. Some type of synthetic material weave will hold up a long time. A natural loose weave will work but for a shorter time. But if the natural material is free, what you have on hand, and heading for the garbage, I’d use it for sure! What do you think?

[@matthewgriffin9104]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did find an old window screen and followed what you did.

[@RockinWorms]

@@matthewgriffin9104 Oh excellent!! 👍🪱❤️

[@codycook3170]

Promo-SM ☝️

[@RockinWorms]

Hi Cody! Sorry? I don’t understand.