Step-by-Step Guide to Harvesting Compost from an In-Bed Vermicompost System

[@sbeckwit]

Nature abhors perfection. This one fact actually allows life to go on.

[@GreyManPrepping]

I've been binge watching a bunch of your videos as we live in the same county. I've definitely learned some great tips. Funny enough for the past 4 years, I've been gardening thinking I'm in zone 9b, and you mentioned in a previous video about 10a. I looked closer at the map and was like, ohh lol 😂 so thank you!

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

Oh don’t worry! I bet you were 9b until about a year ago when the hardiness zone maps were updated.. that’s when I changed from 9b to 10a 😆

[@GreyManPrepping]

@SpaceCoastHarvest Ohhhh ok I thought I was going crazy lol 😆

[@sbeckwit]

Good vid. Very helpful.

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Excellent video

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

Glad you liked it!

[@fwhunt5021]

Good video, worms also like coffee grounds and it's great for compost. That is if you drink coffee. We do have a compost pile but not a vermacompost. I live on ten acres and purchase our compost ten cubic yards at a time . The company we purchase it from is Big Earth the cost of the compost is reasonable but the trucking can be expensive that's why we purchase such a large quantity. I may purchase one of the vermacompost containers, it seems like a very practical solution . Thanks again for the video

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

I do drink coffee and add the grounds! I only sometimes put them in there though because it seems like we make so many coffee grounds, lol. That is awesome that you have that kind of land and buy bulk compost! I’ve been trying to find some bulk compost, even to just get like 1 cubic yard, but it is hard to find.. I’ll check out Big Earth and see if it makes sense to do a smaller amount! It seems that the easy to find compost, like black kow or timberline, by the bag is so cheap, but if I try to find organic compost options it becomes SO expensive to try to add an inch or two of volume to the raised beds

[@fwhunt5021]

Did your try Simply Organic in Melbourne?@@SpaceCoastHarvest

[@krazmokramer]

Your kids can't wait for you to bake cookies and cool them on that worm sifter!😂 This seems like a lot of work for a small return, considering it's been cooking for 6 months. I wonder what happens if a person adds worms into a more traditional compost tumbler. THANKS JENN! Let us know how those cookies taste!!

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

lol! Don’t tell the kids! I agree, it is a lot of work. I think vermicomposting plus something like a compost tumbler would be a good combination.. there are things that you can’t feed the worms, like the spicy stuff and citrus but I would still want to compost those things. I’m guessing worms would be ok in a traditional compost bin as long as it’s kept away from extreme high or low temps.. and as long as you don’t put the foods in there that the worms don’t like

[@krazmokramer]

@@SpaceCoastHarvest Yes...I wasn't considering the high temps compost bins work at. That would cook the worms. I didn't line the bottom of my Vego 9in1 with fabric or cardboard. I have a bazillian night crawlers in my yard, and I wanted them to migrate up through the bottom and work their magic. They have. But so has the bindweed and the Bermuda grass.

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

@@krazmokramer aww not good about the weeds! I have a few weeds in mine too although I don’t really know if they came up or if the seeds were in the mulch or something 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@krazmokramer]

@@SpaceCoastHarvest my thoughts exactly

[@tombauer7330]

Hi Jen. OK, I'm lost. I just got my head around composting and now this. I probably missed a chapter, or two. What led you to this device and vermicomposting? why is this better than just composting in a plastic garbage can with worm holes in the bottom of it? Thanks!

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

I am so sorry! You're right, this topic is a bit out of left field since I haven't made videos about what is vermicomposting and how to set it up. I will work on getting those videos/the playlist done right away! To briefly explain it, vermicomposting is when you use worms to break down food scraps. It can be done in a raised bed, or in a separate system outside of a raised bed altogether. I actually went down the in-bed route because the in-bed vermicompost bin was a free gift with the purchase of a raised bed, lol. When vermicomposting is done in a bin with holes in it in a raised bed, the you put a mixture of food scraps and browns (the worm bedding material) in the bin, add worms when you first set it up, and the worms will eat the decaying food scraps and then migrate into the soil in the raised bed. While they're moving around in the soil in the raised bed, their tunnels are aerating the soil and they are dropping castings. The castings are a great fertilizer for the plants. They also will drop castings in the bin and the compost will break down naturally in the bin too. So the mixture at the bottom of the bin ends up being compost + worm castings which is really great for plants! I will admit it is a bit of a pain to get it out of the bin

[@tombauer7330]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. I figured if I hadn't missed a chapter or two, that you would just do a FUP video. So, while my holy trash can compost bin may attract worms, the bin is tucked away in a far corner of my house (hidden from the HOA) but in a bed that I don't use for gardening. I get it now. Thanks again. With your attention to detail you should grow your channel rapidly. PS. I've been watching a LOT of sweet potato growing vids. None of them own up to having nematodes. I'm afraid to grow sweet potatoes because my ground is infested with nematodes (JAX area).

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

I am getting excited to share a nematode management video.. I sent off soil last week to a soil testing lab at UF.. I’m so eager to see the results and try to be specific about what I do to fix it! I’m waiting on the soil test results right now!

[@tombauer7330]

I made this worm composting bin like you did only I used a five gallon bucket buried within an inch of the lid. I also camo painted the lid and exposed sides... I didn't buy any red wigglers opting instead for the natives. I'm told that worms will double in population every two to three months under the right conditions. The bin should be right. Thanks again for the inspiration. I'm doing more things in the garden that make sense because of your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

@ you have to tell me how you did the camo paint job. Now I want to do it too

[@mateopucu]

First!