Raw vs Frozen Worm Bin Food Results!! + Worm Tower Rotation & Timelapse | Vermicompost Worm Farm

[@Vermicompost]

Below are some of the items I use for vermicomposting & my channel's videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you use these links. Thank you for supporting this channel! Worm Bins I use: Vermihut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin amzn.to/3Xs1eGe Urban Worm Bag V2 amzn.to/3XE9QsT 20 Gallon Fabric Grow Pots amzn.to/3EBYhdr 3 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote amzn.to/3eKDLhO Other Worm Bins: Worm Factory 360 3-Tray Version amzn.to/3AHnjqK Worm Factory 360 5-Tray Version amzn.to/3tYfWY4 Bus bins amzn.to/3fd8AvP Equipment I use: 12 Sheet Cross Cut Micro Shredder (I use it to shred cardboard) amzn.to/3xYZKYu Magic Bullet Small Blender (to pulverize egg shells) amzn.to/3gwEzb4 or amzn.to/42SQ4w9 (with extra coffee bean & nut blade) Indoor Outdoor Wireless Thermometer for worm bin amzn.to/3wIdXbO Additional thermometer sensors 433 MHz amzn.to/41juD7v Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Additional thermometer sensors 915MHz amzn.to/3WTFgua Please make sure Thermometer & sensor are the same MHz Mosquito Dunks 6 pack amzn.to/3Oe4Sl0 granular amzn.to/42KDtM0 or 20 pack amzn.to/42Br4Kf Kitchen scale to weigh worms & food: amzn.to/3HnOQjg Blue gloves amzn.to/3XsBg5n Spray bottles to mist bedding amzn.to/3Fq23rN Digital handheld Thermometer amzn.to/3EWfC2j Compost Tea Bags amzn.to/3fCb5o1 Solar powered light amzn.to/3nOucAq Reusable Keurig Coffee K-cups amzn.to/3FNXvt6 Other useful equipment for worm farming: 5 stackable sifter with different sized mesh: amzn.to/3S2k184 Cameras & camera equipment I use: GoPro HERO11 amzn.to/3jkRpLa Flexible Tripod amzn.to/3CGTjcF Insta360 GO 2 camera amzn.to/3oxCc80 Insta360 One X2 camera amzn.to/3nqV6hp iPhone 13 Max Pro amzn.to/3nq52aU Canon EOS Rebel T8i amzn.to/3HcBuX6 4 Ocean bracelets I wear Multiple colors to chose from bracelets amzn.to/3HMbHEx Books on worms & worm farming Worms Eat My Garbage amzn.to/3L4FXN2 Where to buy worms: www.TheGardenAndWormLady.com

[@TheWormLady2]

Most of the time I freeze my things to before putting them in. It helps to kill any bugs also that the food scrap might have.

[@Vermicompost]

That is a really good point Vee...and probably why I don't have fruit flies or fungus gnats in my bins! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@GLG_YT]

It’s always fun to see how the worms eat the food! great video!🪱🪱🪱🪱

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! I learn something new about the worms & their habits each time we do one of these! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@MikeTrieu]

Heh, I use a cross-cut paper shredder to turn my Amazon boxes into bedding, too. Just a fantastic bulk material and so airy and light 🥰

[@Vermicompost]

Totally!!! I love the shredded cardboard as bedding!!! I really haven't found anything better!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@mikkosgarden]

yup fresh scaps tend to grow in the bins, I checked on my 360 the other day and the celery was sprouting, so I put it in my garden. It is really amazing how the worms react to the different foods Great experiment.

[@Vermicompost]

I was pretty impressed how the worms all decided what foods were best to consume first. It's pretty amazing how they differentiate between living and dead food scraps as well! Thanks so much for stopping by Mikko!!🪱🪱🪱

[@NanasWorms]

That last experiment was a good way to retire the top feeding tray, Patrick. It certainly gave a big boost to the amount of castings you get to harvest. Where did the raw lettuce end and other unfinished material from the experiment go? I thought you were going to add them to the new top feeding tray. Of course, I'm watching this at four in the morning, so I may have drifted off and missed it! ~ Sandra

[@Vermicompost]

It was a fun ending to that tray (the 12th one I've run!!) All the old food got added back into the new top feeding tray over the new bedding I put in the feeding trench and under the food. It was quick and I edited out the part where I took it out of the old top feeding tray so it was disjointed with regard to following the old food. Thanks so much for dropping in to watch Sandra!! We really appreciate it!!🪱🪱🪱

[@rondavis2791]

I like these experiments. Good video.

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! They are super fun to run and give me an excuse to open my VermiHut every night!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Ron!!🪱🪱🪱

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

WWF Raw. Wild Worm Farm. LOL. Very interesting. Those cucumber seeds will definitely sprout if not frozen. I got all the garden planted. Should have plenty of worn chow before long. Thanks for the video.

[@Vermicompost]

😂🤣😂 A lot of tag team wrestling going on for sure as they fought for food scraps!! Great to hear your garden is all planted...mine is starting to wind down...about the only thing that will grow in the long, hot, high UV, summer months for us is sweet potatoes, okra, and seminole pumpkins! Thanks so much for stopping over to watch the results of the raw vs frozen experiment Jerome!!🪱🪱🪱

[@lcm0578]

I'm so thankful for your freezing tip! It really does help the food break down faster!

[@Vermicompost]

Awesome!! I’m so glad it helped!! Thanks so much for watching Laura!!🪱🪱

[@L_Martin]

It's sooo satisfying to watch! I've got a compost bin that I just had to rake through because of rats, and there were so many worms! I love to think they're out in my garden right now doing their thing. Amazing creatures.

[@Vermicompost]

That's fantastic that your compost bin had so many compost worms helping out!! The rats not so much😂🤣😂 I occasionally will find a little mouse in my compost bin in the spring time. I'm sure the worms are enjoying turning all your garden scraps into fresh fertilizer for your garden!! They truly are amazing!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@lisakristy2727]

Thanks! Good to see. I have indoor bins and always freeze scraps to kill bugs.

[@Vermicompost]

My pleasure!! I forgot to mention what a relief it is to know when you freeze your food scraps you also kill any bugs as well!! Thanks for the reminder!! And of course thanks for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@SharonRepici]

I really liked seeing the difference between raw and frozen. I threw a cup of bad strawberries into our bin the other day. One top did not get completely covered but I could see the castings and cardboard move next to the pile as the worms attacked those berries. Within a day the top was covered with castings and disappeared completely by the 3rd day. There will be frozen strawberries in this week's feeding so I know they will love it.

[@Vermicompost]

This was really fun to do and see the progress everyday!! It sounds like you are experiencing the same thing as you peak in on your strawberry tops!! It is amazing how they find, then overwhelm the food scraps! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & tell us about how your worms are attacking your strawberry food scraps!!🪱🪱🪱

[@A-V]

That was pretty interesting. The apple went faster than I expected & the lettuce was unexpected. Like I saw with the potato skins that I did not freeze, the worms seem to avoid it - most likely because the stuff is still alive & trying to grow. I'm already a believer when it comes to freezing - but this video further reinforces the thinking 👍🏻

[@Vermicompost]

I was really surprised at how quick that frozen apple went! This pretty much solidified freezing as the single best & easiest thing I can do to prep my food scraps for the worms!! Especially if I'm not sure if some veggie is still trying to grow...cabbage, potato skins, lettuce, celery etc. are all things that come to mind that would probably love to grow in worm castings! Thanks for stopping by to watch AV!!🪱🪱🪱

[@scottscriticalmass]

Thanks for following thru and sharing the experiment results... Good to know freezing food scraps is the best option as expected, with the possible exception of watermelon. Not having to freeze watermelon is preferred as it takes far too much space, space I don't have in my freezer. One other thing I learned thru your videos. I need to upgrade to a better shredder so I can use cardboard. I typically use shredded paper as bedding and the results with cardboard seem significantly better. Thanks again!!

[@Vermicompost]

I agree, no room for watermelon in the freezer!! Autumn can't wait to get the whole pumpkin out of our garage freezer. My 12 sheet micro cross cut shredder is an absolute game changer!! It is going on it's 5th year, the first two only paper, but the last three it has been demolishing cardboard like a champ!! I really like cardboard for my worm bin bedding! Thanks so much for watching!! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!!🪱🪱🪱

[@ScotWalt858]

Amazing how the castings build up

[@Vermicompost]

I love doing these Time-lapses because I can really see the power of the worms!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@tacosforus1688]

awesome experiment. Thanks for sharing.

[@Vermicompost]

I appreciate it!! It was really fun to make and video each night! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@jrosealmendras88]

Thanks this content i learn this expirement Frozen vs Raw food

[@Vermicompost]

My pleasure!! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment!!🪱🪱🪱

[@sowgroweat6987]

Very interesting thanks. I already freeze my Potato peelings before adding and this works really well.

[@Vermicompost]

Excellent!! Potato peels in particular can tend to grow if they aren't frozen. Of course if I tried to grow a potato peel in a pot it probably would not grow😂 only in my worm bins!! Thanks so much for watching and letting us know how frozen potato peels do in your worm bin!!🪱🪱🪱

[@thenodiggardener]

Really cool watching them go at it all. I'm about to change things up in my tower a little again, just to see if I can ramp production up a bit more, what with our Winter being so long. They're just not so active then, so I'm hoping I can take more advantage of when they are!

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

🥚🥚🥚🤣,was thats post edit? Awesomeness!! Maybe anything that is "fiberous" freeze for sure? Random, but we were talking about Blanching veggies before freezing (beans, kale etc.) I wonder what the worns woukd prefer? I'd bet straight frozen, as some nutiare lost when blanching. Cheers J&C 🌱🤞🪱🇨🇦🇺🇸🤜🤛

[@Vermicompost]

You caught it!! That was not post edit...live & off the cuff!! I mostly edit by cutting all the umms, ahhhs, breathes and pregnant pauses (easily cuts the video in half😂) Don't even put the seed of blanching in my head...cause now I'm gonna have to try it...Let's go!!🤜🤛🪱🪱🪱🇨🇦🇺🇸

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@Vermicompost dude if I did that a 10 minute video would be a "short" 🤣🤣🤣 And if you're ever starved for content, which I doubt you would ever be, consider the "blanching" experiment 🤜🤛

[@Vermicompost]

@@clivesconundrumgarden 😂🤣😂

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Good morning, Patrick, from Windermere, Florida 9b 🇺🇸 ❤ That's interesting that you are agitating the upper tray in place vs Separating the trays on a table. I'm going to have to give that a try. I like frozen vs raw👍 ❤Peggy❤

[@Vermicompost]

Good Morning Peggy...a lot later morning than you and Rick start 😀 I blame Autumn she's a night owl!! With the amount of holes on the bottom of my VermiHut tray (almost 1600) it is quick work to get them out of the trays!! I'm so glad you like the experiment!! Thanks for stopping by to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@wallysworms]

I tend to freeze most of the food I give (except the wormchow) and it disappears a lot faster than fresh vegetables or fruits. Nice comparison. Love the video's, keep them coming.

[@Vermicompost]

It's amazing how storing the food scraps in the freezer makes everything easier for the worms and us!! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment Wally!!🪱🪱🪱

[@eq4175]

Great update!

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! It was fun to watch their progress every night!! Thanks for all your support!!🪱🪱🪱

[@joesoutdoorplaces]

I happy to learn I do not have to freeze watermelon.

[@Vermicompost]

I was super surprised the mites and the mold went for the frozen watermelon first, but the worms definitely went for the juicy raw one first...but maybe the worms crowded the mites & mold out? This will be a game changer for me in my Urban Worm Bag when i get it to full capacity and just start chucking in watermelon rinds as we eat them!! The 5th of July will be a big holiday for my worm bins!! Thanks for stopping by to watch Joe!!🪱🪱🪱

[@kalebtaylor2504]

I would guess one of the reasons frozen food works better is that the ice breaks apart more of the fibers/structure of the food, “breaking it down. " This makes it easier for bacteria and fungus to get inside the food quicker after the ice melts, leaving open space behind.

[@Vermicompost]

Yes!! Plant cells have cell walls and because water expands as it freezes, the cell walls burst and make it easier for the microbes and worms to devour them!! As you mentioned beyond the cell level the fibers/structure of the plant also gets broken up by expansion. Great insight!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@flowerfolkfarm3553]

Annihilated!!! Love it guys, much love 🙌🏼💞🌼💐🌻🙏💝 xxx

[@Vermicompost]

They absolutely devoured it!! Well except for that pesky lettuce stalk that thought it wasn't done growing!! I love being able to see what the worms eat while they are eating it!! Thanks so much for stopping by Anita!!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@flowerfolkfarm3553]

@@Vermicompost 💝🐝🌼

[@straightfacedwithluecke3262]

I'd like to point out that I got unsubscribed somehow and missed your last few videos. I've heard that this happens, but its a first for me. Thanks!

[@Vermicompost]

Oh darn!! That has happened to me as well! Well thanks so much for jumping back in!! We appreciate your support!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@swathig5821]

How do you keep your bins moist in summer ? Mine are drying out so fast.

[@Vermicompost]

My indoor VermiHut Worm Tower is at a good moisture level all year around, But my indoor Tiny Worm Bin tends to dry out more when the air conditioner is running in the summer. For the first half of its life span, when there are not too many castings, I dampen my shredded cardboard before I put it in. During the second half of its lifespan it tends too be really moist as the worm castings become the dominant feature within the bin. Both my out door bins stay very moist in the summer here in Florida because it tends to be super humid & we get afternoon thunderstorms. If you are looking to keep your bin more moist, try feeding some more juicy fruits & veggies like watermelon & lettuce, and put a piece of bubble wrap or other plastic on the surface of the bedding to help retain the moisture. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@PlantObsessed]

Trippy. I like it🎉🎉

[@Vermicompost]

😂🤣😂 Thanks Ann!! I could watch worm time lapses for days!!!🪱🪱🪱

[@lilianwan6539]

thanks for your sharing Is it necessary to put a paper or cardboard underneath the worm bed ?

[@Vermicompost]

No, not at all. I do not put paper or cardboard sheets between the trays. The holes are small enough to prevent things from falling through but big enough to let the worms pass between them! Great question!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@goodwinml]

A question, freeze and thaw before feeding worms or freeze and feed worms frozen scrap?

[@Vermicompost]

Either one is fine, but I do try to let it thaw a bit incase the food lands on the worms. But honestly, as you make a trough to put the food in, or when you lift the lid or plastic to put food in, the worms get out of the way. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@asharawhite9355]

I am thinking about upgrading to a Vermihut for my worm bin. Do you happen to have a video on how to start up one? If not, do you have any suggestions on how to start up one?

[@Vermicompost]

Absolutely! Here is a video on how to start a VermiHut: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWa2kpptarR0jrs I also have several videos on my rotation method once you get a few trays going: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZe4q52oZpVqftk The VermiHut is a fantastic worm bin and so easy to run & maintain spitting out 10 pounds of worm castings every 60 days for me. It sounds like you are very familiar with vermicomposting so you know the more worms you start with, the better things ramp up! The only thing different I would do from this setup video is I would start with one tray full of dry shredded cardboard under the feeding tray you see me build. It makes more sense if you decide to run my rotation method. I hope this helps! I know you will be very happy with a VermiHut if you go that route!! Thanks so much for watching & for asking great questions!!

[@briansadler9651]

I am curious why the harvest tray is always the second tray? Is it because the worms pass through it traveling between the first and third tray?

[@Vermicompost]

Great question! As you might have already seen, I do a very specific rotation pattern as in these videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn-qZZxunr2Wlck & kzbin.info/www/bejne/laa1g6Otj8iAjq8 So the second tray or pre-harvest tray is always the second tray so it can continue to be broken down without any active feeding of bedding or food. Most of the worms are in the top feeding tray and this tray. Any liquid that drips down will get absorbed by the 3rd & 4th trays (I call them innoculting trays) that were put in dry. They have relatively very few worms since they are the driest of the bins. So the worms do most of their work in the top two trays but can easily travel between any of the trays on the system. I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@crois-si57]

thanks so much for your great content. i can learn a lot from you! i have a small question: i heard you saying that it is important to add fresh bedding with every feeding and i wondered what the reason for this is. is it just to soak up some of the moisture? or is there another reason? thanks you so much, again! :)

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! I appreciate the kind words!! One of the best reasons for adding bedding is to help soak up the moisture of all the food scraps and keep things airy so the microbes and worms can breathe. But also because the microbes (and therefor worms) need the C (carbon bedding) to go with the N (nitrogen food scraps) in order to function. All living things are made of carbon and microbes reproduce themselves rapidly creating a lot of demand. The worms eat both the food scraps and the bedding along with the microbes so it is a fun little ecosystem in our worm bins! More bedding is almost always the solution to worm bin problems, so adding more bedding every time you feed is a good way to stay ahead of any issues!! I hope this helps!! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@crois-si57]

@@Vermicompost Thank you so much, this helps a lot!

[@Vermicompost]

My pleasure!!

[@benjerred]

Hi do you put the food in frozen or do you thaw it first? Thanks for the interesting video!

[@Vermicompost]

Great question! I usually take it out of the freezer while I'm prepping the video so it's been thawed probably around 10 to 15 minutes by the time I put it in. In a perfect world it would be mostly thawed, but I have no problem putting it in frozen as well. As long as there's not a cluster of worms right where I'm setting it down. Typically I add bedding and then the food on top of it. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for watching!!🪱🪱🪱

[@benjerred]

Thank you very much! @@Vermicompost

[@sudzy2779]

Just got my worm tower farm today - any implementation of the 5th tray ideas from a while back coming up soon? Any advice on how to start with the inverted tray system? I was thinking just a feeding tray and inoculating tray to start off (assuming I have the cardboard for that much). I'm so excited to start putting mine together!!

[@Vermicompost]

Awesome!!! You're gonna love your worm tower!! As far as the 5th tray, I'm loving it as a sifter for my Outdoor Worm Bin, so I haven't added it to the tower. But I think I could just add it as another dry inoculating tray on the bottom and keep the same 60 day rotation...i'm not sure how moist it would get down there the first 60 days, probably more of a place to "store it" until it moved up a level. I'm a assuming you have seen this video where I restarted my neighbors VermiHut from scratch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWa2kpptarR0jrs The only thing I would do different is, like you said, add a dry inoculating tray underneath the brand new 1st feeding tray. After about 60 days I would add another dry inoculating tray (while keeping the original top feeding tray in place for an additional 60 days). So after 120 days from the start, I would rotate the oldest inoculating tray up to the top, put that 1st top feeding tray down one to be the pre-harvest tray, and your newer inoculating tray will be on the bottom. Now you have the complete basic set up and you can keep adding inoculating trays to the bottom to have a 4 or 5 tray system! Your first harvest will come after 180 days and from that point on you will have about 9-10 pounds of castings every 60 days...but you can speed things up to get to your first harvest if you want. Maybe try 45 days instead of 60 days for each rotation until the first harvest. The more worms you have the faster things will go. I started my VermiHut with 2000 worms and I started in an absolute sprint!! But my Tiny Worm Bin was started with less than 100 and my Outdoor Worm Bin came back from about 90 worms...but that is a whole other story i describe here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWKqfpZrYreFmM0 I'm super excited for you!! Keep that lid off for about 48 hours in a 24/7 lighted room to keep them calm in the transition and less food is best at the start until you figure out how much they eat (I apologize if you already know all this). Thanks so much for watching!! Good Luck!!🪱🪱🪱

[@sudzy2779]

Thanks so much for the in-depth reply! Yes, I have watched it (several times!)

[@Vermicompost]

😄

[@annsalty5615]

That was a great experiment!👍 Hey I have a question. They say these Vermihuts are for indoor use. Is there any reason they can not be used outdoors, if in shaded spot?

[@annsalty5615]

I just found the answer. They can be outside under shelter. Going to put mine back to work! I have been reminding myself of the one big drawback of the large tumbleweed worm cafes. Picking up the trays are killing my back! My back is killing me! So, will transition back to my Vermihuts. Much easier on the back.

[@Vermicompost]

I saw you got your answer but here are my thoughts as well...I think any worm bin can be an outside or inside bin depending on how you monitor it. If you are worried about heat then maybe stick a remote temperature probe in it (like I have in my Urban Worm Bag) so you have the confidence to know it is ok. Same thing in the winter for cold. I think the VermiHut would do way better dealing with curious animals than my fabric pot outdoor worm bin. Ants could be an issues, so just use those white "shoes" filled with water it came with if you think they may be a problem. I hope this helps!! Thanks, as always, for watching Ann!!

[@annsalty5615]

@@Vermicompost Thanks! All good points. What I have discovered is the true red wigglers can take the cold. Our greenhouse goes below freezing sometimes in the winter. The blue worms die and they look to be not coming back much. We are still in the 60s! But good news is the red population is booming! Now it does get above 100 in full sun in the summer and we shall see how they do. Putting them under a shelf with a curtain so will be in shade. I am anxious to put the vermihuts back to work. 👍

[@Vermicompost]

Very interesting about the Blue worms!! I want to be still in the 60's🔥☀️

[@lydiahubbell6278]

i wonder if the cucumber skin was waxed

[@Vermicompost]

That is a great question! I think it was one I grew, but I can't remember for sure. It sure was interesting to see how they go for it!! Thanks so much for watching Lydia!!🪱🪱🪱

[@GardeningwithBarchuckin]

Pretty cool experiment Patrick! Good tip with agitating the worms to have them go through the holes in the bottom of the tray. 😁🪱🪱

[@Vermicompost]

Thanks Rick! When I harvested the tray over the Urban Worm Bag surface there were so many worms that wiggled on down too!! I highly recommend it when you harvest your first VermiHut tray! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!!🪱🪱🪱

[@tory464]

❤👍love the time lapse . Got a pile of worms there! ❤🪱✌

[@Vermicompost]

Thank you!! It was so fun to make!! Every time we opened the lid we were in awe of how many more worms piled up on the food!! Thanks so much for stopping by to watch Tory!!🪱🪱🪱