It is strange, now that I have a second tray, to not be able to look below at the first tray and see how things are going. I could lift up the second tray, but am afraid I might squish a worm when I put it back down, so I’ll try to refrain!

Learning From My Worm Bins post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

The Worms are Moving Into the New Worm Tray post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

Adding a Worm Tray to My Worm Factory 360 post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

More Frogs in My Worm Bins post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

As the worm tray in my Worm Factory 360 has really filled up, I’m starting to wonder when it will be time for another tray. I would guess that 1/3 to 1/2 of what is in the tray is worm castings and the rest is a combination of food waste and shredded paper… Lots of shredded paper. My guess is that I’ve overdone the shredded paper, the worms still look healthy and I’ve never had any bad odor, so I guess if you’re going to error, that’s the mistake you want to make. Although the tray is full now, when I open it in a few days, I know that it won’t be quite as full since the food is broken down and the water in it drains out. I think what I will do is add food three or four more times and then add my next tray.

The reason I’m anxious to get to the next tray is that I think I will know better how to do it. With the first tray, I kept lifting up the shredded paper and putting the food waste below it and then adding more paper on top. Now I realize that I would be better off layering it – each time putting in a layer of food and then adding shredded paper on top.

I know some of the worms will crawl up to get the new food in the new tray, but I feel fairly sure that enough will stay behind to eat what is left in the bottom tray. I’ll keep you posted!

Worm Factory 360 – Time for Another Tray? post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

To me the term urban compost tumbler would indicate a compost tumbler that was suitable for a small indoor space or a small porch, deck or balcony. Otherwise, why use the term “urban” to describe it? That’s the definition that I’m using and so far, I haven’t really found anything that would qualify. The closest thing would be the Envirocycle Composter which is fairly small compared to most compost tumblers. It sits low and fits in a fairly small space (H 30.5 x W 25.5 x D 20.25). The only problem is that once it is full, you must wait several weeks for it to turn to compost before you can add more. That means that you either stop composting until it’s done, buy two Envirocycle Composters or else store your food waste until you can empty the composter.

That’s the reason I didn’t end up buying an urban compost tumbler. I wanted something small to which I could continually add food and paper waste and discovered that an upward migration worm bin system would fit my needs very well. You add food to the bottom tray until it is full and then put on another tray and start adding to it. The worms will leave the bottom tray when they are out of food, leaving behind nutrient-rich compost. You can pull that tray out and use the compost while the worms are happily working in the next tray. I haven’t needed a second tray yet, but the Worm Factory 360 that I am using fits my space and aesthetic needs perfectly and has required very little work on my part.

Another option that I originally thought might work for an urban composter is the Bokaski method. However it also needs to be filled up and then left alone for 10 days or so, leaving you in the same boat as the Envirocycle Composter. I also realized that Bokashi doesn’t complete the composting process, but requires being spread around on the ground to finish.

Of course the option that I am still considering is the Naturemill Composter. It requires a little bit of electricity as it is automatic, but otherwise seems like a great idea for an urban composter. It’s small, can be used in your kitchen and even works on meat and dairy. It’s fast and you can keep adding to it all the time and then empty the compost tray at the bottom when it’s ready. The biggest downside is that it’s pretty expensive. The reviews on the older models are mixed with then negative reviews usually reflecting problems issues with the hardware itself. I’m waiting to see how the reviews are for the newly released Naturemill Plus XE and Naturmill Pro XE.

I’ll continue my search for the best urban composter and maybe someday there will be something that qualifies for my definition of “urban compost tumbler”. For now, I’m happy with my choice of the Worm Factory 360 even though I never would have imagined having worms in my life. In truth, you barely know they are there.

photo credit: We-Present: Travel-UggBoy-The-Photographer!

Urban Compost Tumbler post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

All Seems Well in the Worm Bin post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

It’s not like they are swarming all over the house. I really didn’t notice them until I took the lid off to add more paper. But when I did, I was a little uncomfortable with the small swarm. So what can I do to reduce the number of fruit flies (or maybe they’re vinegar flies)…

• The first thing I’ve learned is that the more decomposing food that is in there, the more eggs the fruit flies will lay. Therefore, I don’t want food sitting around for days before the worms get to it. This seems to conflict with what I was thinking about adding food waste only once or twice a week. Although I will pay more attention to how much food is left in the bin before adding more, I don’t think I will be feeding them on a daily basis and I don’t think that is even recommended.
• I remember reading somewhere that several inches of shredded paper on top of the bin will discourage fruit flies and I had done that, but as I have added food and the worms have eaten paper, there were places in the tray that didn’t have 2-3 inches of shredded paper and a couple of the corners were without any shredded paper covering. So I added a more shredded paper and made sure to cover everything.
  
• I haven’t tried this yet, but may consider this suggestion that is in the Worm Factory Instruction Manual. Fill an empty working tray with dry shredded paper or dry leaves and put it on top of the working tray.  It’s supposed to at least keep the fruit flies inside the Worm Factory.
• The instruction manual also suggests that nematodes (roundworms)
  which are available at many garden centers are excellent for controlling fruit flies.
• Fruit Fly traps – if the shredded paper doesn’t work and I am unhappy with the fruit flies, I might try a live trap and then release them in my community’s garbage dumpster. There a bunch of traps on this Wikihow.com page if you are interested.

I have total confidence that this will not be a big problem, if a problem at all. I just wanted to get a jump on it and make sure that my family never notices the fruit flies around my home composter!

Fruit Flies in the Worm Factory 360 post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

A Test for the Worm Tray post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

I was concerned about geckos getting into my worm composter, but that hasn’t been a problem. However there are frogs in my worm bin! They are very small and cute, not to mention quick and jumpy.  I saw one yesterday and thought it jumped in while I was feeding the worms and I thought it jumped back out before I covered the bin. Today when I opened it up, a frog jumped out and I was able to catch it and put it in the back yard. When I returned to the compost bin and lifted shredded paper from another corner, out jumps another frog of similar size. I never located it after it jumped. I lifted more paper and didn’t see any others, so we’ll see what happens the next time I’m in there. It’s hard to figure out how they would get in the Worm Factory design, except for when it’s open and that is possible, but it is hardly ever open, so I’m not really sure. I will let you know if there are any more frog issues in the future.
photo credit: Shandchem

Frogs in My Worm Bin! post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

Some people have had problems even with Red Wigglers escaping in the first week or so after they have been shipped to them, but they do settle down quickly. I had mine shipped from a nearby city and thus a short time in transit, but none of them tried to escape.

Best Composting Worms post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

Update on the Geckos and the Worms Composter post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

For me, here is what stands out about the ease of having a worm composter:

• The initial set-up takes 20 minutes max. The Worm Factory 360 came with instructions and just about everything necessary for getting started.
• When the worms arrived, I dumped them into my prepared composter, covered them with shredded newspaper and then a couple of sheets of newspaper and closed the lid.
• You don’t have to feed the worms very often – once a week will work nicely, but they can go up to a month as long as you leave them enough food. I wouldn’t do this early in the process, but later when everything is humming along.
• With all the shredded newspaper on top, there really is no “gross” factor. Even when I lift it to check things out or add more food, it’s not a big deal.
• Even though I haven’t been sure that I’m doing things correctly, there are no bad smells coming from the bin.
• There is no evidence that I even have worm bins, unless you recognize the Worm Factory. It looks like a small table on my porch.
• Although the temperatures were over 90 degrees when I started and I’m not totally sure what “too wet” or “too dry” would mean, the worms seem to be alive and eating. And I repeat, no bad odors.
• Best of all… THERE IS COMPOST WHERE THERE ONCE WAS FOOD!

Most of the time I’m spending on my worm composting is just because I’m curious or concerned about what’s going on in there. I do spend an extra few minutes cutting any large pieces of food waste into smaller pieces, but you don’t even have to do that. Of course I had to change a few habits with regard to shredding paper (no more plastic envelope windows) and handling food waste (in now goes into the Rubbermaid container), but neither take any extra time. One thing that does take a little time is wetting the shredded paper, ringing it out and separating it to put in the bin. It doesn’t take that long, but I”m thinking of putting it in dry next time and giving it a quick spray with the shower nozzle of my hose next time. I know I will get a feel for the amount of moisture or dry material that I need to add as well as when it needs carbons or nitrogens, but so far, this is nothing bad has happened even with my inexperience.

Worm Bin Composting post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

If you weren’t familiar with the Worm Factory, would you really think this was a worm compost bin? Okay, it may not be the best looking piece of patio furniture, but tucked in a corner, it’s not bad. I’ve put the three bins that I am not yet using upside down on top of the Worm Factory 360 (per its design), but you could put them away and reduce the height by several inches if you wanted.

After three days, I can also say that there is no odor or noise coming from the bins! I think there is something going on in there, but as a newbie, I don’t know for sure that everything is as it should be. When I rake the pile a little, I see a few worms moving around, but not too many crawling around in the food waste. I know they came packed in something that could either be worm castings or else something they will surely eat. There was also the coir that came with the Worm Factory and I believe they will eat that, plus there is a lot of shredded newspaper in there. So I don’t know really know if or what they are eating at the moment, but am hoping that we’re on the right track.

Worm Compost Bin? post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

I didn’t have my camera available to record any part of the process, but it was remarkably simple. I had followed the instructions included with my Worm Factory360 and had the worm container ready, with the damp coir mixed with the shredded newspaper and a couple of handfuls of food waste in one corner. I emptied the bag of worms and the “stuff” they were packed in (peat moss or dirt?) into the tray and used the Worm Factory rake to spread them out a bit. They seemed very active and burrowed right down. After watching for a bit, I covered them with dry shredded newspaper and then covered that with damp sheets of newspaper and then the lid. Now I am supposed to check back in three days. (Of course that didn’t stop me from showing the family when they arrived home.)

I did put a fan on the porch for a little while during the heat of the day and tonight I have left the porch light on so that they will be encouraged to bury themselves in the food I guess. I’ll try not to look at them for a few days, but it will be hard. I know the novelty will wear off before I know it, but so far this is sort of fun.

My Worm Compost Container Has Worms! post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

If you don’t want to spend much on composting, you can build your own worm compost bin using a couple of plastic storage boxes. Here is Washington State University’s instructions for a cheap and easy worm bin. I didn’t go this route for two reasons. The first is that my composter will be in plain sight on my small back porch and I think the Worm Factory 360 almost looks like a matching side table. The second, whether based in reality or not, is that I feel like having a commercially made product designed specifically for the purpose of composting worms, will increase my chances of success. photo credit: kafka4prez

Build Your Own Worm Compost Bin For Less $ post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

The UPS driver delivered my Worm Factory 360 around 5:30 this afternoon!  I have a fairly large Tupperware container full of food scraps waiting patiently in my refrigerator, newspaper and cereal boxes tucked behind a table and a space cleared on my porch. Only thing missing are my Red Wigglers. Not to worry, the worms will be here in the next day or two. Tonight I’ll read the instructions and put the Worm Factory together so I will be ready when they arrive.

My Worm Factory 360 Has Arrived! post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

Buy Red Wigglers!

I had to take a deep breath once I realized that I had ordered my Worm Factory 360 and that meant that I would soon need to have worms available to make the thing work! According to the instructions that I read online, I’ll be buying Red Wigglers for the worm bins. They are available for ordering online, but I thought I might also check to see if I could find them locally. It took a little hunting, but I found someone on Craigslist who has them for $20/lb. I’ll plan to pick them up on Wednesday, which is the same day that my Worm Factory is scheduled to arrive. Hmmm…. Maybe I should wait until it arrives before I pick them up. Yep, that’s the plan!

Buying Red Wigglers for the Worm Bins post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

The Best Composter for Me post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

I’ve been searching the Internet trying to find out if anyone has problems with geckos getting into their worm containers. I think this is my last question before I place the order for my worm composter. There are lizards on my porch all the time, and I know they are always looking for a good place to hide. I would hate for them to think the Worm Factory was a great new restaurant. I haven’t found anyone complaining of this, so it probably is not a problem… but someone did mention feeding red wigglers to a pet gecko, so that renewed my concern. Surely he was joking. Someone else suggested that I could put a screen over the holes if it’s a problem and I will do that if necessary, but wanted to throw this question out one last time.

photo credit: Sarah Camp

Geckos and Worm Containers post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.

The last type of home composter that I would have ever guessed I would end up with as my first composter would have been a worm bin. Worms give me the ‘willies’. I can’t really explain why… maybe it has to do with their resemblance to small snakes… or maybe it has to do with them covering the driveway after a heavy rain. I especially don’t like squished worms. So why is it that I am about to purchase a worm composting container?

Well, I am determined to reduce my contribution to the local landfill and composting is where I will begin. The only problem with that is that I have very limited space and need something small enough to fit on my very small porch. The only composters that I can find that are small enough seem to be these stackable worm farms where the worms start eating your scraps at the bottom and work their way up, leaving their castings below. There are at least three varieties that will fit nicely in the space that I have, so I’ve been doing my homework and have decided this is the way to go.

So after making my decision and then putting in my order , I’ll have to start getting mentally prepared for the worms to arrive. I’m the type of person who carries spiders outside rather than stepping on them. I get along well with most animal life, although am wary of the alligator who lives in the lake behind my townhouse and the black snake who slithers by my front door on occasion. I’m sure I’ll come to like the worms and will surely admire their work!

photo credit: Cliff Beckwith

Me with a Worm Composting Container post from: My Home Composter where you can learn how to make compost, read about pros and cons of various compost containers and discuss experiences in home composting.