Create a Worm Bin

The following recommendations to create a worm bin were provided by an organic community farm located in Lincoln, NE and can also be found in the Learning with Nature Idea Book.

1. Use a shallow bin made of metal, plastic, or wood (with a waterproof bottom). A 4’ x 6’ galvanized stock tank works well.

2. If outside, worm bins need to be in temperatures ranging from 55 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Bins should be placed in shaded areas and kept from freezing.

3. To keep bins from producing a foul smell, keep a 30:1 ratio (by volume) of carbon to nitrogen materials when filling the bin to create soil. For example, use 30 times more ripped newspaper, leaves, and peat moss than coffee grounds.

4. Add worms to the bin, such as red wigglers, and then add a layer of dry material to cover the worms.

5. Add enough water to moisten every time you add carbon materials. Be careful to observe worms using up the nitrogen materials before you add more. 

6. To make it possible to remove worm castings (droppings and dead worms), begin feeding worms on one end of the bin. After a few weeks, carefully lift some soil from the other end onto a screen on a tarp or plastic tablecloth. Remove any worms in the soil and put them back in the bin. Put soil through the screen. Use worm castings left on the screen as compost in a garden and put the soil back in the worm bin. 

7. In early spring worms lay eggs that look like tiny orange balls. Avoid disturbing the worm bin until the eggs hatch.