Worm Bin Set up, Weight Table and Materials
ITEM | WEIGHT, POUNDS | ACCUMULATIVE WEIGHT, POUNDS |
EMPTY BIN | 1 3/4 | |
LID | 1/2 | |
BASE | 2 | 4 1/4 |
½ INCH DRY NEWSPAPER, FOLDED , on top of base for sponge to soak up leachate and excess moisture | 1 | 5 1/4 |
NEXT 8 INCHES DRY NEWSPAPER STRIPS TORN ½ INCH WIDE, for bedding | 1 1/4 | 6 1/2 |
NEXT 3 PINTS WATER TO DAMPEN NEWSPAPER STRIPS, to wet bedding to 70% moisture | 3 | 9 1/2 |
THEN ADD ONE POUND WORMS OR | 1 | |
FIVE POUNDS OF VERMICULTURE WITH WORMS | 5 | |
COVER WORMS OR VERMICULTURE WITH SHALLOW LAYER OF WET STRIPS OF NEWSPAPER | ||
¼ INCH DRY NEWSPAPER FOLDED, top dressing to keep moisture in bedding | 1/2 |
The empty bin weighs about 1 ¾ pounds. The lid weighs about ½ pound and the base weighs about 2 pounds. Before you start adding newspaper, the total weight is 4 ¼ pounds.
On top of the base you put a layer of folded dry newspaper ½ inch thick which weighs about 1 pound.
Next you tear up about 1 ¼ pounds of newspaper into strip ½ to 1 inch wide for bedding. Tear the newspaper with the grain for uniform strips and ease of tearing – not cross grain. To the strips add 3 pints of water which brings the moisture content of the newspaper strips to about 70%.
Add one pound of worms to the bedding or five pounds of vermiculture from another worm bin.
Cover the worms or vermiculture with a thin layer of wet newspaper strips – about one inch thick and then cover that with several layers of dry folded newspaper to keep the moisture in the vermiculture.
