Scenic Ranch
bins

Get 10 gallon bins.

drill holes

Drill some holes.

bedding mix

Add bedding mix.

all mixed up

Mix it up.

bag o worms

Add your worms.

Outfitting & Mending Fences.

Most small spreads do well with the three-bin system--two rotating pasture bins and one liquid-runnoff-collection bin. Here's how you set it up...

  1. Materials & tools.
    • Three 8-10 galon plastic storage bins
    • Drill (with 1/4in and 1/16in bits)for making drainage and air holes
    • 2 gal. each of :Shredded newspaper, coconut fiber (coir) and topsoil
    • About 1 pound of redworms (available from worm farmers or your local nursery)
  2. Save one bin (#3) to collect drainage (worm tea) from the other two. Drill ventilation holes on sides of bin #1 and bin #2 near the top edge using 1/16 in. bit. Small holes keep the bad bugs out (fruit-flies!).
  3. Drill some more... about 20 evenly spaced 1/4in holes on the bottom of the same two bins that already have holes. Do not drill any holes in bin #3
  4. Prepare bedding for worms by soaking coir overnight. Worms need bedding that is moist, but not soggy. Moisten the newspaper and then squeeze excess. Cover the bottom of bin #1 with an even mixture of shredded newspaper, coir and topsoil to 3-4 inches deep.
  5. Add worms to the bedding. There are 1000 worms in a pound. One pound will "process" 3-4 pounds of food scraps a week.
  6. Stack bins with #3 on the bottom, followed by the bin with worms and bedding. The third bin remains empty for now. Place bins in a cool, well-ventilated area.
  7. Feed your worms, slowly at first. Bury the food in different areas of the bin each week. The worms will follow the food.