Vermiculture

This is my vermiculture bin.  It is made from junk and free stuff.  I got the Red Wiggler worms from a friend.

This is the bottom of the bin.  I cut the top off a sports drink bottle and kept the valve.  I drilled a hole in the bin big enough the screw top to poke through.  There are two pieces of scrap 2x4 that hold up a false bottom.

More pictures of the drain valve:

The next layer is a piece of wood with holes drilled through:

To start the bin, I soaked shredded paper in water for 15 minutes, wrung it out, then added it to the bin.  I also added a few handfuls of dirt and leaves.  I added a handful of Red Wiggler worms. Then I added kitchen scraps.  I do not add meat or cooked scraps.  I do not add citrus peel any more.  I found that the worms don't like them and they attract Black Soldier Flies (BSF).  BSF are not so bad as they also make compost.  I think BSF look gross and make stinkier compost than the worms make. The worm compost ends up like very damp black soil.   BSF make gooier, brown compost.  The next pictures are of a mature bin.

I put a piece of plastic over the top to hold in humidity.  I also put a piece of fiberglass window screen covering the top of the bin which is not shown. 

After a few weeks you can drain out the liquid.  I dilute the liquid about 5 to 10 parts water to the liquid and water plants with it.