Questions that came up when building

Will the worms be suffocating the worms?

NO you will not. With the design we have, there should be good airflow already, and there will extra holes if need be.

No, not really, because there are, in fact air spaces in between the bins, it’s not like the bin is completely sealed 360 degrees.

Will you need to put in more worms every time you rotate the boxes?

Nope, because they will reproduce ‘n stuff.

No, because the worms will reproduce, and a couple of worms going the garden can not hurt. Besides, it will help the garden out.

Will there be charcoal filters + where will the filters go?

As I said earlier, we will hopefully have a good enough airflow that extra filters won’t be necessary. But if they are, ask me then.

No, the air filters are not really the way to go because it would make things too complicated, and honestly, we could do without them.

How much food can you put in the bin/how long will it take to fill the bin?

Well, it depends on how big a family is, also it depends on what package is bought ( 3, 4, or 5 tiers) but approximately 5 meal leftovers.

I’ve got no clue. depends on the family size, meal size, too many factors for me to know.

Will the bin need to be lined with plastic?

No absolutely not, we will be staining then sealing the wood. This should make sure that the bin will last long, even outside, the plastic will be pretty excessive, and just not needed.

Shouldn’t be necessary. I personally don’t think that lining the bins with plastic is a good plan, since it will only make it more difficult to regulate the temperature and moisture level in the bin. Plus, we are planning on using a stain that will seal and protect the wood from rotting, so it would do the same job as the plastic, but with a lot less risk.

how many worms do we need?

“One pound of red wigglers for one square foot of surface area in a worm farm is a good, healthy ratio” It really depends on the size of the bin. but there will definitly need to be alot because some will die and they will also move up the bin over time.

http://www.wormcompostinghq.com/start-here/how-many-composting-worms-do-i-need

Where will we get our worms?/will we need to buy worms?

-yes, we will either need to buy worms or get lots from the living machine but that will take awhile! The class will probably buy abunch together at once and we will divide them up.

will you need to get the worms out of the soil when you empty the bin of soil?

You can but you don’t have to. You could pick them out when emptying your worm bin or just leave them. Depending on if you want them in your garden or not. An easy way to do it is put the soil on a tarp and sift through.

what does the temperature of the worm bin need to be?

The desired temp. for red wiggler worms is between 55 and 75 degrees fahrenheit. They will slow down feeding and reproduction in extreme or cold temperatures and can even die if the temp. gets too extreme.

How often does the leachate bucket need to be emptied?

This question isn’t relevant. You empty the base bucket once it’s full.

will the outside be painted?

Maddie said they weren’t planning on painting the bucket.

how will the base work?

I also don’t think this question is super relevant, but the way the base bin works (the leachate bucket), is that it collects all of the moisture and worm leachate that’s migrated into it which can then be created into a by product called “worm tea.”

Will the bin work for bigger families as well as for one-person apartments?

Yes! As we have all gone over, it works perfectly for one person apartments but it can also work for larger households. Say that the big household fills all of the boxes before they can fully decompose. If they have a compost bin, they can empty the bottom bins into that compost bin where it will finish decomposing.

Is there still as many benefits if the compost finishes decomposing in another pile or does it have to be fully soil to make a difference?

Yes, it will. It’s not as many benefits as if it had fully finished decomposing in the bins, but the added nutrients from the worms will still help the soil be fuller and help your plants grow more. The droppings from the worms and the worm leachate still make their way into the plants where it can finish fermenting in a bigger container.

Maddie-builder

David-builder

Leah-salesperson

Max-designer

Jocelyn-contractor