My healthy compost bin - Part 1

The compost bin in my garden in March 2009. It's in a healthy state with lots of the red worms that break down organic waste. They feed on fruit & veg scraps; also finely shredded paper. It's a plastic bin with a close fitting plastic lid and it sits on the ground. This allows worms etc to make their way into the bin where they feed. The bin is sited to catch lots of sun which warms the compost and the worms (which they seem to like).

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• worms
• compost
• bin
• garden
• recycle
• green
• composting
• gardening
• sustainable
• recycling

[johnjrp01]

Thanks for the tip winnipeguy75. However, my second bin which is in the shade takes a lot longer to break down, so I think the higher temperature in this bin encourages the worms to work faster. You'd think that if they got too hot, that they'd go to the bottom of the bin where it's a lot cooler. They even gather round the top of the bin when it's quite cold. On the issue of photosensitivity, as the lid is a very tight fit, the worms can't get out of the top. The only way in & out is the base.

[johnjrp01]

The worms congregate themselves. As the bottom of the bin sits on the ground and has an open base, worms can migrate into the bin by themselves. They often congregate around the rim where they seem to have mass orgies! There are often lumps of several hundred worms visible upon removing the top. I don't know whether they move to the top for the heat, or to avoid the heat (the bin gets very warm in the sun). Anyway they certainly seem to like the bin and its contents & munch their way through it.

[winnipeguy75]

Just a tip. Those red worms will be even more efficient if you put your bin in a cooler, shaded spot. They are climbing to the top in an attempt to escape the heat, but since they are photosensitive (they don't like light) they won't actually crawl out from under the lid. Red worms like their environment fairly cool. That's when they really get to eating!

[mikeyaaa]

a worm orgy

[1kingconan]

did you throw all those worms on top of that can? that looks like some yummy compost material :)