Continuous Flow Worm Farm

This compost bin is huge, but I really like it. My old one finally fell apart, so we set up this new one and added in some old compost into the new bin. I started getting compost tea at about 3 weeks. It's a little hard to bring the full compost tea tray up into a position to drain it into another container for use in the garden, so now I drain it sooner and don't spill it.Varmints cannot get into this bin, which is wonderful. I appreciate not needing to turn the compost now that I am getting older, this new bin is much easier on my arms.

NOTE: photo shows a modification I made to the product to let light into the top. IT IS NOT PART OF THE STANDARD PRODUCT.The extra light keeps worms in the material and discourages them from climbing up sides.Pros: - Easy to set up - Solid construction - Can be easily moved. Which is important because when fill it gets HEAVY. - Been using for 6 months and it's holding up well. Bottom latch works once you learn how to use it. - Continuous feed system works surprisingly well. You can take off the bottom and only SOME finished material falls through.Cons: - Lid is problematic when kept closed: - Worms tend to crawl up sides because it's dark (I experimented with transparent window on top to fix this, but too much moisture STILL an issue) - Too much moisture is retained and can lead to mites. - Internal heat build-up can be an issue. - Worms love to congregate in the bottom, so separating them from the finished castings is a bit of work.Misc recommendations: - Get a cheap "Duel, wired Digital Thermometer" (e.g. B0957XFHCK www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0957XFHCK) put one end into the middle of the bin and make sure the temperature doesn't get too high. If it starts to get a heat spike from decomposition, I use as broom handle to create "columns" all the way to the bottom to allow air to pass through.- I initially modified my bin to add a "window" in the lid using an old security cam dome to allow light in (this keeps the worms from climbing up sides). But I still struggled with too much moisture which lead to compost mites (NOT a health risk but ewww). SOLUTION: just put some screen material (like what is used for a screen window or door) over the top and leave the lid open. Controls the moisture, keeps pests out like fruit flies.- Buy and use Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. This controls insect pests and does not hurt worms. In fact, it serves as grit to aid in their digestion!- If you use coffee grounds, buy and use Oyster Shell Flour to balance out pH levels. Also serves as grit.- Use a paper shredder to shred cardboard boxes. Just make sure to NOT shred labels or tape. Soak cardboard in water and wring out before using. Worms LOVE pizza boxes.Manufacturer recommendation if they read this:Include some kind of secure screen lid that fits security. It would be used when the lid is open to control moisture. And when the lid is closed, it would just to keep worms better contained.

Be careful not to bump your latches before you harvest your first batch. You might want to consider putting some tape on the latches so you don't accidentally open and spill the entire contents. I had that happen to me prior to putting worms in it. I talked to the Distributor about this problem. How refreshing that he took the time to listen to everything I said and is going to talk to the manufacturer about a suggestion I made for a cheap easy fix. The container is very well built. I look forward to many years of great garden compost.

Out of the gate.. NO PLASTIC JUNK! Everything that is usually wrapped, bagged, secured in plastic, was NOT! Which surprised and then cheered me considerably. The bin seems sturdy and well built. Look at the assembly pictures carefully, but an old lady like me had no problem putting it together. My worms are happily chewing.. it will take some time before castings start accumulating, but so far I'm very pleased.

This will be the third Hungry Bin we've purchased. I have a large family, so we found that we needed a third to handle all the food straps. We balance the green food scraps with browns from cardboard boxes, mowed grass, and dead leaves. In our experience the final castings are very good. Maybe a little on the wet side, but that's not a hugh issue. We store our castings in food grade plastic 5 gallon buckets with some holes drilled in the side around the top under the lid for breathability. Over time they dried nicely. I'm sure you could hurry the drying process if need be, but for our purposes we didn't find it necessary. We start our bins with approximately 1000 red worms each. I'm sure they could hold many more though. These bins are on the expensive side, but they are well worth every penny!