gusto worm bin

Hello. I purchased a gusto worm bin. It is a four tray with the new dome roof. My worms will be comming on tuesday. The directions say that this bin will hold up to 10,000 worms. The bin is designed in a way that the bottom tray is to be filled with food,bedding and worms then when you want the worms to move to the next tray you add food and bedding in the tray above them. When i called for worms i was told that 5lbs of worms was too many worms for one tray so i ordered 3lbs. Now i am confused. I called worm ranglar back ( the place i bought it from) and they were no help. The only way i can figure it out is that in order to start with 5lbs of worms is to add food,worms to the first tray then put an empty tray on top then add another worm tray on top of that with food and worms than another empty tray on top of that. That way i can harvest without removing worms and avoid over population. I really don't like this idea. I just want to be able to put them in one tray and let them migrate up to the next tray when the first one is full. Does anyone own one of these? Can you tell me how many worms i can put in one tray? Each tray is L-14" W-14" and 5" deep. I ordered 3lbs.

Russell...as you probably know, the object of this type of worm bin is for the worms to fill one tray with worm compost before migrating up to the next tray. I think lots of worms in one tray would just process the food and bedding faster.

I have a Can O'Worms (a three-tray system) that the company said should be good for 15 pounds of worms. That equals 5 pounds a tray, so I think you're okay.

If it were me, I would put them all in one tray and add the second tray when the first one if full (of compost, not bedding and food scraps).

It's easier to add a second tray than it is to remove one, which you can do at any time.

Thanks ice-worm. I'll try the 3lbs. I just don't understand why it would say 10,000 and then tell me 5000 in one tray is too much. How deep are your trays ice-worm?

My trays are six inches deep. The "shoulders" where the next tray sits are three inches deep. With bedding and food, the top tray is often filled nearly to the top. When the worms turn everything into compost, and the compost is just over three inches deep, I add the next tray.

I let the compost build up to just over three inches, just a bit higher than the "shoulders" so the worms in the lower tray can migrate up to the new top tray.

And remember...if it seems like the worms are too crowded, you can always add that next tray, but I'd try not to do that. The biggest things you need to watch out for are overfeeding and too much moisture.

Thanks ice-worm. I'm getting them on Tuesday. I'm keeping them in the kitchen. My wife isn't thrilled with the idea however she is the one who bought me the bin for my birthday. Wish me luck.

I do wish you luck. And those little worms will grow on your wife.

When I first got worms (my sister talked me into it), I said, "Where would I keep them?"

She said, "Oh, anywhere. You can keep them on your kitchen counters."

I said, "Not on your life!"

But once you get past the "yuck" factor, they are pretty cool!

I actually did keep my first bin on my kitchen counter (for a month or so). It was a little Rubbermaid bin, and the garage was just too cold for them (Unheated garage. February. Alaska). Plus, they were babies when I got them.

That was in 1996, I think. And I still have them!

Just one more question Ice-worm. I am using the following for my bedding coconut coir,a couple handfulls of well composted cow manure (from a bag doesn't smell), and shredded newspaper(no colored ink). i'm soaking the coconut coir and shredded newspapers. I plan to wring out the cior add the manure and add that to my tray. Then i will finish it off with well wrung out shredded newspaper fluffed out on top to finish filling the tray. Does this sound like a good plan? Also how long should i let them settle til i feed them scraps? Mabye a day or two? Thanks for all your help.

Russell...your plan sounds good to me. And a day or two to settle in sounds okay, too. Then start off easy with the scraps.

Remember, the two biggest causes of problems in a worm bin are too much moisture and too much food.

:)

Thanks for the quick reply. Well i mixed the coir with a couple handfulls of soil and composted cow manure. I added that to the bin. It looked like it only covered about 1and a half inches. I added about 4 to five inches of shredded newspaper on top. Does that sound ok Ice-man? Also when i put the empty trays on top then the lid it pushed the newspaper down about 2 inches is that ok? I can add peat moss if the inch and a half isn't correct.

I'm not sure how deep your trays are...but it is good that you added more depth with the shredded newspaper. Make sure the whole bin is about as damp as a wrung-out sponge and you'll be good to go.

The bedding can be the coir, cow manure, and shredded newspaper, or you can just use shredded newspaper. It will all become compost sooner than you would think.

As far as the other trays, I don't put my extra trays on the bin until they are needed. When the first tray is filled just past the shoulders (the rim where the next tray sits), then it is time to add the next tray. By the time it is necessary to add that last tray, the first (now bottom) tray is ready to harvest.

One other thing to remember...the more diverse the foodstuff, the better the quality of the finished compost.

Feed them a varied diet, in moderation, and have patience. (And to fatten them up a bit, you can sprinkle corn meal on the bedding occasionally).

Do you just use regular Coconut Coir like you would use for planting?

jlp...I actually use shredded newspaper. The only time I used coir was when my bin was new--and the coir came with the bin so I don't know what kind it was.

I think you would be good to go, though, --as long as the coir hasn't been treated with anything and has no additives (like fertilizer).

I would soak it thoroughly, then squeeze out the excess water. You want it to be about as wet as a damp (not dripping) sponge.

HTH

Thanks for the info.