Types of bins vary from the stacking worm bin or worm factory, which can be bought(see below), to a homemade worm bin which may be made by using a combination of window boxes or plastic bins/totes  or wooden boxes with plenty of air holes punched in the sides and tops.

On the post “Worm Bedding Material’, I’ve explained one type of worm bin you can use; that is, my method of using two window boxes to make a worm bin.

In this post I will give you two other ways besides my window box idea to construct your worm bin: 1) using a big garbage plastic bin and 2) using a smaller plastic container/tote  as explained on video by Christy Ruffner from

http://www.vermiculturenorthwest.com

First example of a homemade worm bin:

One enterprising young man who wanted plenty of worm castings used a big garbage plastic bin to create his worm bin.  At the bottom on one side of his worm bin, he cut out a door so that he could quickly retrieve the worm castings without necessarily having to deal with the worms themselves.

Then he bought rods that wouldn’t rust or rot, and with the proper size drill, he made holes all around the plastic bin about half way up from the ground.  Then he inserted these rods  from one side of the worm bin to the other side.

These rods more or less created a platform which was about 2 feet from the bottom of the bin and parallel to it.  He made sure the rods were close enough they could easily hold a bedding of damp newspapers to hold his precious worms in this homemade worm bin.

One added precaution to make this worm bin even more efficient would be to put a net or screening under the newspapers to avoid losing the tiny baby worms once the newspapers have decomposed or been eaten by the worms.

Second example of a homemade worm bin:

This video is called DIY Worm Bin 101 in which Christy explains step by step how to prepare a plastic tote so it can be used for worm composting.

Obviously the important things to do to keep your worms happy in the worm bin is to make sure that they are in a damp environment, not a soaking wet one nor a dry one

, hence the reason for having the holes drilled in the bottom of the worm bin for drainage and containers of some sort to harvest this “compost tea”. On the other hand, if the bedding dries up, spray with dechlorinated water until the material is damp.

Second, the worms need air.

Therefore, you must drill holes in areas where the soil (if you’re using soil) or castings will not fall out these holes. As well, make these holes towards the top of the worm bin where the holes can get the most air through so would be the most beneficial. Putting screening or some sort of net as explained in the video is also a good idea.

Click on the image for a better view of what is called a “Worm Factory”.

3-tray Worm Composter

However, now that you have read about three different versions of “what to use for a worm bin” from three different people, you probably realized that these bins are as varied as the people who make them. What will you use for your worm bin?

Good luck!

Marcie