A lot of people who come to get red wigglers from me are just starting out. So, I want to show you how to make your own indoor composting worm bin with red wigglers that you can use in the house. (Actually, you can keep it outside too, but put it in the shade if you are in hot areas like Las Vegas.)
By the way, using a composting worm bin gives you “vermicompost.” What I have for you here is a nice tiered system that you can just keep adding to.
The video below shows you how to build a composting bin for about $25. I see people selling bins similar to this for $100’s of dollars online.
You can make this one for about $25.
A video tutorial on making a worm bin
**At the beginning of the video I say that I’ll explain how to make a simple composting bin… but I forgot to tell you. It’s easy, and directions are here.
Make your own composting worm bin
1. First get all the things you’ll need to make a vericompost bin. I’ve got a picture for you here. This is in my backyard here in Las Vegas. You’ll need: Two tubs, one with holes drilled in the bottom. A cardboard, newspaper or plastic cover. A bit of Sand. Some coconut coir. Chopped up fruit and veggies. Worms, and get them from me if you live in Las Vegas or some other hot climate. 2. Drill some holes in the bottom of your composting worm bin. In the picture below you can see how I drilled my holes. I make holes from 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch and spread them out in the bottom. Make sure you put a hole in each of the 4 corners. And drill A LOT of holes, maybe even more than what you see in the picture below. What you can do, and what I do now, is to cut the bottom of the tub out and rivet a piece of 1/4 inch hardware cloth to the bottom. This lets the water drain out easily.
3. Add some support sticks. Your bottom bin should have something to hold your worm bin up. If there is air between the bins, the worms don’t crawl into your bottom bin as much. (See Video for details.)
This is a nice mix of red wigglers and European nightcrawlers that both do very well in indoor composting bins.
If you have questions about your bin, here’s a Q&A for indoor worm bins.
The worms you order from me off the site are BETTER than the worms I’m talking about here. Here’s what I mean. These “red-hot” heat tolerant worms are perfect for hot, dry areas and I’d love for you to have in your garden!
If you live somewhere where it’s really hot in the summer and winters get cold, you really want to get worms from me. These red wigglers are amazing for gardening or composting. They are delivered in the mail right to your house. Just order here. Shipping is free and more you buy, the less you pay per pound. One pound is about 1,000 worms. 🙂 You probably need at least 2 pounds of worms. One pound isn’t really all that many… it’s kinda like guessing how many M&M’s are in a jar.
Hi John, before I buy my worms from you I’d like to have all of my Vermicomposting set up and ready to go. I already have my worm bins but I’m in need of coir. Where in Las Vegas can I purchase this?
Hi Nancy!
Glad you’re getting into vermicomposting! Getting good quality worms from my site is the best way to build your soil with or without chemicals and have a great garden.
You can get coconut coir at hydroponic stores. There is a store on Desert Inn and Valley View in Las Vegas that has great coir.
To get your worms, order them online at http://lasvegasworms.com/worms-sale-online.
I’ll look for your order coming in! 🙂 John
Hi Brenda,
Thanks a lot, I’m glad you like my worm website and appreciate the advice I give here. I actually know what I’m doing and how to make this work in Las Vegas.
If you have the same mites I do, they aren’t a problem unless they take over. Which it sounds like whats going on with your compost. And by taking over, I mean that they completely cover the top of the food you’re putting in the compost bin. Sounds like you have a lot of them.
Give me a call and I can tell you how I get rid of them without chemicals, just a bit of work every other day for a week or so.
Also, text me a picture of the mites if you can take a close up and I’ll take a look. Otherwise, you might want to stop by here and buy some of my heat tolerant red worms to breed with the ones you got and make them stronger. If you do that, bring some mites with you and I’ll take a look.
Also, European worms can be tough to raise.
Talk soon- John
Hi Adriana,
I have about 8 inches of soil in my outdoor worm composting bins to deal with both the summer heat and winter cold here in Las Vegas. There is no need to keep any worms you get from me in the shade. These red wigglers do well in direct sun.
Prices and amounts are on the homepage, take a look there. If you have me ship them to you, you are better off getting 2 or 3,000 composting worms from me since shipping is the same for 1,000 or 3,000.
Talk soon- John
John my name is Lynda Carilli-Coil. I am a cubmaster of 850. In the North Las Vegas. My wolf and bear den is making a compost box. We need som worms. If you email me your address we can pick them up. I had almost every thing right. Why sand and not potting soil. Thats what I used. If wrong tell me. Also tell me why so I call tell the boys. They need answers to everything.
Hi Lynda,
You were smart to call. I don’t always get to the messages here. Nice chatting with you and we’ll get you set up!
John
Hi Dale,
I’m pretty sure these worms can handle that kind of cold if you kept them in the garage and kept the soil depth to abut 8 inches.
I say that because my worms stay in 8 inch deep soil in raised beds all winter long. When it gets cold, they just burrow down for a little bit, then come up to feed when it warms up.
If it’s not to late and you already got worms, give me a call and I can get you set up.
John
Wow Darryl!
Thanks a lot for all your compliments and I’m glad I could help you out. The issues you had were the same ones I had when I started. Plus, it was my fault in the first place.
And for everyone reading this, Darryl doesn’t give himself enough credit here. He did his research and knew what he was doing. He is a great guy and we had fun figuring out what was going on in the bin.
The only think I really did was identify stuff. I have a biology degree, plus grew up studying all the little creatures in our family garden, so I know a lot about the bugs and stuff that are in normal garden soil.
And that brings up a good point, especially if you have your red worms outside. Chances are you are going to get a lot of bugs and stuff in your soil. That’s a GREAT thing! All those little creatures have their place in the natural ecosystem that is your garden soil.
Also, there are only 2 bugs I’ve seen here in Las Vegas that are bad for your worms. Everything else I’ve had here is good for your plants and soil.
Centipedes are really bad to have in your bin. And so are mole crickets – not regular crickets, mole crickets. Do a Google Image Search for them so you know what they look like. And as soon as I find either in my garden, I’ll take pictures and write a post about them for you.
Thanks for your vote of confidence here Barbara! I’m happy to hear that all those emails we sent back and forth answering your questions has paid off in such a great success story for you!
And you’re welcome for the help!
Do you ship? How much would it cost to ship to buckeye,az 85326? What is the shipping time frame?
Thanks, Tiffany
Yes Tiffany, I will ship my red wigglers to the Southwest US. Shipping right now is $12.95 if the post office doesn’t raise their rates.
If you are going to have your worms outside either now or later, you really want to get these heat tolerant worms from me. Give me a call and I’ll get some out to you.
For you in AZ, I would ship on Monday or Tuesday and you’d get your worms on Thursday or Friday.
Let me know when you want me to send them.
Talk soon- John