Outside Worm Bin (Update 1)

I decided to finally do something with this orange bin that's been sitting on its side for the last week. I realized it would be sitting there for a while if I didn't do something with it soon, as I have a habit of getting overwhelmed by my many hobbies, which aren't all documented on this blog. So I decided to get the outside worm bin prepared for the worms I plan on adding in the next few weeks, before it gets too cold.

I began by making a trip to my neighbors house. He had a truck bed full of cardboard that had been there for years. He told me I could have all the cardboard I wanted, so I took it all (hehe). I tore up what I could, but midway decided it probably didn't matter, as the bin is huge. I learned a valuable lesson later when after watering the bin for over twenty minutes, the bottom portions were bone dry. I had to dig back in and tear each piece up into smaller, more easily biodegradable pieces.

After looking around for a bottom among mine and neighbors' various junk piles, I decided that a bottom might not be necessary after all. I found a spot on my property where a previous owner had added a large amount of sand to help with the mud in the winter and decided to move the worm bin to that spot. I raided my neighbors wood pile for a few pieces to fill the holes in the bottom and to add a little weight to the top, which was also donated by a friend (Thanks Tom!)

This piece didn't fit, but the idea is to keep my 3 dogs from getting too curious and digging here. I know this will be inadequate, so I had to think on other ways to fix this new issue.

Next I added shredded paper. 

And more shredded paper.

Remember my post, 10 Years of Bills = Worm Bedding?, well there's about 5 years of bills in there (lol).

My kids collected a bucket of leaves and tossed them into the bin, while my wife was adding cardboard. We also added some produce a neighbor donated and some eggs as well.

Then we got the water hose and started wetting it all down.

 We added some more produce, leaves, and tried mixing the paper in better.

And we learned that this bin has good drainage, but also that the bottom didn't get as wet as we'd hoped, because it drained out the sides, but I just lifted the parts up that hadn't gotten wet enough and watered them adequately.

 Next we added the lid to see how it would look. I was satisfied with its aeration (ability to breathe).

And then we added a piece of wood and the bucket to deter the dogs from jumping on the bin.

But I felt like something was still missing. The bottom was going to start attracting the dogs and I knew they would start digging if they got curious. So I started to bury the bottom of the bin with sand, because I knew it would prevent the dogs from digging, while also allowing the bin to drain if too much water is added to the top.

 So I began to add sand

 And more sand

And more

Until I was satisfied my neighborhood had thought I'd gone mad, adding what appeared to be a poor man's bunker to my front yard!!

Even after adding the paper, leaves, cardboard, egg shells, vegetable scraps, rabbit manure and the small amount of sand mixed in, we have still only filled the bin to about one tenth of its capacity! It's going to take a while to completely fill it, and at least 3 or 4 weeks until I can add worms without worrying about losing them.