Our first worm bin is fully operational! I used the "Deluxe Worm Bin" design from Red Worm Composting. [1]

I found that I did not have an ample supply of bedding materials, but I did scrounge up some cardboard and unbleached paper to use. Cutting cardboard is a real pain, but ripping the paper was a lot nicer. Most websites recommend using newspaper, but we don't have any and the video I watched said that cardboard was better. We shall see.

After setting up the bin, we waited a week before picking up my red worms at Durham Worm Farm. [2] They were really friendly and knowledgeable, and the worms came in a mix of compost and worm castings that any gardener would drool over. Mark at Durham Worm Farm did not recommend using newspaper in the worm bin, and he said that feeding the worms bread will give them protein sores. He also said that fruit flies would be attracted to the food in the bin (even with the lid on), and that we should drape an old t-shirt over the top layer inside the bin to keep flies out. One pound of red worms cost $26, and he was nice enough to only charge us for a pound even though he collected more than that for us. The worms looked very healthy and were moving around quite a bit.

When we got the worms home, we put them in the bin and let them get used to their new home. I was bursting to open the lid, but I thought I should let them hang out in the dark for a while. However, after about two hours I found a worm on the floor, already drying out. I panicked and picked him up to put him back into the bin. When I opened the bin, I was shocked to see that the sides were crawling with worms, and I had to be careful when closing the lid so that I wouldn't squish any. Within an hour I found two more worms on the floor. They were trying to bust out of the hell I had apparently trapped them in!

I immediately asked Google why my worms were trying to escape. I knew they had enough food, so it could only be the moisture levels. Too wet or too dry. I knew it was damp in there, and I could see moisture droplets collected on the lid and inside of the bin. However, I had only moistened it with a spray bottle, and there was no anaerobic odor. Maybe it was too dry? I wasn't sure.

After consulting with The Duck, I plunged my hand into the depths of the bin. Lo and behold, it was a lot drier below the top layers. Crossing my fingers, I gave the upper levels of the bin a good spray down with water again. The Duck also taped up the air holes on the sides of the bin since that was where the worms were escaping from. There were still holes in the lid to allow for oxygen flow.

I checked the bin the next day, and the number of worms on the sides seemed a lot less. Yesterday I added a bowl of food to the bin, and there were only two worms crawling on the inside of the bin. The rest were all happily going about their business in the lower levels of the bin. I added the food, then added a fresh layer of bedding (cardboard and newspaper strips). I took one last breath of the earthy dampness that I love and associate with a healthy compost pile, and closed the lid.