Indoor Vermi Tumbler for Vermicomposting

This is my concept art for an indoor Vermi Tumbler.  Should be pretty simple to understand. Same as the large Vermi Tumbler as for having #4 mesh on the tumbler so vermicast, vermicompost and cocoons can fall through when rotated and the casting screen directly below will need a little shaking to separate the castings.

Vermicast or worm castings are pure worm manure.  Vermicompost is material or bedding broken up and partially processed by the worms but is not quite pure castings.

Some people will look at this in awe and wonder how in the world it could possibly work.  I'm betting those same people are the ones brainwashed by the commercial worm bin industry into believing that liquid is supposed to drain from the worm bed, otherwise known as leachate.

Simply put, if your worm bin is dripping anything, you are over-watering or over-feeding too wet of material.  So no, the Vermi Tumbler will very likey not work unless proper bedding moisture is maintained. 

I have never in all my worming had to pre-dry castings and rub the lumps on a screen to make loose castings.  If one has to do that, the castings were mud turned to dry mud and was likely anaerobic so all of the good beneficial microbes are dead and it smells like something out of a septic tank or worse.

Proper moisture in the bedding will allow the castings to remain loose and they will simply fall out of the tumbler when rotated and go right through the screen.  You can take a handfull of them, squeeze hard and they will somewhat compact but remain friable and loose, moist castings, full of beneficial bacteria.

An indoor worm bin such as this is likely to be used for vermicomposting of kitchen scraps.  Most all leftover kitchen scraps are going to be too wet and should have some shredded cardboard added to soak up the excess moisture.  Remember the squeeze test?  Squeeze a handfull hard and just a few drops of liquid come out.  The material is plenty moist for worms but retains some absorbing qualities and will not drip, leach or saturate the bedding to anaerobic conditions.

For this unit, I'm thinking coroplast construction with a tyvek strip on the lid to allow air exchange but keep even the tiniest bug out.  Indoor bins are sometimes infested with gnats and/or fruit flies. If that happens we make a soda bottle gnat trap. :)