Worm Bin ~ Harvester Hybrid... "Vermi-Tumbler"

Maybe not so pretty to the casual observer who knows little or nothing about raising worms but this contraption is the product of a question asked long ago to a group of seasoned worm farmers and their answers over quite a discussion. 

Don't remember the exact wording of my question but it pretty much involved "What do you like the least about worm farming and what are some common problems you would like to see solved?".  Everybody pretty much agreed that harvesting was a pain, aerating or changing the bedding ranked pretty high also.  There were others.  The concept drawing of the perfect worm bin in the previous blog article was made and lost but not forgotten in an old computer and is now a reality about to be put to the test.

Made mostly from salvaged scrap except for the #4 mesh, zip ties and a few staples.  To my knowledge at this time it is the only worm bin/harvester hybrid in existence.  Posts have been set in the back yard today for its enclosure that should be finished in a few days, weather permitting.

The worm farmer should be able to take one look at this and smile, for the rest, here is a basic explanation.  It's a rotating worm bin, the center spindle ends will rest in drilled holes in the outdoor enclosure and allow the whole unit to be rotated.

Mesh is #4 or 1/4" galvanized hardware cloth, 2' wide, the sides are 3' diameter, 5/8" plywood.  Notice the high-tech door haha!  Inside bottom half is lined with shower stall plastic sheet, glued to the wood and zip tied to the mesh.  This is the main "at rest" position of the unit where the worms will spend most of the time doing their thing, eating and breeding.  There's small openings for drainage at the bottom and around on the plastic just in case we should accidentally overwater and to allow some air into the bedding while at rest.

Depending on the amount of worms and how fast they process material, the unit will be rotated by hand ever so often.  Worm castings, small particles of unfinished vermicompost and worm cocoons (eggs) and possibly some small worms will fall through the mesh and into a tub.  I used  #4 mesh for this very purpose as this particular unit's main purpose is to house breeder worms and nothing else.  It will be the bin from which many other conventional tub-type bins will be stocked for other purposes.

There may be a flat, finer mesh screen directly under the unit, set at an angle to allow finished castings to separate from the vermicompost and cocoons, well, just count on it!  There are much more involved drawings of other units based on this concept we will visit at a later date.  I'm working on a smaller enclosed unit that would be suitable for indoor vermicomposting. 

So if I've forgotten anything just leave a comment.  

:)