How do you know when to turn the bin?
Inevitably someone asks, “How often do you turn your bins?”
And my answer is, “It depends…”
It depends on the bin. The newer the bin the more often, until I get a feel for the bin.
It’s something you figure out depending on what kind of food waste you are feeding your worms. The more moisture you put in the bin the more often you need to turn the bin.
It doesn’t hurt the worms. They appreciate the air.
The older the bin the less “mixing” of the bedding you want to do (the top material with the bottom material).
The closer I get to harvesting I actually take the top portion of the bin out and turn the lower portion without mixing any of the fresh bedding and food stock into the bottom material.
When it’s time to harvest, the bottom material comes out and the top material goes back in the bottom, start adding fresh bedding to build the bin back up a layer at a time. By the time the material reaches the top of the bin, it’s time to harvest again.
This process keeps you intimately involved with every aspect of your worm bin. I’ve been known to turn the bin as often as once a week.
Christy
Handle your organic waste the way Nature intended.
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Thanks for the information I will reduce my time to a weekly mix up. I find that a three pronged plastic miniature gardening fork is ideal for the task and does not hurt the worms.
Thanks for the info.
Best regards
George
Hi Christy,
I got your info regarding how often to turn but I have got some dreaded red mite that seemed to appear from nowhere. I have used some water melon rind on top of my bedding and then kept it there for about 24hrs and then disposed of it. There seems to be a lot less mites the second or third time around.
Am I doing the correct thing or should I use a little sulphur as I have read in my worm book?
So far your info has been the most effective I have received and thank you again for your time and effort.
Thanks in advance
Best regards
George, in sunny South Africa
George,
It is my opinion that the melon rind is sufficient. This is what I use. I rinse the mites off and reuse the melon rind over and over until it begins to decompose. Then I add it to the bin and use a fresh rind, (if the problem still persists). Remember, the mites are a natural inhabitant of the worm bin and only needs to be controlled, not iradicated.
Christy