The worms will eventually finish processing the food in the lower tray(s), and thanks to the perforations in the tray bottoms, the worms are free to migrate upwards in search of fresh food, or downwards in search of suitable mating conditions. At this point, all fresh material is added to this upper tray. Starting with one of the perforated trays nested above the base, worms are added to the tray along with food and bedding (diet-balancing high-Carbon material such as shredded paper), and more food scraps and bedding are piled in successive layers until the heap of worms/food/bedding is high enough to contact the underside of the next tray above. In stacking tower-style systems, small plastic trays with perforated bottoms stack on top of a solid-bottomed base, with a vented lid on top of the stack of trays. I will cover the fabrication and usage of an actively-aerated tea-brewing system in a later Instructable. Most of the castings that I harvest from my bins are used to make "worm tea" - a biologically-rich and readily bioavailable organic fertilizer. If *fresh*, and from a reasonably well-maintained set of worm bins, vermicast and the accompanying leachate are also a potent source of beneficial microorganisms with the power to breathe life back into dead soils! That is why worm castings are sometimes called " black gold"! The big bags of castings available at the local garden supply store are a waste of money compared to what one can make at home - store-bought castings sitting around in non-ideal conditions for any amount of time practically guarantees that much of the nutrients have degraded, and that the majority of the accompanying microbial population have died off. Vermicast/castings (worm poo) in the bins & leachate (liquid worm waste and condensed liquids) collected in the bottom of the base bin/tray can be used as a soil amendment and wide-spectrum natural fertilizer which is significantly more nutrient-dense than traditional aerobically-produced compost. In home-vermicomposting systems, red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida) are the most commonly used species in temperate climates as they will tolerate confinement and a relatively wide range of temperatures, but are still highly productive eating machines - they will process about half their body weight in kitchen scraps every day! One can find red wigglers for sale in many places, including online (check out: ). With just a few plastic storage bins/totes, a bit of window screen material, some metal mesh (hardware cloth), some wood, a few screws and some rivets, you can make a space-efficient powerhouse of a composter that can handle all of your kitchen scraps for well under $50 (purchasing all materials new, and not including the cost of worms). Similar "worm tower" systems exist, but they cost no less than $80-100 and don't hold much material. When such bins are regularly maintained, following some basic rules, there will be very little-to-no odor. When compared to your average compost pile, there is much less physical labor involved (frequent mixing not necessary), the process produces results sooner, and can even be done indoors or in confined spaces. Composting with worms (vermicomposting) is a great way to cycle your kitchen scraps and yard waste back into the 'circle of life'.
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