I've had my Can-O-Worms bin in a shaded, sheltered outside corner for 11 years. Whenever I find a plant that's having problems, I give it a trowel-full of worm castings and it perks right up. I use a diluted solution for my container plants, and this year put a dollop at the bottom of each of the holes I dug for my tomatoes (no fruit yet, but the plants look fabulous).

In the winter we get temps down to the twenties, and the worm activity definitely slows down. But as soon as it gets over 50 degrees, they get busy again. Mine get all my coffee grounds and filters, along with other kitchen scraps. I think the coffee helps keep Argentine ants out.

I often dump a couple of big scoops into my regular compost (mostly yard clippings and shredded paper) and the worms seem perfectly happy to work on that material, too.

I used to quite a bit on organic fertilizers-not any more!

Ladies, I can assure you that the bins don't smell. At all, actually. I have my limits and as much time as I spend in the laundry room, I wouldn't be able to handle a stinky bin in there!

Yes, I would like him to move them, but only because they take up space. Other than that, they don't bother me at all. Actually, by now, they are part of the scenery (who really needs to actually close the door in their laundry room, anyway??) and provide an extra table surface in a pinch!

As soon as our house is built & done & we're all settled in I'm gonna be a doer & this is going to be a done deal! Wonderful article Dave. Very concise & easy to understand. I love it.
I had tons of earthworms in my soil (sugar sand) at my old house but I worry there aren't many on the new property so this will be a must.

I am so happy to get a simple set of instructions for this. I had wanted to do it before, but it seemed so complicated. This is one that even I can do. Thank you Dave and also Trish for your re-assurance on the inside storage issues. I really appreciate you guys! You make gardening so easy for everyone.

Charlene

Apparently Ef are fine in Mass. Now the question is, bins in basement, bin in yard or both. Never thought I'd admit to buying mail order worms. I may just toss a few of my locals in and see how they compete. Thanks for the added incentive Dave!

Toss in a few locals -

In addition to cardboard, you can use shredded junk mail. I have tons of it that I used in the rabbit cages, it winds up partially composted under the cages after the rabbits use it. Worms love the combo of rabbit poop and paper! If it accumulates, you can shovel it up and apply directly to the garden.

This is going onto my To-Do list! I had read about it and thought that it was too bothersome, but this seems very do-able the way that you have described, Dave. TY!

You're very welcome!!

Thank you so much for this easy to understand article. This sounds so easy to set up and do. I am going to try it.

Please post your results!

Two years later, this is moving to my "o-m-gosh, it's actually going to happen" file. One of the local county extension offices is holding a class tomorrow night, and I'm bringing worms home from class with me. **insert "eek" emoticon here**

Guess I should get myself a couple rubbermaid tubs tonight, so the new wormies will have a home

Exciting!!!

The cardboard is soaking.... I can feel a blog post coming on

Thanks Dave, for posting such easy to follow plans for creating a worm bin. I have thought about doing this for quite some time, but keep rationalizing “I don’t need to because I have soooo many worms out in the garden and compost area already”, but I like the idea of worm tea, and a scoop of castings to my ailing plants. Now I just need to figure out the best place for them. I will follow up with an update when it all happens. It is great to have a website that keeps all of this wonderful info, even if it is a couple years old

You're very welcome! This bin that I described in this article has worked for many, many people and I've never heard of it failing. Good luck and if you need a source for worms, let me know.

Thanks Dave ~ I do need a source for worms since it sounds like I can’t just scoop some from outside in the garden. Someone earlier mentioned they found red wigglers in walmart... ? I thought I would look there. I do have another question:
How much castings do you use? I saw a short video from Australia where it looked like they took a very small handful and dropped it in a gallon or gallon and a half water can and watered several plants with it. That being the case, the castings would go quite far.