Worm Bin Composting Trick
If you’re like us, you have tried lots of different tricks to keep your worm bin healthy and happy. I am proud that we have not had a total loss, but in getting the bin established we sure had a few bumps along the way. One of the biggest challenges we faced was the Florida Heat. The worms are at risk when the container gets too high. Some websites say that is over 80 degrees and I have seen other where it said over 90. Either way, take it from me, hot worms stink.
It’s a challenge to keep an outdoor worm bin cool in Florida. First we tried ice bottles, but they had to be dug out every day and replaced. YUCK. One of the reasons the heat builds up is the bin is the actually composting itself. When the food breaks down it “heats up” and at times it can get down right hot.
We have a figured out a little system that seems to work pretty well. Each day as we collect the scraps, food leftovers (no cheese or meat) and coffee grinds we put them in a container in the freezer. We keep 2 or 3 “rotating” containers in the freezer at all times. Then at feeding time, I take a the frozen scraps and feed them in the bin. It seems to be a win-win situation. The frozen scraps actually break down more easily and they help keep the worm bin cooler.
I still feed them in a circular pattern around the bin, and the bin is doing well enough that we are adding scraps 4-5 days per week.
It works best when I remember to leave one rinsed container on the counter then everyone will contribute scraps, at the end each day I can put the full container in the freezer, and put a fresh container out.Then the oldest batch goes in the worm bin.
If you have tips for keeping your bins cooler, please feel free to comment below.
Glad to see that you haven’t given up and have adapted your methods.
Do you mind if I post your info on my website? You really have some important information for do-it-yourselfers.
I ran into the same issue when bin raising in my garage — just got way to hot. And with the decomposting food it just made it worse. Luckily my wife let’s me put them in the spare bedroom. The worms seem to love the A/C!
Nice job on your Blog, I really enjoy reading it!
You are more than welcome to share my info on your site. Please feel free if you think the ideas can help others. We’re just learning as we go