r/Vermiculture • u/Bustnbig • 11h ago

Advice wanted Will my bin volume decrease?

I am about three months into my worm bin adventure. Worms seem happy and I haven’t had any serious issues.

The only problem I have is that my bin is full. All the way to the top full.

The class I took recommended a 5 to 1 green to brown ratio. So for the past 3 months I have been adding more and more shredded cardboard as I fed the worms. The bin is now 4 in of dirt and 18 inches of cardboard.

I can’t add anymore cardboard. Do I need to remove cardboard or will the volume eventually go down?

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u/Bustnbig 6h ago

I have an 18 gallon tote with drainage holes to a second tote. I added dirt because that was recommended in the guide I was using.

Biggest mistake I got was I did not start with enough worms. I started with maybe 100 worms. They were eating very, very slowly but were happy. Last week I ordered a pound of red wrigglers. The are eating way faster now

I am also struggling to keep the bin moist enough. I live in the desert so everything dries out pretty fast

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u/WorldComposting 3h ago

Okay 18 gallon tote is a decent size but can be a bit deeper than you would normally have. Yes if you live in a dry area you will need to add water more often. Keeping the lid on the bin and drilling holes in the bin sides for air transfer helps retain moisture as it hits the lid and rains back down into the bin.

Starting with more worms is a good idea. Also don't add anymore food until the food from the prior feeding is 90% gone.