When you have a fairly large worm composting bin, it can sometimes be a little difficult to recall where you may have last placed the food for your worms, especially if it is a bin where you bury the food rather than just placing it directly on top of the bedding.
Today I am sharing with you a fun little project that involved our kids who enjoy painting and will help with keeping track of the locations you have last fed your worms.
This is new to me and I wanted to give it a try since my memory doesn’t seem to keep track of where I last fed the worms.
I have heard of other worm farmers keeping a log where they jot down when, where, and how much food they feed their worms. That kind of detail is a bit much for me since I don’t feel it is really necessary for me, but I would like to keep track of where I last fed them so that I don’t disturb that area while they are enjoying their meal.
Let’s get to it…
Supplies Needed for this Project
The supplies needed for this project is pretty minimal and easily obtainable. We are going to paint some rocks with numbers.
Marking the top of the worm bin may be optional, I felt it would make it easier for me to visualize the quadrants (the for corners of the bin. Should be simple, right?!
Painted Rocks
- 4 medium sized river rock
- Outdoor craft paint
- Paint brushes
Mark Worm Bins
- Grey or Black Sharpie Pen
That’s all there is. You may already have all this on hand.
Make the Project
I recommend getting the kids involved with this project to make it more enjoyable for you and them. Each time you feed your worms, the rocks may remind you of the fun times you had painting them with the kids.
Each of the rocks are painted with the numbers 1 through 4 and then decorated with what ever everyone chooses to paint. The designs are up to them, the only criteria was the number. We did two pairs of these rocks because I have two worm bins.
Here are the designs we made:
If you choose to mark your worm bin, you can use a wood burning tool if your bin has wood trim or you can use a Sharpie Pen to mark the numbered grid pattern. I chose to use a grey Sharpie to draw a small line at the mid points on each of the four sides.
How to Use This System
To use this system will be easy.
The first feeding will be marked with the rock painted with the number “1” and will be located in one of the corners.
Feeding #2 will use the rock painted with the number “2” and placed in another corner.
With this system, the oldest feeding will be under rock “1”. By the time you feed and use rock “4”, the food under rock “1” should hopefully be consumed by now. When rock “4” is placed, rock one can be removed and will be ready for the next feeding.
Repeat this cycle over and over.
No more guessing where you last fed since the empty spot is where you will feed next!
Conclusion
Using this method of keeping track of where you last fed the worms will take the guess work out and will allow you to disperse the food throughout the worm bin.
Because I could never remember where I last fed them, there are probably large pockets of bedding that have been untouched by the worms in a long time. Sometimes it is nice to stir up the bedding and worm castings so that things don’t become too compacted and possibly anaerobic, which is not what you want in a worm bin.
Rick Simper has various hobbies, including woodworking, metalworking, composting, and gardening. He is an Architect full time and uses these hobbies to get away from the busy week of Architecture.