It was several decades ago at a parent teacher visit with my youngest son’s science teacher when we had a discussion about worms.  She had set up a plastic bin of newspaper, table scraps and red wriggler worms (Eisenia fetida).  I thought this was a great idea for a class learning experience. I took some notes and ordered a box of worms from the Carter Worm Farm in Plains, Georgia (Not owned  by President Jimmy Carter).  I set up two plastic barrels and got into the business of worm ranching. The barrels were too cumbersome and I never found a good method to separate the worms from the compost. I also had a few mishaps when it got too wet and drowned  some of my livestock.

Later I went with a commercial product called the “Worm Factory”. This has a system of stacked bins which allowed the worms to migrate to the top, The idea was that the lower bins would eventually empty of worms as food source was reduced to worm manure (black gold). The lower bin was emptied first and was moved to the top for fresh coffee grounds and kitchen scraps.

 

 

The Worm Factory

The Urban Worm Bag

In March of 2019 I decided to try something different. I ordered a large canvas bag with a zippered top and zipper bottom with a nylon sleeves with a a draw string. The product had a catchy name of “The Urban Worm Bag”. The worms loved it. I kept adding coffee grounds, avocado skins and vegetable trimmings to the top. The bag grew heavier and heavier. I worried that my wooden frame was going to collapse. It was listing a bit to the side.

In 2021 the bag was pretty full. I decided to harvest the bounty from the bottom chute. The zipper was clogged with wet debris and broke off in my hand. I had to cut it away. The nylon sleeve held so I was able to empty the bag. I used some of the compost on my garden but went back to the original nesting bins of the worm factory.

Read The Manual (aka RTFM)

I was thinking of writing a negative review of the Urban Worm Bag but reconsidered when I noticed that they had a training video. I learned that I had kept my worms too wet, They needed a little more carbon in their diet. More fiber, maybe some amazon boxes. The manufacturer had also eliminated the lower zipper, acknowledging an obvious design flaw. 

I decided to give it another try. I’ve braced up my support system and will closely monitor the ratio of dry and wet components.