The Urban Worm Bag makes creating organic fertilizer inside your home or apartment easy! Worm castings are rich in microbes that will help cycle nutrients, aid in water retention, promote faster germination, suppress pests and pathogens, while also feeding your soil. Read more The Urban Worm Bag is considered a continuous flow worm bin, as it allows for worm-free harvests by taking castings from the bottom. Simply remove the patented, zipper-free bottom, and place underneath the Urban Worm Bag to begin harvesting. There is never an emptying of the Urban Worm Bag. The top layer of the Urban Worm Bag is where freshly-added food waste and bedding will go, and your worms tend to stay near these top layers. A properly-run Urban Worm Bag should not be producing excess liquid, called "leachate." However, if you want to collect this liquid, "worm tea", from the bottom, just operate the Urban Worm Bag with the bottom fully removed and place a tray underneath. Features & Benefits: Create compost year-round, indoors or outdoors Harvest castings easily using the removable, zipper-free bottom Hold up to 5.3 cubic feet (~122L) of vermicompost Tool-free assembly Includes support frame If kept indoors, you can rest easy with a lifetime warranty on material and craftsmanship Using Your Urban Worm Bag Start with two bricks of Coco Coir or a combination of other carbon-rich bedding like shredded cardboard, paper, peat moss, or a combo! Moisten the bedding material with water until it is as wet as a wrung-out sponge. Start with at least 1lb of composting worms, though the more you start with the faster the bin will reach a full population. In the first few weeks, be very conservative with your feedings, adding only a cup or two each week until you see the waste is being broken down easily. Stop adding food waste and add bedding if you encounter foul odors, gnats, or fruit flies. Adding food scraps is easy, just open the lid and toss the food in! Feed your worms about 50% food scraps and 50% fiber (e.g. paper or dry leaves). The amount you feed will depend on how many worms you started with. In general, worms can eat up to half their weight per day! Use castings as a top dress, a side dress, or mix into growing media at a 10% substitution rate, by volume. The microbes will help cycle nutrients, aid in water retention, promote faster germination, suppress pests and pathogens, and will simply feed your soil. What to Feed your Worms: Most fruit and vegetable scraps, pulps from juicerCooked foodTea leaves/bags and coffee groundsCrushed/ground eggshellsHair, vacuum cleaner dust, soiled paper, tissue, paper towels, shredded egg cartonsShredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust (untreated), wood ashLawn clippings in small quantities, weeds, clippings, prunings, dirt and leaves What to Avoid or Limit: Limit citrus and acidic fruit skinLimit bread, pasta and other wheat based productsAvoid hard fruit pitsAvoid spicy foods, onions, garlic and leeksAvoid animal products such as meat, dairy, or fatsAvoid shiny paperDo not feed rotten food to your worms Taking Care of Your Worms Worms are low maintenance and will be happy as long as they are fed, have enough moisture, and are kept between 40° and 80° F. Worms should be protected from extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, and direct rain. The Urban Worm Bag can be left outside depending on your temperature, or it can be brought indoors. You don't need to feed your worms every day – just add scraps as you have them. Worms can survive up to 2 weeks without any new food. Worms reproduce inside the bin according to their space limitations. They will regulate their own population, so you never need to worry about overcrowding your bin. It is very important that the Urban Worm Bag is not overfed. Worms prefer to eat their food as it begins to decompose, but not if it has become slimy and smelly. You should not add more than 1" of new scraps at once time, and uneaten food should not exceed 2" deep.
