I was looking at commercial worm bins but decided to DIY using the basic design of the OSCR (Oregon Soil Corporation Reactor).
I started with Sterilite stacking storage containers from Walmart. They come in many different sizes so I was able to get a deep container for the bottom that would hold liquid but still have plenty of surface to drill for ventilation. I think they are better than the Rubbermaid Roughneck for this purpose because when stacking same size containers there is approximately 2.5" of space between the containers... a lot more that the Rubbermaid that nestle tightly into each other when stacking. A shallow depth and wide surface area is generally considered a better space for vermiculture, and the Sterilite offers a relatively shallow container that stacks on it's large container.
A single deep base and 4 shallow 'reactor' bins set me back about $50.
the 'Reactor bins are drilled in the bottom and a couple inches up the sides so there is airflow but no light penetration.
The other element of the OSCR design is a double lid, the "under" lid having a screen to allow airflow from to move through the top, and a second solid lid stacked above with an airspace to block light from reaching the bin.
The OSCR design uses 1x2 furring strips to mount the screen. I found that laying a fiberglass screen down over the opening cut in the ventilation lid and then running a bead of glue from a hot glue gun and spreading it with a plastic putty knife resulted in a very tight and void free bond. I did use a couple short 1x2 to provide and airspace between the ventilation lid and the second light shielding lid above.
I started with Sterilite stacking storage containers from Walmart. They come in many different sizes so I was able to get a deep container for the bottom that would hold liquid but still have plenty of surface to drill for ventilation. I think they are better than the Rubbermaid Roughneck for this purpose because when stacking same size containers there is approximately 2.5" of space between the containers... a lot more that the Rubbermaid that nestle tightly into each other when stacking. A shallow depth and wide surface area is generally considered a better space for vermiculture, and the Sterilite offers a relatively shallow container that stacks on it's large container.
A single deep base and 4 shallow 'reactor' bins set me back about $50.
the 'Reactor bins are drilled in the bottom and a couple inches up the sides so there is airflow but no light penetration.
The other element of the OSCR design is a double lid, the "under" lid having a screen to allow airflow from to move through the top, and a second solid lid stacked above with an airspace to block light from reaching the bin.
The OSCR design uses 1x2 furring strips to mount the screen. I found that laying a fiberglass screen down over the opening cut in the ventilation lid and then running a bead of glue from a hot glue gun and spreading it with a plastic putty knife resulted in a very tight and void free bond. I did use a couple short 1x2 to provide and airspace between the ventilation lid and the second light shielding lid above.
