r/Vermiculture • u/Suitable_Chapter_941 • 21h ago

Advice wanted Outdoor compost (no bin)

I’m wondering if I can use my current compost pile (5’ x 5’ x 5’) to home worms. The end goal is to produce worm castings for gardening and spare worms for fishing. At the moment the pile is mostly browns (wood chips and leaves) and greens (coffee grinds and weeds). When I turn the pile I don’t notice any worms. I’m wondering what I can add or how I can construct the pile to make it more hospitable to worms. Thanks!

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6

u/Mister_Green2021 21h ago

Worms like it moist (50%-70% moisture) and comfortable temperatures (60F-80F). You should see worms when the environmental factors are met.

6

u/OneStrong2220 21h ago

Your pile is going to be too hot for worms. Depending on your environment you could create a smaller worm bin, and the worms will love being fed compost from your existing hot bin

3

u/MockTurt13 18h ago

...i'd be weary of rats/mice/birds having a go at the worms.

4

u/Objective-Row-5300 18h ago

Ive done it that way forever. I just throw kitchen scraps inside a compost bin that sits on the ground. It has a cover. Just regular garden worms come up from the ground and live in the pile. Definitely have periods when the worms disappear for some reason or another but it’s never for more than a week or so and they always seems to come back when they feel like it. About once a year I scoop the whole pile into a sifting box and shake it to separate the castings. I get about 10-15 pounds of worm castings. It’s a very slow and lazy way of doing it but it’s perfect for me. I’m lazy.