Controling humidity of Vermicomposter in winter to prevent mold

Question

I've recently inherited the responsibilities of taking care of a vermicomposting box. We used two of these plastic bins to make the composting box: http://torontobestmoving.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/basic-plastic-bin2.png The handles on the sides make it easy to move around. But we would like to not move it a lot, because its very heavy already. The box has been sitting outdoors till the end of last month when we moved it indoors. I'm concerned about mold or some kind of fungal buildup because of the humidity. How can I either control or lock the humidity in the box

Answer 1

You don't have to worry too much about molds or fungi in a worm bin. Molds are useful and help decomposing the bin contents. However, you do have to regulate the moisture level of your worm bin! If a worm bin is too wet it will start to smell and the worms won't like a lot of water. If a bin becomes excessively wet your worms may even die and/or drown.

Most worm bins have a draining system for draining superfluous liquid. It is not very hard to add such a system to your bin.

Option1: Add a raised floor to the inside of your bin, for example made from the bottom of a similar-sized container. You'll have to make some small holls in the second floor so the water can seep through. If you then add a small tap at the outside bottom, you can drain the water every now and then.

Option2: Alternatively you can make some small holls directly in the floor of your bin. It's best to place the bin in a raised position in another open container so you can catch any fluid when it drips out.

With the first option you still have a closed system, so there is no worry of smell. A drawback is that it may not be easy to add a tap that doesn't leak around the edges. The second option is easier to achieve, but any water dripping out is right in the open, so there may be a smell.

Apart from adding a drainage system, there is another alternative.

Option3: Carefully regulate the moisture content of your bin. This may not be easy, but it is doable. You'll probably have to dry wet materials like fruit peelings a bit before you can add them to your bin. If the bin still is becoming too wet, add dry cardboard or paper to get back to the correct moisture level. If you've dried your materials too much and the bin is not wet enough, simply spray with a bit of water.