Some of you may find the idea of keeping worms indoors ridiculous and gross, but you’ll be surprised to know that with a simple device called a worm bin, you can do so easily, without causing a mess! And guess what? Worm bins don’t smell or leak either! Let’s learn more about these devices in this blog.
Why keep worms indoors?
First of all, let’s talk about why you’d want to keep worms indoors. They don’t exactly make great pets, so what’s the point? They can hardly even sit when commanded to. Blah!
Jokes aside, the main reason people like to keep their worms indoors is so they have vermicompost readily available, and so they don’t have to go out of their way to feed the worms. You need to regularly give them kitchen scraps and other food items, and it isn’t very convenient if they’re outside.
However, one other compelling reason is that if the weather where you live dips below freezing in the winter, the worms in your garden and in your worm bin outdoors will perish. So, to protect them, you need to keep them indoors where it’s nice and warm.
What is a worm bin?
A worm bin is a bin with holes for ventilation and drainage, and a part that opens on the top, through which you give the worms food and bedding. It’s very low-maintenance, and once you’ve set up the device, all you need to do is regularly toss in some food (worms will eat just about anything), and harvest the vermicompost at regular intervals.
You can make your own worm bin, or you can purchase one online, such as the Worm Bucket. The Worm Bucket comes with a sturdy handle, a drain spigot, escape-proof ventilation, and a completely mold-free design.
Other ways to keep worms indoors
Apart from purchasing a worm bin, there are other ways in which you can keep your worms indoors. You could build a worm bin, or you could bring in some plants in containers. The worms in these pots will survive the winter.
If you want to overwinter some plants indoors and have worms that you want to save, you can kill two, err, worms with one stone by putting some worms and vermicompost in each container that you put your plants into. Keep the soil topped up with mulch and other worm-friendly materials, and they’ll be happy and healthy throughout the winter. Come summer, you can move them back out
Another way to bring your wriggly friends in with you is by building a worm bin. We don’t recommend this because it’s time consuming and messy, doesn’t look as good, requires trips to the hardware store, provides poor drainage, and it may allow worms to escape. However, if you’re good with power tools and don’t want to buy a bin, you can certainly try this out!
So, in summation, yes, you can indeed keep worms indoors. The best way to do so would be in a worm bin purchased online, but you can also make your own worm bin, or house your worms in containers.