Trofast indoor composting worm bin and Ikea blue bags as dirt movers

Materials: 3 Trofast, 1 Trofast lid, 1 placemat, silicone brush, silicone tongs, a strainer, big diameter drill bit

Description: I needed a worm bin to make compost indoors.

It has to be 3 layers: Top is for food, Middle is a catch tank for the droppings and the bottom layer is for all the water from the process. I suppose you can use 2 bins, but I found that I needed a mid layer. The worms like to go down and fall into the lower sections just for fun. There are 4-5 holes, 1/4 inch diameter drilled in top and middle Trofast.

The top bin is where the food, worms and shredded paper go. I do not fill it to the top, the more space there is for air, the better. The 1 hole + about 4 inches of air space is enough for the worms. Lots of DIY sites say you have to drill many holes in your bin for vents, I don't.

I drill holes for drainage, on the bottom. I use the placemat to put the bins down on when they are unstacked. They have worm poop on them. The worm travel down to the mid layer.

The mid layer is worm party central. There is no food here, just worms and castings. I have to empty this out and I do it with a silicone brush- easy to clean and soft like the worms. They get brushed out of there and put back on the top layer.

The bottom catches errant worms and water. This is where the strainer comes in. I pour the wormy water through a strainer into a pitcher. Then I toss the worms back in the bin and water my plants with the water. The tongs are used for turning the compost and mixing in shredded paper.

Plant savers and dirt movers, the Ikea blue bag

Materials: Ikea blue shopping bags

Description: We were having our fence rebuilt and the digging of dirt yielded a huge pile of dirt. To be able to move this dirt I used the Ikea blue bags. It needed to go from backyard to front yard.

During the process, we bought new plants and in order to keep them from drying out, I planted them in the dirt bags until they can go in the ground and they are doing well.

I move plants around a lot and these bags are large enough to fit a small tree and its roots, and keep them from completely drying up and dying.

They are good for yard waste as a heavy duty bag, I can collect things and out them in the waste bin.

Also take a look at my hack for other gardening ideas.

~ Ninjarita, Minneapolis