Urban Worm Bag Worm Composting Bin Version 2 - Easy Harvest with Fully Removable Zipper-Free Bottom

Update 2021:I still love this thing. My worm population has grown substantially. The seam of my second bag split when I went to zip it up and while contemplating what to do next, the Facebook fan group said it was still under warranty. Amazing! I contacted Steve and he’s sending me the third version of the bag. In the meanwhile, I emptied my second bin (with much less worms as it takes that bin three or four times longer to process the same amount of food) into my first bin and now my first bin is full to the top. I’m thinking of leaving them there for maybe six months before splitting the bins again. When I emptied the bin, I put the contents into my first bin from the top, until I got to the layer that was more castings than bedding. I harvested two gallons of castings in this way. I normally harvest half a gallon from my first bin every three to six months (I started with only enough worms for a four gallon system).Worms are so expensive here in Hawai’i, there is no other item in my house that pays for itself like the Urban Worm Bag. While you can get away with not spending money on a worm bin, the time you save sifting castings is substantial and absolutely worth the time spent and strain on your body you mitigate. The volume of it considering is amazing, especially when you factor in the amount of space it uses.Let’s talk about Steve for a moment. Between his presence in the fan group, his blogs and YouTube channel, his quick response and excellent customer service, I can’t think of another owner that is so approachable, responsive and stands by his product. Considering that worm bins mitigate trash that could have ended up in a landfill and recycles valuable resources, I admire the guy quite a bit.On to practical advice. My little worm bins and my larger tote were all in plastic containers. The UWB is breathable cloth, so a new system (or a slow system, like my second bin that started with just 50 worms or so) is going to take some effort to maintain proper moisture. New bedding dried out faster than castings. I found my second bin would have dried spots of bedding in the corners, so I had to dig around and mix those spots frequently. My first bin got over the moisture issues much faster. This is the main reason I’m going to let my combined worms sit for several months before splitting.Feed in pockets and make sure to check the previous feeding sites (I feed using the clock to remember. 12, 3, 6 and 9). Feed when the previous site has a worm ball and the site before that is gone. Being cautious when feeding is important in a new bin, once the bin has been established (6-12 months), you can get more experimental. The bin should never smell anything but earthy. Any scents otherwise means you should cut back feeding. My worms were slaying their feedings, so I put a whole mini watermelon in there. Smelled awful in about a week. Only time that’s happened to me. I broke it apart and put some into my second bin and by the time I checked the following week, no smell.The first few harvests will contain worms. After that, it won’t. Just setting expectations. Why is this? You put bedding into the bin at first and it’s all at the same level of being processed. Worms wander around and leave cocoons. Those worms hatch and if the spot they’re at is moist enough, they’ll hang out. As the bedding is processed, you add another layer of fresh bedding with your food. Worms move up to follow the food. The higher layers are also larger and as they go down, they get compressed into a smaller area. So the layer you feed a few inches from the top will take a VERY long time to work it’s way to the bottom, unlike the first few harvests that started at the bottom. There just isn’t as much time for the worms to travel at first, but once the process starts, you’ll have worm free harvests. Especially if you open the bottom before you harvest and make sure it is running a little drier than the rest of the bin.I will absolutely buy a third one, at full price, once my other two are full. By that point, I’d be processing a LOT of produce and I’d probably be able to stop at three for my fruit loving household of four.Original 2019 review:I got my first worms two years ago. They are expensive here in Hawaii and illegal to import from out-of-state, so I got a handful from friends. I had visions of composting everything eventually, but my homemade tote was too big for the amount I had and other critters moved in. I scrapped that project and went down to a 1-gallon bucket. Easier to manage and I expanded to 3 buckets but harvesting was always a pain.I knew about CFTs and thought to make one myself. $30 for a sturdy enough garbage can, hopefully repurpose some pipes, but there's the time it takes, figuring out where to put it, when will I have time with two little kids.... Wheelie bins would have been ideal but ..... Anyway, as you can see, I've over thought the process for quite a while. And kicked myself for not jumping on the UWB2 when it was on sale for $89 on Prime day. Which is funny because there was an insane moment when I thought of getting the hungry bin two years ago. I think that's why I had it in my head to make my own. If I had known about the UWB, I would have thousands of worms already.So anyway, I ask Steve if he'll have another sale in a few weeks so I could be ready and he sent me a coupon. What a great guy. I bought it and it was so much bigger than I expected! So pleased! It was ridiculously easy to put together. In fact, turning it and pressing the joints in more over and over until they couldn't be pushed in anymore took longer than putting the pieces together. Also, I shred all the packaging to put in the worm bin, so no plastic waste.It's been going well. I live in a temperate area and I'm composting with blue worms. They're in the shade on my lanai. I followed the instructions for letting the moisture equalize for a couple of days before adding the worms, I Spritz the top every couple of days because the top bedding dries out in my location (did the same with the buckets, I don't get it since it's so humid here). I have no idea how hard or heavy it will be once there's castings to harvest, so I'll have to come back and edit once I've done that. But I'm looking forward to picking out as many worms as I do to harvest my little buckets.Oh, and this Prime Day (2019), it went down to $89 again PLUS an instant coupon. So, now I have two.

Easy to assemble (one person), well made, and simple design for anyone looking to start worm composting. I do wish it came in different prints or colors, though. I'll update my review if anything breaks/changes.

***beginners read this carefully***I've had my bag going since April (about 6 months) I wanted to compost horse manure and food scraps. This is my very first attempt at composting... So this is what I did:I bought the urban worm bag, along with another comparably priced non worm related tumbling composting bin. I followed both of their instructions carefully. And I can honestly say that the worm bag is SOO much easier for beginners then the other bin. My worm bag is ready to be harvested! The resulting compost is beautiful (and it's true... It smells like dirt... And is darker and richer looking then any dirt, natural or store bought, I've ever seen in Colorado. Also, a fun bonus, I have a few backyard chickens, my worms multiply really fast, so I have a self sustaining "treat" source for the ladies!As for the other non-worm composter...ugh, it is dry where I live... So almost daily I would have to drag the hose over and add water... Only to watch it and the nutrients come out of all the holes in the bin.. Why are there so many holes!!! I still have no compost(it would go in the trash if I didn't feel so guilty.. So I'm having to make major modifications and try one more time)Here's what I like about the urban worm bag:It's very well made. The canvas is thick, the zippers are high quality and (I think I have the second version) because my stand is very sturdy and well designed. I contemplated buying the bag without the stand and making my own... I'm so glad I bought the one with the stand... It's so much easier then making your own! The bag is very big. I remember being surprised by the size and quality of the bag for the price.But what I'm most impressed with is the customer service! I contacted them and quickly got answers to all my questions! It really feels like this little company is trying to encourage more people to compost, over making excessive profits. We need more companies like this!!!If you already know how to compost using worms.... Buy this bag guys., You won't be sorry. If you don't know how to worm compost, here are some tips from someone with six months experience:I didn't use any "starter" or store bought worm castings. I just had to be a little more patient at first.I bought 1000 red Wiggler's from another Amazon company.I used shredded paper from my office shredder as my initial bedding. I soaked it in water for a few hours. I put the paper, with maybe a half gallon of dirt from my yard, in the bottom of my urban worm bag. I read (I think on the worm company brochure), that your worms might run away if you over feed them right after you put them in your bag... So I just put them in The worm bag on top of my shredded paper/dirt then I put a slice of bread and some peas in with them. I left it like that for about a week until I noticed the worms seemed very happy and crawling all around the food. Then I added more food scraps and some horse manure. And waited .. Like for months...I kept an eye on moisture levels (again it's dry where I live... And horse manure is a lot dryer then you would think) so I never had to add more paper... But I'm guessing this is not normal. I only kept my bag about half full.. But I'm thinking a few months ago I should have filled it completely up. My only problem has been that my first harvest attempt had a lot of worms in it still. It was beautiful compost though! So I kinda picked out the worms and threw them back in the bag. I contacted the urban worm bag company and they helped me figure out my issues (worms are attracted to moisture and the bottom of my bag was much more moist then the top) so I unzipped the bottom zipper.. Which wasn't easy because I had it too wet from actually adding water directly to my bag😬. For a couple of weeks I have left the bottom partially open to dry out... And I have filled my bag up closer to the top, with less horse poop (which really dries things out on top) and more table scraps. This way the worms have moved more to the middle of the bag, so I can harvest from the bottom. Anyway, very long story short! It's taken some experimenting... But I think I've got it! I'm going to wait a couple more months, and probably start another bag! So yes, I would recommend this product, this company, and purchase again!

Super well made vermi-composting option. The zipper and material is exceptional.I however would not recommend this if you live in a desert like I do. The humidity where I live averages 20% year round and the upkeep to keep the urban compost bag at the right humidity isn't worth it. I'd assume it is amazing for people residing in humid places and need the moisture diffusion.