Outdoor worm bin bedding compostion

by Terry
(Conway, AR)

I have just built a 24'X 2 1/2' outdoor worm bin. I will place a 1/4 " hardware cloth in the bottom to keep the moles out. I am going to divide the 24' length into four six foot bins. I am going to place worms in both end sections and as the composting is complete in the first section I will move the worms over into the next section, remove the castings for my greenhouse and refill the bins and wait until the next cycle is complete. My question is, Should the sequence be, a layer of compost, a light layer of shredded newsprint and the a layer of topsoil or just the reverse. I am more interested in castings for our greenhouse than the worm production, I want to maximize casting production so I am open to all suggestions. Thank You!!!

Answer from BigTex Worms
Hi there,
Looks like a good setup.
I would suggest not using any topsoil. I think it makes the castings to heavy.
If you have a good source of aged compost, I would leave out the newspaper too. But if you want to use newspaper I would put it on the bottom then compost atop.
What are you going to use as a top? It will need something to keep the "bin" damp and dark. It looks like from your photos there is quite a bit of sun on them, so a top will be necessary.