I'm asking a few questions in getting my vermicomposter started. I'm using a 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank.
I'd like to know how deep the bedding should be when I start it and how many worms I need to get it started. I have access to shredded paper from work and I've been saving up scraps of paper and card board at home. I'll buy a couple of bags of garden soil from Home Depot and mix that together for the basic bedding, adding a little sand for digestion.
My plan is to start it shallow and gradually add material till it's full over the year. That way, they can keep rising and digesting and I'll end up with a lot of worm castings for my garden in the spring. I just don't know how deep I should start it and how many worms I need.
I found a site called Uncle Jim's worms, they have the red wiggler composting worms and will sell you boxes of 500, 1000, and 2000 worms. I want to start with the 500 and I really think that's too many since I'll start shallow. They sell the red wrigglers and the European night crawlers. I'm really not sure how these differ from the ones sold for fish bait and wonder if I could just buy some of those to start small and save on shipping. Anyway, if you guys could help me out on how deep to start it and how many worms it would take to get it started, that'd be great? Thanks.