The Worm HangOut
Continous flow system



Designer bags!
This unique hanging worm hale is innovative, contemporary, attractive, and remarkably easy to manage and harvest. Suspended at a comfortable height, the bending and heavy lifting associated with most small worm bins is eliminated. Vermicast is removed within minutes, fully finished and crumbly.

Constructed of durable, breathable, waterproof high-tech Cordura 1000 fabric, the V-shape design provides ample aeration, allows the bed to cool and vermicast to dry. Drainage is simple and clean – with a bucket or decorative container underneath to catch the leachate, the Worm HangOut is ideal for the urban vermicomposter in a kitchen, school or office setting. Even more convenient outdoors or shipboard, it can be suspended from a tree or from the rafters. Indoors or out, choose a convenient shady site to place your HangOut.

Here's how it works
The HangOut is a continous flow system. This means that food waste, paper and cardboard bedding is added continously at the top and vermicast is removed periodically from the bottom. You start the system only once.

Set up the system by filling the bag with bedding, which is any kind of cellulose material that may include shredded office paper or newspaper, bits or cardboard, fiber egg cartons, leafy mulch, or coir (ground coconut husk). Add worms and the material they came packed in – this serves as inoculate to introduce microbes and other important decomposer organisms. Add a layer of food waste, and top with a thick layer of fluffy shredded paper.

Continue to feed 6-8 pounds of food waste at least weekly, adding fresh shredded paper to the top with each feeding. Water frequently, enough to keep the top several inches of bedding moist. As the worms feed on the food and paper waste, they begin to transform the contents of the bag into vermicast - worm poop.

After six months, the HangOut s ready to harvest. Simply open the bottom of the bag, reach your hand in and pull out 10-15 pounds of vermicast. Close the bottom and gently punch the remaining contents down to fill the puka. Add a thick layer of new bedding and continue to feed, cover with shredded paper and water. Harvest every 4-6 months after the initial harvest.

Worm HangOut specs & pricing

• Minimum wormstock to start is 1/2 pound
• Maximum density approximately 2 pounds
• Worm HangOut surface area - 15" x 15"
• No-Stoop PVC stand - 39" high, footprint 21" x 21"
• Worms on Wheels stand - 27" tall, footprint 16" x 16"
• Colors: Green, Burgundy, Camo Forest Print, Chocolate, Plum

• Worm HangOut – $85
• No-Stoop PVC Stand (pictured above) – $45
• PVC Stand Kit (8 corner pieces) - $18
• Worms On Wheels stand, unfinished (left) – $140

The Worm HangOut package
Includes the Worm HangOut, No-Stoop PVC stand, 1/2 pound of worms, coir bedding block, and shadecloth bed cover – $215

Mahalo for buying local! When you purchase products from Waikiki Worm Company you are supporting Hawaii's vermicomposting industry and strengthening our state's economy.

FAQ – The Worm HangOut

I got a brick of coconut coir with my HangOut package. Is coir required to start the system?
No, but coir is such an ideal bedding material for the bottom of deep systems such as the HangOut, we highly recommend it as a set-up bedding. It stays very porous and breaks down slowly, providing a platform for the other cellulose material. Often a quantity of coir is still left unprocessed and comes out the bottom when you harvest for the first time. Simply remove it and place it back into the bed through the top to continue breaking down.

Sometimes I find worms in the drain bucket. What's going on?
Although worms tend to stick around the top eight inches of the bed where all the action is, crawling and exploring is typical worm behavior. Especially when the system is new, worms will check out the bottom of the bag and may drop or be washed inadvertently into the drain bucket. They can survive submersion for a while, but it's a good idea to check your drain bucket daily. They will always sink to the bottom, so it's easy to pour off the leachate and rescue them.

My worms are not consuming food very fast. How can I get them to eat more?
Speed up feeding rate by chopping food waste – some people use their Cuisinart – to create more surface area. You can also collect your food waste in the freezer, where ice crystals break the cell walls. Be sure to thaw before feeding!

I'm going on a two week vacation. Do I need a worm sitter?
No. Slow down feeding rate by feeding food whole or in big chunks. Feed them plenty, put lots of shredded paper on top, drench with water and bid your worms a fond "aloha!" They will be fine until you return.

What are all these bugs doing in my HangOut?
There are over 500 different critters in the worm bin community, all working in harmony with the worms. Most of these organisms are microscopic – bacteria, fungi, nematodes and others – but many are visible, including compost mites, earwigs, springtails, millipedes, beetles, snails, molds and mushrooms. They will not leave the bin and pose no danger to you, your pets, plants, or home furnishings.

How often should I add water to the bin?
It's fine to water daily - just enough to drench the top six inches or so. Worms do like a wet bed, so water generously at least a couple of times a week.

Do I need to purchase more coir?
No, it's fine to use waste cellulose material from around the house such such as paper, cardboard, or fiber egg cartons or cup holders, although a lot of people would prefer to just soak up a new store-bought coir brick ($7). The worms don't care! After every harvest, add a quantity of new bedding to take the place of the material you removed.

Can I put dog and cat feces in my Worm HangOut?
Not recommended.

How do I use vermicast? What is compost or vermicast tea?
Mulch in vermicast as a soil amendment – do not use as a top dressing. For leafy greens and foliage plants, mix 5%-20% vermicast with potting or topsoil. For fruits and flowers, a richer mixture of 20% -30% is optimum. You can make an aqueous extract, or tea, by seeping a cup of vermicast in a mesh bag in a 5-gallon bucket of water for a few days, stirring vigorously. Use it as a foliar spray or soil drench. Vermicast tea is ideal for delivering nutrients as well as building resistance to plant pests and diseases. See the "Vermicast and Compost Tea" webpage for more information.