Not sure if your bin is plastic,wood or other but 1 hour of direct sun is more than enough to increase the temp in an enclosed bin to dangerous (to the worms anyway) levels and the hotter it gets the faster the moisture will evaporate.

Im new though so i could be wrong

I have heard of people getting away from Melbourne .... but Houston?????? :-)

Marshall

Halliburton even left/is leaving Houston....for the Middle East!!!

Houston summer temps in direct sunlight for even an hour would likely prove catastrophic. (I live 200 miles north of Houston...just as hot).

Chuckiebtoo

I live about 100 miles north of Houston. My last worm bin failed from the heat and it was in my garage. I have since started a new bin and keep it in the house. The worms are doing great and are increasing in number. The summers here are brutal. I have thought about burrying a bin outside under a shaded area, not willing to risk any of my worm supply yet. I read somewhere that the optimum temperature for the worms it in the 70s. Good luck!

Chuckie, where do you keep your worms? I thought you kept them outside. Seem to remember you were going to blow up one of your bins once, and that seemed like an outdoor activity to me. (smile)

Susan

"Chuckie, where do you keep your worms? I thought you kept them outside. Seem to remember you were going to blow up one of your bins once, and that seemed like an outdoor activity to me. (smile)"
Susan

I have inside and outside bins, and I decided, at the last minute, to not detonate that bin.

They'll survive in Houston if they aren't in direct sun, are moisturized properly, and taken care of.

My question: why not move them babies in the house?

chuckiebtoo

You might want to make sure there is a shaded airspace around the worm bin. The mini pits I've seen in central FL don't have a flat lid but something that looks a little more like the top of a covered wagon. This seems to allow for an airspace above the worms that isn't really enclosed and is still shaded.

I've also been told that some people will daily put ice bottles in to help keep the worm bins cool. I expect this is more to keep them cool enough to breed since the worms themselves will survive outside the optimum temperatures but breeding is less likely when outside this range.

I live in NW Houston. Recently I learned about vermi composting and got interested in trying it in my backyard. Is there any place in or around Houston wherefrom I can get start up supply of earth warms. I am reluctant to buy rather pricy supply of warms from commercial vendors. Please email me directly your response - rkbansal1@hotmail.com

Thanks.
R. K. Bansal

If you have a pile outdoors it Can work fine. I'm in Austin and do so outside without major issue so long as there is a large amount of mass and I hose down the pile to keep it moist several times a week in summer. Fall and winter aren't an issue at all.

Think 1' deep and however wide/long you can manage. During the heat of the day the worms will dive to the bottom to keep cool. I'd recommend placing the pile in the shade, preferably in a spot that gets late afternoon shade. Cinder blocks make a good border. I put mine on ground with no liner.

When you need, add food, shredded paper and leaves. Make it large enough and it's the easiest to deal with way of composting I've found.

Keep it shaded, keep it moist and give them enough mass to move around and hide in. You'll have more worms and compost than you know what to do with.

Goudananda

This thread is gold. Hmm... So it seems an outdoor bin would be risky even in the shade? I don't have space for a bin indoors nor would my Mom go for it.

Hi Shekhynah. Welcome. If you would like to get worms,do it. Just start with a few and have fun. Turn the "few loose in a 2 cu ft or larger bin. The best advice above is having BULK where worms can roam. The larger a bed,the less it swings in moisture and temperature,more accuratually the SLOWER swings will be. Just do your best to keep bin from overheating. Excessive amounts of food during hot weather will create needless heat as it rots. If you neglect the bin and worms die from heat,cold or drying out,don't discard bedding. Treat it as if it was full of worms EXCEPT don't add food until you see worms then only feed as required. Egg cocoons survive harsh conditions then hatch when conditions improve. Many folks up North have accidently alowed bins to freeze into a block of ice then repopulate once temperature becomes stable. Good luck

I'd add: bins that are open to the ground are often a lifesaver for the worms, as they'll retreat to the cooler ground when they need to.