OK - if Token is counting that way for zone 7 I'll count as Pvick suggested for zone 6. (And while I'm close to the zone change, I am definitely zone 6.) Zone 5 has floodthelast sowing like a crazy lady so her bumper crop of containers should help them catch up. That is, if she hasn't already sown too many to count. :) This container counting thing should be fun. I've got so much sowing to do that except for the sprinkling seed part it risks feeling kind of like grunge work at times. I fill 28 pots, sow them, haul them outside and then repeat and it's in the middle of the soil mixing/filling part that it sometimes starts to feel endless. Planting out is going to be even crazier. I'm sure I'll end up overflowing the front yard and we'll need to plant out into the hillside and road frontage as well. But by June or so things will taper off and the framework of my dream garden will be in place. I should be able to drop back down to a recreational level of WSing in future years - unless you all end up posting photos this summer of plants that I just have to add to the garden! So container count - Token-style it is. Lynda

What you feed is dependent on your soil type, i.e. if you have clay, rocky, rich, etc... how fast your soil drains and what minerals make up your soil. i.e. is it high or low pH, calcium/magnesium based... generally you can tell your pH level by your water hardness, soft water means low pH, hard water means high pH. You can always add organic manure, mulch, peat moss etc... you're only going to have 1 shot at preparing that bed. I always toss in lime (calcium/magnesium grit) in mine because I'm in the North East, and a healthy dose of the cheapest 12-12-12 fertilizer when making a bed. Then each season I mulch and a couple times a season I add the slow release fertilizer in pelletized form because it's hard to burn with those granules. I'm pretty new to clems, but from readings, where they do best (i.e. england, northwest US etc...) they like a rich soil (high organic and nutrient) and plenty of water, as long as it drains. So fertilize away as long as you have good drainage, if you have clay, dig down with organics as far as you can, even just a bag of mulch mixed in to increase the organic matter can help (although not too much non-decomposed matter as it can rob nitrogen initially).

Ok, Patti, pour yourself a nice, tall glass of iced tea, take a deep breath and relax! Your questions are certainly not stupid, you have done nothing wrong with your bin, and it sounds as though you have some excellent resources for use in the system. All is well! First, you need to know that while straw may not be the first most favorite bedding of many vermicomposters, it is by no means a poor bedding choice. That you used straw mixed with paper means that, regardless of what any of us think of straw, it is most likely that the environment you've created in the bin will be wonderful from the worm perspective, and it is their opinion that matters most. It was not a mistake to use the straw, regardless of whether or not it was chopped. Some folks prefer materials other than straw simply because straw takes longer to break down than many of the other bedding options, thus, you may find bits of it in your "finished" material. This is the biggest challenge associated with the stuff, however, and if this is the worst thing you ever have to deal with you are cerainly in very good shape! ::grin:: On the upside, the fact that straw will tend to hang around longer than most other bedding options means that it will remain in the system after all other materials have been fragmented into very small pieces, aiding in keeping channels open for good oxygen penetration. The take home message in this is that straw, as with all bedding materials, comes with some drawbacks and some advantages, but it is generally considered a good bedding option and is used successfully in many home vermicomposting systems. You're in good shape! As to feeding your worms, begin small and work up based on worm activity. Consider burying about a cup of food scraps (be sure to include some moist, succulent veggie and fruit peals) in the bedding, making sure the scraps of completely buried, and check this pocket of scraps daily to see when the worms move in to begin feeding. Once they've become active in the first addition of food scraps, bury another cup or so of scraps in the bedding, adjacent to the first addition. Check this new addition of scraps daily to see when the worms move in. When they move in to the second addition of food scraps, add another adjacent to it, and keep checking. The previous addition of food does not need to be completely finished before adding more, there simply needs to be several worms active in and/or around it. Feeding in this way means you are feeding based on worm activity, and ensures you are adding sufficient material to keep them well fed and comfortable with breeding, but not so much that the bin envionment can become overly wet (due to the high moisture content of food scraps) and unpleasant. As to ants, it is only fire ants about which we need to be concerned in North America, and we do not have fire ants here in the PNW (I live in southwestern WA state). Few ant species anywhere in the world are predators of earthworms and none of our Northwest species are problematic in the bin at all. The presence of ants in the soaked leaves should NOT discourage you from using those leaves, which tend to have many advantages in a worm bin. Add the leaves! You'll be glad you did! It sounds as though you're doing just fine with your bin. Mix some of those lovely wetted leaves in as a part of the bedding, add some food, and don't be afraid to check on the progress of the worms, despite the cautions agains "disturbing the worms" that you might read on other web sites. These worm species are incredibly tolerant of disruption to their environment, and a system functions far more effectively when the humans involved are comforatable with observing and interacting with the bin environment. This is really is a simple system to manage, Patti, and it sounds as though you've started things off very well. You and your daughter are going to love it; trust me! Kelly S

In my limited experience, new leaves sprout and grow long before there are any significant roots. I'd put it in dappled shade outside but probably not repot until you can see roots growing from the bottom of the pot. I've lost many cuttings because of impatience. What soil are you growing in? I'm in your same area and have the best luck with cuttings grown in the ground over winter in a mostly shady spot but with just a little sun.