Here's some advice on harvesting from a former member who is quite knowledgeable on anything worms: Kelly posted: * Posted by: Kelly_Slocum on Tue, Feb 17, 04 at 13:01 The window screen harvesting method is a bit of a challenge to try and explain in text only, and I apologize for not having some pictures to help with this. It is time to separate the worms from the vermicomost/castings in bin-type systems that are fed and managed using the pocket feeding method (the bin is bedded to the top with damp, shredded bedding material and fed by digging holes or 'pockets' in the bedding into which feedstock is deposited) when the original bedding is no longer recognizable and the total volume of material in the bin has decreased by roughly half. At this time the window screen is set in the bin right on top of the ready-to-havest material. The bin is then filled the rest of the way with new, dampened bedding that is set right on top of the window screen. At this point the screen is sandwiched between the ready-to-harvest material in the bottom half of the bin and the new bedding in the top half. The ready-to-harvest material remains in the bottom half of the bin, beneath the screen, until the new material on top of the screen is ready to harvest. When the material on top of the screen is ready to harvest it is removed from the bin by lifting out the screen on which it is sitting. By this time virutally all of your worms will have typically moved through the screen into the material in the top half of the bin, leaving the vermicompost beneath nearly free of worms. The vermicompost from the bottom of the bin is then dumped out, the new batch of ready-to-harvest material containing all of your worms from on top of the screen is dumped into the bottom of the bin, the screen is set on top of this material, the bin is filled the rest of the way with new bedding set right on top of the screen, and you begin feeding into the new bedding. This harvesting method gives the worms ample opportunity to thoroughly process the material beneath the screen and to move through the screen to the new bedding above when they are ready. Since the new bedding above the screen is initially less biologically active then is the material beneath, the worms are given the choice of where in the bin they prefer to be, ensuring the population is not stressed, and that there is no population decline. Further, this harvesting method provides time for cocoons that might be in the ready-to-harvest material beneath the screen to hatch and the babies time to move to the material above the screen, resulting in few worms "lost" during harvesting. Does that answer your question, Idontgrow? Please let me know if you're still confused as I want/need to try to articulate this better. Kelly S To keep from being scratched by the screen be sure you are using the soft, pliable fiberglass screen as opposed to the wire screen. The fibergass stuff has no sharp...

I've only been doing this for a couple months, but I don't believe that you need to wait for them to eat all their current food before you add more. I add mine whenever I get it after letting it sit for a few days to help make sure its breaking down quickly, and just add it to a different spot on the opposite end. Some things break down more slowly than others and waiting for it to break down before adding more would require me to throw away good scraps and force my worms to work harder to eat. For instance, I just added a couple pounds of strawberries to my bins over the past week or so and the worms have nearly devoured all of it; meanwhile, I added some old radishes (chopped up) about 2-3 weeks ago and they are hardly eaten at all. Sure, you don't want to overfeed them because of other bugs and smells, but if your bin doesn't smell and there aren't any bugs, I don't see why you need to wait to add new food until the old food is completely gone. I have a lid on mine, its indoors, and generally there are about a dozen or so worms on top. If this is similar to what you're experiencing, I wouldn't worry and I'd just explain it as worms exploring or something.

You can put the worms back in the bin, but keep in mind that escapees will dry out and die rather quickly. If they are just crawling up the sides of the bin, they are probably OK. When to feed again depends a lot on how much you are feeding them. I generally feed when the last food I gave them is pretty much unidentifiable. If you are feeding small amounts, or you are feeding foods that decompose slowly, you can feed more often. Timing your feedings really is as much an art as it is a science. You will get a good feel for it soon enough. I feed large amounts of mostly ground up kitchen scraps about once a week. When they are mostly black, and the bedding they are in is decomposing, I feed again.

David, I agree with the comments above. I like to add my observations/experience, if I may. EGG SHELLS: unless they're powdered, it's difficult for worms to consume them so it will mostly be for correcting pH more to the worms' liking. There can NEVER be too much egg shells to kill worms because from what I've read, egg shells bind acid (don't remember to what pH level) and whenever that's reached, the remaining egg shells just sit there, w/o changing VC to alkaline, unlike when adding thse stuff you buy at garden centres to change soil pH. Also, egg shells do it at a slow pace and will not shock worms with drastic changes. I have ruined 2 blenders by powdering egg shells so no more powdering for my worms now. Crushed is good enough and I bought a hand cranked grain mill from amazon. I put my collected egg shells (ES) in the oven using residual heat from whenever the oven is used for "human" food as to not to waste electricity and make the ES brittle, easier to crush. Before I bought the grain mill, I just crushed them by rolling a bottle over them in an old baking pan. That did the trick too. SHREDDED PAPER: Using Bond (office) paper is OK in a bigger and more established bin because bond paper takes longer to break down compared to newspaper and cardboard and doesn't absorb moisture that well. What you want to use, is paper product of lower quality. That is also why when collecting corrugated cardboard (CCB) from the super market I go for the "made in" Asian countries. If you do not shred newspaper, it is better to crumple individual sheets (or half sheets) so as not to clump them when getting wet. This will provide the bin with some extra air in between. I usually put them in dry. When they've become damp, shredd them by hand and replace with new dry crumpled sheets. Worms like to hide between the crease and leave their cocoons there. Banana boxes (and other fruit with peel) are sometimes sprayed to prevent rotting too fast so I stay away from those. Besides, they're too tough. ""Also, when feeding don't spread the food over the whole surface."" And when something is wrong it's easier to remove. ""If you don't have any drain holes in the bottom I'd grill (DRILL?) 10-12 in the bottom."" Some people (like me) do not like holes at the bottom of worm bins. But for the safety of the worms from drowning, you could drill ONE (1/4" ??) hole if you must. Put an empty water bottle (cut both ends so it's just like a tube) over it to keep the hole free of VC, bedding & food. You'll also have access to poke the hole free from clogging every now and again and there's your drainage with some what controlable mess. Oh yes, keep the bin on a slant to direct liquid in the right direction. WANDERING WORMS: Sometimes, even if everything is OK in the bin, worms still like to crawl up the wall if there is condensation and ONLY if there is condensation. (W/O condensation, then there's definitely something wrong). So, keep the lid off. Some of my bins are also RM bins. I cut most of the lid off, keeping only the rim and about 1" of the top and glued/tape landscape fabric in it's place to keep insects in and out. Hope this helps.