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Vermicomposting

Why do I have to seperate the worms before I use the vermicompost

19 years ago

When I am finished with the just the front yard, I will have some huge plant/flower beds. I have started my first worm bin (and several bags for leaf mold and a good old fashioned compost pile). About the contents of the worm bin: why exactly do I have to seperate the worms from the compost they produce? Can I not just use the contents of the whole bin when they are finished processing it in the garden, worms and all? Wouldn't the worms be doing good stuff in the garden too?

I can see that I would have to buy more worms for the next bin ... but they are relatively cheap ... and it's not like I named them or made them a part of the family or anthing.

Just curious,

Robin in Charlotte

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Comments (5)

socks
18 years ago
I think most people wat to keep their worms so they
can continue working. If they have to be re-purchased several times a year, it could be expensive for some people.

You can put the compost and worms in the garden if you wish, though. No problem there except you lose the worms.
robin1916
Original Author
18 years ago
I guess I had the impression that it would take a year or at the very least 6 months for them to turn everything into compost. Since my worms only cost $10 that didn't seem too bad. But, if it is going to be faster than that, I can see why you would want to save the worms. - Robin in Charlotte
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I think worm castings look a bit like chopped cigarette tobacco. If your bin is white or if you have ever kept worms in a light color container with a cover for a couple of days the sides of the container above the food level will have 1/4 inch castings on them. You should be able to see individual ones. Even when harvested you should be able to see the individual ones depending upon what harvesting method you use. Coffee grounds would be maybe rounder? It all depends upon how close one wants to look. I know one thing. However good your vermicompost is this week, if you stop feeding for a week and let the worms work just on what you plan to harvest, you will like it even better in a few more weeks. When I am in a rush for compost I put some in an old plastic easter basket with good sized holes in it and shake the material. What falls out is my harvest. What stays in is put back on top of the bin. I almost think this partially processed material is very good for the health of the bin. It balances out the excesses in all directions, too wet, to dry, to acidic, of new additions. Good luck, hope you have some already.
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ShenValleyJoe
18 years ago
It takes time for the worm population to build up from your initial "seeding" of the bin. You would be losing many more worms than what you started with.

Wouldn't the worms be doing good stuff in the garden too?

The red wigglers don't roto-till like nightcrawlers do. I really think that harvesting and reusing the worms is just part of the deal. Beer helps when harvesting. :)
socks
18 years ago
Robin, are you thinking separating the compost from the worms will be too hard? If so, just start putting the food scraps on one end of the bin for a week or two, and the majority of the worms will move to that end. Then take the compost from the end where there has been no food.
squeeze
18 years ago
as well as what's said above, adding all those compost loving worms to the new beds just fertilizes the ground w/ 'meat'!! they won't have the rich diet they prefer in the composting environment, so die off or migrate to areas where they find a better food supply - a high percentage will be lost in a short time - I don't worry about getting all of'em out, or the cocoons/young'uns, but after feeding one end of the bin for awhile to 'migrate' them away from the mostly finished material I add the stragglers to a garden always kept rich in compost so they can continue earning their keep

Bill

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