Worm composting does not sound like the proper composting system for you. Suggest you consider a cheap outdoor system which can provide you with greater amounts of compost. I like my two large mesh bins, low to the ground. In the right week of fall weather, shredded freshly fallen leaves (I have oak, sweet gum and maple) pretty much self-compost. Core temps about 120F today, with zone 6. Indoor worm composting, or vermicomposting (has its own forum), is great for fisherman and those only needing a small quantity of compost.

I'm very skeptical that anyone sells pure worm castings. I define a casting as a particle that has actually passed through the digestive tract of a worm. Vermicompost or worm compost is a much more accurate description of what is probably in the bag. Your homegrown VC is probably different from stuff you buy for a number of reasons. I can't remember which forum this came from, but it was posted by: Kelly Slocum On: 2001-09-01. "the feedstocks chosen for producing maximum worm biomass are not always those chosen to produce the best castings for a particular situation, no. keep in mind that castings value is determined largely by the intended end use. if you want the castings to amend your soil for planting a fruit orchard, for instance, the castings you'd most want would be dominated by microscopic fungi, supported in castings produced by a feedstock with a high proportion of carbon material (leaves, wood, paper, cardboard, etc.). were you looking for castings with which to amend soil that will be growing annual flowers the product with the highest value to you would be dominated by bacteria. bacterial castings are produced with feedstocks higher in nitrogen (greenwastes, manures, etc.). castings that have the most generally diverse community of organisms possible are generated from feedstocks with a particular balance of carbon and nitrogen bearing materials. now, studies show that, provided appropriate moisture and aeration are maintained, manure is the material that produces the greatest worm biomass. manure alone is not going to produce castings with the most diverse numbe of organisms, however, needed for a high qualtiy general purpose product." Note the tacit implication that NPK is not what makes VC a valuable soil amendment. Search "soil food web" and you'll have plenty of reading material. Cheers, Andrew

Hi, welcome to worm farming. I've been doing it for about a year now. Questions are good, and lead to learning more. Hope we can help out. 1. They like it best at 70, but thats not to say you can't keep them in a place that is hotter or colder. I have a bin outside, were it is 100+ during the summer and as low as 0 during the winter, and it is very active. 2. Thats a big bin. How many worms do you have? I would worry about how much air they get if you have the doors on. You would want it covered, but the fridge is made to hold air in, so if you keep the lid on, give it plenty of holes for fresh air flow. 3. Grass clippings are fine, but they can heat up. I would use in moderation. I will bag mine up every now and then, and use in my regular compost pile. Leaves, newspaper, veggie scraps make up most of my worms food and bedding. 4. As stated with the grass clippings, they heat up, so your worms could be escaping the heat. when things cool off they may find their way back. Don't let any mistakes now make you think twice about what you are trying to do. This is a great thing to do, you'll make mistakes and learn from them. Once you get it down, it is easy. You just have to learn what works best for you.

Mike, much of the nutritional value comes from the microorganisms growing on the organic material. The tea making process washes away many of those microbes, but not all. If you throw that material back into an active worm bin, I'm sure the microbes will quickly grow and the worms will be attracted to ingest the particles again. Andrew