A compost bin and a worm bin are two different things. Many of us have both. What you are suggesting sounds like some sort of hybrid and it won't work for a variety of reasons. If you are going to spend the money for a pound of worms, you probably want to give them the best environment for survival, which is not a bed of compost. See the vermicomposting forum (starting with the FAQs) for info on how to set up a bin, and then search it for 'Kelly Slocum' (former expert poster) for the very best info on worm care. You'll also find info and photos of the types of worm species (usually red wigglers) that are used for worm bins. I have a compost bin with a solid plastic bottom on a large patch of aspalt because that's the space I have available. There are no worms in my bin during the hot phase because it's too hot for them. But during the cold phase, I have quite a few worms in the bins. I don't know exactly how they get there, but somehow they manage. I do know that they can slip through extremely small spaces, like fine netting. So I think you also will have some worms find their way into your compost bins if it is cool and moist enough.

wfike, are you adding wood shavings to improve the texture of the casts or to help aerate the bedding? I've read, and surmise, that wood shavings take a long time to break down, so I'm assuming you aren't adding them as feedstock, am I figuring this correctly? I've also read, from several older vermi books (and the Vermiculture_FarmersManual), that horse manure by itself is not the best feed, but that cattle manure is good. Do you mix the 2 as feedstock and bedding? I guess what I'm trying to understand is whether you use horse manure as feedstock and feel it is an adequate feed by itself. I added soaked, torn corrugated cardboard to the horse manure because I'd read that it has excellent nutrition due to the high-protein glue that is used to hold the layers together. Another advantage that corrugated cb has is it's water absorbancy, so the 2 (horse manure and corrugated cb) mixed together make a good bedding and a good feedstock. But, you know, you can find all sorts of contradictions when comparing books, websites, and opinions...so I'm interested in what you find to be true, based on your experience. Cheryl, I have been freezing the food waste lately. It does seem to speed things up a bit, but there is still the issue of varying amounts of water being released, mold/fungus, and odors if you use too much or have strong smelling foods to vermicompost. I've found that as much as I want to keep food waste from the landfills, it's a lot of aggravation (too much water, mold, fruit flies, fungus gnats, march flies, houseflies, odors..etc), inconvenience (both of my freezers are half full of food waste for the worms, leaving only half for my own food), and guess-work involved in feeding food waste to the worms. Now, if I didn't have access to horse manure and corrugated cardboard, I would still use primarily food waste. But since I do have access to those materials, I much prefer using them. I have encountered very few issues/problems using horse manure and corrugated cb. So, I ease my conscious by reminding myself that these 2 items would have been dumped in a landfill somewhere, had I not taken them. I still plan on freezing some food waste to use as trench feedings in my raised beds. This practice has eliminated all issues/problems with using food waste because it is buried 4-6" under the soil, and I have many worms in my raised beds who process this food quickly (and thank me for the cold stuff when it's hot outside). The junk mail I use are advertisements for credit cards, various insurance, and a hodgepodge of solicitations. I just remove them from the envelope and tear into strips that could be used as bedding (I put them in the compost crate, so they will be partially composted by the time the worms get to it). I don't use glossy papers, not because they are bad for the worms, but because they take forever to break down and I don't like the look of them in the compost. The Vermiculture FarmersManual recommends shredding cardboard that has a waxed coating, so I assume wax is safe to use if shredded or had the wax seal broken in some other fashion . I've read that oils are not good for worms (I assume oil would smother them since they breath thru their skin), but I wouldn't think a small amount would be harmful. The boxes that you have should be fine. Most of the corrugated cardboard that I use has colored printing on it and I haven't noticed any problems with it (the majority of people say that most inks are soy based now). I also use shredded office paper in the indoor bin I just created, and to absorb water from the barrel bins outside when rain has been heavy, and that paper has been thru laser printers. I haven't seen any ill effects from any of the paper products I have used. Welcome to the thread, Cheryl. I look forward to reading about your experiences in the vermi-world.

Hi guys - sorry to bring up an old thread again -- just starting up my worm bin and I drink chia seeds soaked in water every day. Sometimes my jar of pre-soaked chia seeds in the fridge goes a bit off after a few days (I think it actually started to ferment). Googled this and can't find any results online, this seems like the right thread. Is there any harm to the worms in adding some of those chia seeds to my bin along with the other kitchen food/veg scraps? (other than perhaps sprouting some chia plants)? Thanks! :)

I am fairly new to worms myself, but it sounds you're doing the right thing for the moisture. It probally just needs a little time. The critters a probally BSF. As long as the bin is outside, you'll probally have them. I pick them out and feed to my Chickens. They are not supposed to harm the worms, though they appear as if they would. Since the adult fly doesn't like being inside, if you move the bin back inside you might find after one cycle the larvae are gone.