They might, but I didn't see any worms at all - the lumps actually look exactly like light brown /round/oblong clay pellets, and they almost fill the bin now - no lovely black crumbly compost at all. This took place over about a month - first there was a little -now the lumps almost fill the bin. I am becoming paranoid!! Thanks for your reply

Tomncath, Who knows what to really think about the inks used? I DO think about em, I read about the paper changing to safe inks, but not sure about zines though. This latest mulch project is not in an area of edibles, so I am not thinking too hard on it, but the water table does cross my mind. I do use shredded paper which I make with all the junk mail, this has inks too, what can ya do? I am sure if we asked the person sending the stuff they would say it is SAFE as can be. You ask someone who does chemistry or studies toxic waste we would surely hear different. I understand PLAYWORM magazine really gets the worm colony multiplying quickly, adds much needed heat and I hear the foldouts are good enough to eat. I guess only a worm would know.

I also have the same problem with FE Series "Double Pink" I didnt bring it up because I didnt want to confuse anyone. I bought the Double pink with a few blooms on it and didnt have an excuse why it wasnt blooming. I went to FE website and noticed the Double Pink is no longer offered and neither is Red Sensation. Their Red Hydrangea is simply called "Red" now. Seems both Red Sensation & Double Pink have been discontinued. I feel like a test dummy...lol...leaves a bad taste in my mouth to ever buy a FE Hydrangea again. I dont want to spend years again waiting for a hydrangea to bloom, just to find out it was a dud. They have months left at best in my yard if they dont produce here soon and my money is on they wont. I have 5 Hydrangeas in pots I winterize already and dont want more in pots. I bought them to be planted in my yard...lol... Thank you for bringing it to my attention that it was a new cultivar and prompted me to check their website. I would never buy a FE Hydrangea unless it was in bloom to prove what it is. Along with checking on the web that others in colder climates have had success with that particular one. I have multiple years success with FE Series: FE Original, Blue Heaven, Peppermint & Together. Summer lace I bought last year and seems to have proven to be worthy also. Rebloomed last year and has put buds on new growth this year also. I see FE has many new exciting Hydrangeas I didnt know they offered now, but I wont be their test dummy again. It's a shame they apparently rushed hydrangeas to market that werent proven and I wont take that chance again.

When the bottom filled up the bin became in essence a non-flow through. Like a Rubbermaid, so you got all the hassles associated with that type system. I myself have had a couple occasions when there was a huge thunderstorm that soaked the bin. I did git a large amount of worm filled compost fall through to the bottom. I keep a lid on the bin to help prevent this but during large storms the lid overflows. The bin always dries out again in a couple weeks. What i observed when i started my Flow Through. When I fed the FT it formed a layer that is almost pure castings just under where the food was placed. The castings are more paper than black compost and is a little stiff and hard for the worms to get through. There were worms stuck below this layer in the original bedding. I filled mine full of nearly finished compost from my bins. And discovered that the compost wasn't as done as i thought it was. I have used compost as broken down as it was and hadn't given it a thought. But I found a FT does a far better job at breaking down everything in the bin. The compost settled down to about a third the original volume after a couple months. That was with huge feedings and a lot of paper additions too. It was a big surprise. The layer of finished compost at the top got thicker and eventually reached the bars. It comes out looking and feeling more like composted leaf litter on a forest floor, fluffy too. The first compost I harvested for a while was from the original worm filled compost transferred from my old bins. It did keep improving the longer it stayed in the FT. But it just didn't get as good as the compost formed in the FT to start with. The original bin compost was also lumpier and looser than the layer formed in the FT. As the worms wiggled about in the layer of loose compost it fell into the bottom collection area. I eventually harvested out most of the fallen compost and separated out the worms. Adding the worms back into the top of the bin. When the FT layer reached the bars on the bottom I needed to scrape the compost out. There still are a few worms and a little compost falling but not nearly as much. I just leave the compost in the collection area. For stray worms to live in until there is enough to bother removing it. I then separate out the worms and store the finished vermicompost in a old Rubbermaid bin until i need it. I should add that the compost that comes out the bottom is damp enough for the worms but dry enough to send through my homemade 1/4 inch strainer without waiting for it to dry out more. And i never found worm cocoons in the finished compost after the original compost worked its way through the FT. And this one i find a bit curious. Almost all the worms that fall into the collection area are NOT adults. I wondered about this one a lot but decided that they are the babies hatched out from the cocoons laid at the top of the bin.