Initially, I ordered EBs with Organic planting kits. I dont have anymore of that but I assume it is based on bone meal, blood meal, feathers, etc. I was using staight peat as a potting mix as I thought that is what was needed. I grew several crops of toms that way. Now, I add some bark, perlite and potting mix, along with peat, sometimes a handfull of worm casting but I go pretty easy on "compost" type or "manure type ingredients, again, I am reusing my mix and I dont want it to go all soggy on me. Since I grow primarily tomatoes I like to use Tomatotone but I have used any number or organic ferts available at big box store or nursery. I also add dolomite lime. I add a teas of calcium nitrate in the watering tube weekly to help against BER. Toward the end of my long season if I am trying to get that last round of maters, I sometimes add some liquid ferts, seaweed or fish based.

As you said, it will be a number of months until you have to deal with this anyway, but I'm guessing that if you have enough material in the bin to begin with, and mound it up in the middle so the lid pushes it down a little, you won't have any problems with worms being able to get up to the next system. You might have to re-form the mound every month or so, but you won't get one big brick of compost in the end. I know a guy on another site that uses the lids like you are in his stacking system. He does so because he doesn't like how compacted the compost in the bottom bin becomes when the top bins are laying directly on top of the compost. I copied him but I have less than a lb. of worms in the bottom bin, so I haven't gotten to add another one on top yet. I use fluffed machine shredded newspaper and every time I 'fill' the bin, it's back to half that height a week later. It's going to take some time to get enough compost for me to be able to stack the next one and keep the compost in contact with top of the lid. Let us know how it goes when the time comes. I have clear sided storage containers from the local hardware store that are just over 6 inches tall, but longer and wider than the standard rubbermaid. The worms hang out on the edges in the evenings and stay in the middle during the day. That way I get to watch what they're doing without bothering them quite as often. When I add food, I'll make sure a little of it is in contact with the sides so I can see what's happening. They don't seems to be bothered by artificial light, but are long gone by the time I wake up, even though they never get direct sunlight. (They're indoors.)

Very clever of you. It is so much fun to have small children around, such a pleasure to see them excited and happy.

I think these ones I make taste a lot like burgers, even my carnivore DH likes them. I have used soy beans, chick peas or pearl barley (I think the barley ones come closest to "burgeriness" :-) 1 cup soy beans/chick peas/pearl barley finely diced vegetables (carrot, turnip, parsnip etc) to taste 1 cup rolled oats 1 large onion, finely diced 4-6 tablespoons soy sauce 1 egg small amount flour Cook beans until soft, drain and mash (if using barley don't mash). Add vegetables, onion, oats, soy sauce and egg and enough flour to make it stick together. Form patties and shallow fry.