I gather you can keep them in the kitchen and you can give them all your cooked scraps. Less expensive than a dog or a cat and they don't smell like a hamster or a guinea-pig. However, they don't cuddle up on your lap and they're not as strokeable as a furry thing. However, you might become very attached to them, given time.

What a thoughtful son! Perhaps you will start feeling more grateful when your worms are producing all that liquid food and your dahlias are turning out like dinner plates.

I didn't get anything nearly as useful for Xmas. Families, huh?

Hi wormery are a funny thing i also have one and i really dis-like worms.
Probably best to wait untill it is warmer to get the worms as during the cold months you are mean't to put the worm is a greenhouse or garage. This is cause worms survive the winters by going deep under ground.
Unlike other people i really dont go much on the worm wee for fertilizer but only because i cant stand the thought of collecting it and pouring it on mud that i then need to put my hands in, stupid i know.
I tend to turn the tap on over the drain when it needs to be emptyed.

I was also told to only add a little food at atime in 1 corner in case the worms the worms don't like that particluar food, i hope my leg was being pulled at that point. I mean who has time to check if their worms are liking the food they get.

Just like Garden-nerd said some people actually do become very attached to their worms and do really enjoy them, this is where i was given the whole wormery care advice, she evens brings her wormery in the house for the winter...
AHHHHH......the thought of it.
I hope this has helped you out alittle, good luck with your new worms.

1 more thing the cheapest place i have found for the worms are the fishing tackle shops rather that garden supplies.
You can use any worms but tiger worms are the best as they prefer tight nit places to live and dont go down so far in the earth which is why they are suited to wormery's and a happy worm is a good worm for the wormery...well so i was told.

I know people say you can keep a wormery indoors but that is only if you don't mind flies as well (tiny ones, but still ...).

Yes, start in spring. You will obtain very little compost from a wormery system and it will cost you a lot of effort (and some money, too) but the compost is the most amazing quality.

Worms can be particular about their food and it is important to remember that (1) they are not keen on citrus fruits or onions (2) they love a nice bit of carboard. Otherwise raw and cooked vegetable produce is the rule.

My wormery was a disaster. I got lots of the brown liquid but didnt know how to use it. Inside the bin turned to slime and the worms died. I think it is too cold up here in winter and I didnt want it in the kitchen.
Still have it so that ebay idea sounds good. I wont be describing it in the previous terms though.
Better admit I wasnt successful and sell it as a challenge to someone further south.
Posting it could be awkward!

I was going to suggest that you sell it to me but then it occurred to me that I'm such a greedy little toad that there are never any cooked food leftovers in my house. And much of my composted waste consists of onion and citrus skins!

The brown liquid (apparently worm sweat) makes an excellent liquid feed diluted five to ten times with water. My wormery is very, very slow to produce compost but I take off some liquid every week or two.

Thanks for all that. You are not reassuring me! I don't like worms, I don't use fertiliser, I don't grow Dahlias, I don't want it in the kitchen, I already have a compost heap, and I have to use the wormery because my son thought I'd like it.

Can I leave it outside the back door near the wheelie bins, put the odd food scraps in with the shredded paper, and leave the tap at the bottom open? Starting in spring. Can I say I want it for the compost and how much will I get?

much of my composted waste consists of onion and citrus skins

We must live off the same "recipes" ;)

Crazylady, try here with your wormery questions. Much of the discussion is way over my head but I bet they can answer your questions.

If it's any help, my compost bins are full of brandlings that appear in the warm weather and then go dormant in the cold weather. Though I guess they are protected by the warmth & insulation of a 2' thick wodge of compost. So they can live outdoors under some circumstances.

A wormery is also called a worm bin or vermicomposting. You don't need to use only cooked food scraps, you don't need to keep it indoors, and if you buy a good pair of rubber gloves you don't need to touch anything you don't want to. The worm castings and liquid which is produced is the best stuff in the world for your plants. I think your son gave you and your plants a marvelous gift!

For complete information on how to get started look here:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/verm/

If you do not want to spend a lot of money on a commercial wormery, you can put "DIY Wormery Manual" in your favouite search engine, (Google,Yahoo) and get an ebook that will teach you how to build a wormery and how to care for,feed and breed worms.

The watered down liquid is great for house plants and tomatoes and the worm cast compost itself is nicknamed "Black Gold" by professional gardeners and some people claim that in can increase the yield of a raised bed plot by 20%.

Growing plants and veg is one of the most fulfilling things I think you can do but why not get your son to turn over a piece of your garden to growing veg for you. Once you have tasted your own home grown veg, you will understand what everybody else is raving about!