You add more vegetable waste and paper and let the worms do their magic. You don't need to take anything out. Your main job is to make sure that the whole thing is as moist as a wrung out sponge (NOT soggy), check to see when the food's going and add more (not before.) The most common newbie mistake is feeding too much and ending up with anaerobic conditions. stinky. It's a little harder to tell when they need more food if you're only giving them coffee grounds. Many of us feed about twice a week. After a while, you'll figure out how much they need. Things are always really slow in the beginning, but they pick up after a few weeks. Your other main job is to make sure that enough air can get into the mix. Worms don't eat the food. They eat the bacteria that are eating the food and they only like the ones that depend on oxygen. I shred my paper, fluff it, soak it for a minute, and then fluff it again before putting it in the bin a few inches thick to cover any food. I also have lots of 1/2 inch holes on the bottom. Don't worry, the worms won't get out. They'll stick their heads out and say 'too dry, no food' and go back in. If they do try to get out en mass (not just one or two poor misguided ones), then something wrong with the conditions in the bin. Usually it's not enough air or too much food. There's lots of info on this site if you check the older posts. Two other starting points with explanations on how to set up and care for a bin are http://wiki.vermicomposters.com/wormbin/Main_Page and redwormcomposting.com Welcome to our world. A word of caution. It can get a little addictive!

When I graduated from high school in '65, my mother's friend gave me a clutch type wallet as a graduation gift, and somehow, very quickly, that evolved into my purse, and I have just carried a wallet like that ever since. I carry the same one for years...until it literally falls apart. Right now, the zipper on the zippered coin compartment is broken, so when I am out and I get change, I carry it in my pocket, or put it in the console of my truck. My truck is my purse. I keep receipts in my wallet and about once a month, take them out and put them away. I save a lot of my change, and keep it in a jar in one of my cupboards. Once a month, I empty the jar and put it away. I try to make sure I save a little more each month than I did the previous one. I've tried carrying a purse a couple of times since I switched to the wallet and it seems so heavy and kills my shoulders. Hairbrush and anything I think I will need....I keep in my truck.

" It's not so much the wear, as I've been told, but the germ factor, I believe." You are going to get "germs" on it the first time you use it. Germs don't wait 30 days and then attack a toothbrush on a schedule. Replace a brush when it looks to be so worn as to not do a good job anymore. I think the toothbrush manufacturers just made up that rule about replacing them at frequent intervals.

If you pour it all into a tray full of water the oil dry should sink and the bark/perlite should float (which I would toss)? Perlite holds a lot of water, much more than grit. So in theory I think it can replace the bark in soil mixes (especially if bark is expensive). However, you then end up relying on the oil dry to hold all the nutrients (if you fertilize). Doesn't seem like many of us are using the grit/turface/perlite combo except Rina? I think she's onto something there but I don't know what ratios are best to use. I have a pot of her mix but I'm too reluctant to just dump it out! Plus, it works well. I've made two grit/perlite pots (20% grit : 79% perlite : 1% soil) which I'm growing my Schlumbergera cuttings in. They seem to be working alright so far. The rest of my pots use some amount of repti-bark. I'm a long way from decomposition as my mix is fairly new.