I'm very skeptical that anyone sells pure worm castings. I define a casting as a particle that has actually passed through the digestive tract of a worm. Vermicompost or worm compost is a much more accurate description of what is probably in the bag. Your homegrown VC is probably different from stuff you buy for a number of reasons. I can't remember which forum this came from, but it was posted by: Kelly Slocum On: 2001-09-01. "the feedstocks chosen for producing maximum worm biomass are not always those chosen to produce the best castings for a particular situation, no. keep in mind that castings value is determined largely by the intended end use. if you want the castings to amend your soil for planting a fruit orchard, for instance, the castings you'd most want would be dominated by microscopic fungi, supported in castings produced by a feedstock with a high proportion of carbon material (leaves, wood, paper, cardboard, etc.). were you looking for castings with which to amend soil that will be growing annual flowers the product with the highest value to you would be dominated by bacteria. bacterial castings are produced with feedstocks higher in nitrogen (greenwastes, manures, etc.). castings that have the most generally diverse community of organisms possible are generated from feedstocks with a particular balance of carbon and nitrogen bearing materials. now, studies show that, provided appropriate moisture and aeration are maintained, manure is the material that produces the greatest worm biomass. manure alone is not going to produce castings with the most diverse numbe of organisms, however, needed for a high qualtiy general purpose product." Note the tacit implication that NPK is not what makes VC a valuable soil amendment. Search "soil food web" and you'll have plenty of reading material. Cheers, Andrew

Just an update on the project. I haven't seen the site yet but I hope to in the next few days. After discussing the goals of the project via email and reading your suggestions, I am suggesting two wormeries. Their primary goal is education; being able to process their garbage is a desirable secondary goal. First, a cold compost pile designed to attract and protect native worms from predators, since they were planning a compost pile anyway. Two, an educational bin with EFs where the kids and meet the worms and throw in their lunch scraps and prepared bedding. To reduce uninvited guests in the bin, I plan to discourage them from using leaves and other garden leftovers in the educational bin -- they go in the compost pile. My current thinking here is a strawbale construction bin (with drainage, of course) and an insulated lid tough enough to withstand raccoon attacks. I think the strawbale construction, or something similar using insulating foam, will lend itself to artistic interpretation as well as being functional and will make a ledge for the kids to lean on and to help catch any dropped worms kids pull out. The whole site is made of recycled and eco-friendly materials, so the strawbale construction will fit right in. I'd love to think of a lip or other barrier that discourages worms from leaving the bin... good luck with that, Nicole. It'll be a big bin, so maybe some tubes coming up in the middle of the bin for aeration. There is a shady spot set aside and they are trying to get a grant to build a "Worm Shack" for the worms similar to a garden shed. For the winter, a heating strip in the bottom of the bin. For the summer, a solar powered fan on a temperature sensor to help cool the bin if it starts getting too hot. Rain barrels are going in to water the garden and the worms. Nearby, a hand sanitizer dispenser, a model of a DIY home bin, an instructional display and instruction sheets to take home. I haven't decided on the design for the DIY bin, but probably one of the RM bin variations. More info on the project here: http://www.madisonal.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=123&ARC=431 And the PDF of the original plans (which don't show a spot for the worms) here: http://www.madisonal.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1281

Thanks Vagas and Tclynx. I had the cocoons in a plastic bag w/o air or food. Just worm doo and cocoons which aren't that recognizable to me yet. I could not imagine leaving them in the plastic bag vagas, so I prepared a bed of peat moss/a couple cups of cornmeal/ and a couple cups of wellllll rotted bagged cow manure that has been laying out in the weather for about 3 years/and a few handfuls of small shredded paper to break up all that dirt looking stuff. Well Mixed and damp. I poured the plastic bag of worm cocoons out onto this mixture in the bin and covered it with a layer of dry shredded paper. I did put some drain holes in the bottom, and I did put another container w/o holes under that to capture any liquid excess or baby worms that might fall through and of course the brick to keep the upper plastic container from falling down below the air holes. And I did put a soaked piece of cardboard box down in my bin to cover the holes for the babies to lay on,first thing. I did that about 3 days ago with the cocoons and I don't see any babies yet, but since I am still afraid I will damage them if I put my hands down in the mixture to look, that doesn't mean they aren't there, I'm sure. In the meantime, I am down to opening and looking at the worms only about 3 times a day and that IS a struggle for me. I put the 3 containers together like Vaga said. The worms are awfully skinny and aren't moving too fast just yet. It has been only about a week and a half since I put them(1000) in there and NOW I can see that they are eating the bedding up and pretty quickly. So, Friday, I set the second prepared container that makes the tiered bin on top of that W/Oa brick (The worms around outside are all laying under heavy stuff so I figured the small weight of the container could be helpful) and I put about 1/2 lb or less of kitchen scraps and coffee grounds and of course shredded paper in it in case they wanted more to eat. They really are skinny. I have never seen such skinny little worms. I am sure they must grow (red wigglers)bigger. Anyway, Today when I looked at them, I DID find that they are migrating up into the food...or at least about 20 of them have so far. Out of fear that they would attempt to escape and inadvertantly commit suicide, I placed the whole 3 layer bin in a large black garbage bag leaving it open and loose in case they try to explore outside the box while I am gone. That way, I won't find them dried up on the floor or step on them. Once I saw that they weren't trying to get away, I took the bin out of the bag. Not one fatality due to escape...not one worm in the bag either. =o) So, I am learning not to sit and prowl through their bedding to see what they are doing.....all the time. Just nervous about them I guess. Trial and error is the way of life, I suppose. I will either get more worms, or they will not do well for me. Thanks so much for your input. It helps to know that you guys are out there willing to share the information with me. =o)

Kat I always top feed and cover with bedding - in your case leaves. I have an old heavy sheet of pywood over my box for critter control. The carpet keeps the worms and compost cool and damp, as well as helping control the odor and flies. Top feeding allows more air to the food and it breaks down quicker. I fluff the mix with a pitchfork when I feed to get more air down inside. If you have access to some coffeegrounds (starbucks) or manure , pull your leaves back, lay damp cardboard or newspaper on the soil and spread a layer out. Cover with your leaves, keep damp, and in the spring you will be amazed with the worm activity.