worms in a compost bin

Are you sure they're roaches? I wouldn't kill anything in my compost. If they're in the compost, they're happy there rather than in your kitchen, correct?

I threw some regular nightcrawlers into the big black trash can that i use for compost in the winter because it's right by the back door. i'm hoping that its size & situation will allow them to live through the winter. poor little earthworms. they are my little science experiment.

summerkid, yes, your probally right about the bugs. But I don't want any in the house. LOL!!!

Good luck with your nightcrawlers. All of my worms died. I was trying to raise them in buckets. I give up on them. I do have alot of them in the garden though.

nightcrawlers are high maintenance redworms are best used for this method

I thought the redworms were high maintenance. I've killed all of the ones I tried to work with, which was somewhat traumatizing. So I thought the 'crawlers could care for themselves.

Not true, huh?

I have had my redworms for about 1 1/2 years with no problems they pretty much maintain themselves

But not outside, right? That's where my "winter" compost receptacle is.

oh yeah mine are outside I have them in a portable shed in 55 gallon drums cut in half. In the winter I put in a wood stove for freezing nights and even forgot to heat them a time or two and they made it just fine they are very hardy worms. they don't need overhead lights like the nightcrawlers do

Hmmm .... this is just the big barrel outside my back door that I through scraps in through the winter months. Maybe just leave the worms out of it?

If you have worms I would use them they turn your scraps into compost in no time they really are super easy to take care of and worth it the castings are great I use the castings instead of potting soil

So castings are okay to use instead of potting soil, huh? Do you mix perlite or anything else with it?

perlite works good because the castings do tend to dry out quicker than potting soil does so yes I mix in a little perlite and this mix has worked better than any potting soil I have used so are you thinking of vermicomposting?

No, because I tried it before an it was an utter failure. I do have some bags of castings though I could reserve for my most loved plants.

definately use them they are great

Bokashi might work better in your back door container.

Check out the threads on it.

katiebear

I have been trying to "compost" in a giant plastic storage bin on my back patio. I drilled tons of holes in it & continue to layer veg scraps,grass clippings, coffee & weeds. I just stir it around with a hoe avery other day. If it stinks I add a little dirt. **** So, at what point do I add it to my plants? ****

Thank you for putting all of the links together for the clueless. You have to start somewhere!

I have 4 compost bins going that are full of red worms, I mean thousands of them. I put all of the normal things in there that you use for compost and the worms are thriving. The bins are outside all year, even covered with snow in the winter. The worms just crawl under the soil if they get too hot or cold. When the compost is "finished" I sift it and just move the worms to another bin. They seem to be happy and healthy.

OK, so here's a little followup question prompted by terichris:

I decided to cool down my bin with more 'browns' because I felt bad for the worms. Currently it is a slightly warm bin with chopped leaves, kitchen scraps, and a fair number of worms that are looking pretty healthy The overall volume of material continues to decrease, and the whole thing is very heavy, so I imagine there must be some decomposition and settling although I roll it around from time to time. (I think I might do real vermicomposting indoors over winter and make a hot bin next summer....)

But the real question for now is when I can use some of this and how best to tell if it is partly 'done' (I'm always adding new material). Should I just sift it and use the small particles? Or can I just put a bunch of it down on my beds where it can be mixed in next spring? I will be getting a lot more shredded leaves this fall and am not sure whether to keep the current material in the bin or store the leaves there for next spring...thanks!