This is a tough call. In my area a compost pile will not attract worms. I live in a desert. I suspect that composting worms cannot survive in the wild here. The bin does attract nightcrawlers around, but not in, the bin. Your compost may or may not attract composting worms.

1 pound of worms is not a lot in a 55 gallon drum. It could take a year before 1 pound grows to fill the drum. You might want to start with 2 pounds. OTOH, I would not suggest paying the money it would require to purchase enough worms to eat up hundreds of bags of leaves in a year's time.

Your location will make a difference as well. There are not many places where the temperatures are suitable for worms year round.

I would say you have two options:

1) Buy two pounds of worms and get your 55 gallon drum going. Compost the leaves, then use the partially composted leaves as food/bedding for the worms.

2) Buy two pounds of worms and get your 55 gallon drum going. In about 6 months to a year you should have enough worms to transfer about a pound of worms to your compost piles every month or so without significantly reducing your breeding stock in the 55 gallon drum.

If you have cold winters or very hot summers, the worms will survive better in your compost piles, just because of the greater mass of insulating compost. However, if your compost piles heat up, that will kill your worms. Whatever you decide to do, don't introduce your worms to compost that is not yet past the heating stage, and see if you can get a significant number of them into a large compost pile for the winter.

When you use your compost in your garden, you will have worms in that compost. Unless you keep a thick layer of organic matter on the surface of you garden at all times, the worms will not survive there. You might want to see if you can brainstorm a low-effort way to separate the majority of your worms from the finished compost. If you already screen your compost, that will catch most of the larger worms.

If you can make this work, I think it could be a great idea.

Sbryce, thanks for the reply. In zone 8, it doesen't get too cold but it does get hot in july and august. The fact that I see no worms anywhere is a good indicator that the soil does not like them or visa versa. I have bottom land that is heavily forested with mostly oaks and elms and I have never seen worms there, and the soil is very rich in OM. We average 37" of rain per year but it is very infrequent in arrival.

My house is on piers and is enclosed around the bottom. I plan on keeping the worms under the house where it is dark and more temp controled. I never thought that 1lb would not be enough in the 55 gal drum, thanks. Since I have to buy anyway, I may as well get 2 lbs. Since I have to purchase the manure would it be best to just let the leaves rot with worms? Chicken litter is 7.50 a ton so not to expensive. I may do some of both, litter based compost and leaf mold.

Always something to learn. Thanks again.