Because I started with a tiny amount of worms and am still growing my herd I let the vermicompost rest so eggs can hatch and babies can grow large enough to transfer back into the flow through without crushing. Sometimes a few adults make it through the process and end up in the vermicompost too. So a second time through a few weeks later saves more.

Thanks equinox, your response sure did confuse me. So is the 'cure' of harvested vermicompost to make sure you don't have cocoons in there? I've run across about 12 so far, and they are small, I've put those back in the other side of the bin that I'm not fiddling with right now.

I'm just doing a small section for experimental purposes. My 1 lb. worms have been in there a little over 2 months. I'm surprised at how large some of them are!

There isn't actually a curing process to go through, worm poo is worm poo. It's more a matter of when you are happy that you won't be losing too many worms or cocoons in the harvest. With bigger systems it's less of an issue, as losing 100 worms won't have any impact on a 10,000 worm herd.

Bluelake: Are you referring to harvesting pretty good compost or castings? I personally use a collander to separate very fine castings. I get a fair number of cocoons that I pick out by hand.

I do not have nearly the population of worms that I want. I asked Jim in another post whether he got viable eggs from the floating cocoons and he does, so in the future I am not going to be quite as picky about collecting as many cocoons. I will pick out floaters from my tea and then return them to a bin.

As far as curing is concerned, once the material has passed through a worm's digestive system, I consider it finished. Anything else I return to the bin.

I wanted to post results from an experiment and this seems like the thread to do it.

I was concerned about loosing unborn/newborns making tea, so here is what I did:

After my first harvest this spring (from 3 pounds of worms), I put about 4 pounds of 1/4" screened castings into plastic coffee containers. I would then spend about fifteen minutes every other Sunday collecting the hatched babies and relocating them into a "juvie" bin.

The results: From 3 pounds of worms, I collected 1100 babies.

I continue this method and figure after a few months, I should have worm-free castings and I can sleep at night.

- Jim

They are ready for use immediately. Worm castings are alive and need to be kept that way during storage. So if you are not going to use them right away, make sure you keep them damp and provide aeration in the storage container.
I store mine in a 5 gallon bucket and top feed, just like I would in a bin, if I wrangle any new worms, I put them in the working bin. But I do not fret about using the castings in my garden, coccoons/babies and all. Like randomz says, it will not impact your herd numbers greatly.

Here is a link that might be useful: storing castings video

Gee Jimmy, thanks for hijacking my thread.

Pjames, just how do you tell the difference between compost and castings. The dark moist crumbly stuff looks all the same to me.

Blue: Sieve your compost and as you do, little nuggets of droppings will fall. Those are castings. I agree that some of the vermicompost looks as good or better than alot of regular compost from a bin/pile. I am just into separating the castings themselves from it. I found a nylon/plastic collander at Target for like $3 that does the job for me. I drop a handful or 2 of vermicompost in it and work it like I was panning for gold... spinning it and then popping it up and down. Anything that does not fall through after a bit of shaking is returned to the bin.

It is also highly dependent upon if I need vermicompost right now. Or if it is August and I won't need it until next spring.

Telling the difference between vermicompost and vermicastings. My vermicompost is button sized pieces of egg carton, (I suppose it disintigrated to that size.) with vermicastings on both sides. It appears as round but smaller than marbles. So it could go another round through if lets say fruit flys were starting. I would us this material to give a nice coating and the fruit flys would go away.

I think pure worm castings look like cigarette tobacco chopped. Each individual casting has a calcium coating so if it was to dry a handfull of the material would run through ones fingers.

How to tell what is castings from what is coffee grounds or peatmoss I have no idea. Castings sort of look like coffee grounds.

Something could also be said for leaving one worm or a few very young worms in curing castings just to keep it fresh and alive.

The best thing is you get to decide when your vermicompost is vermicastings suitable and up to the standards you want and need.

Ok, this is just a little too involved at my early stage of the game. HOWEVER,I AM wiling to go to pjames' house in LA and watch him/her pan for castings while I drink those cute little 8 oz beers (many of them!) that Lousiana has to offer, and eat some crawfish while I watch, then go to a nice little casino Ca Ching Ca Ching!

I've put my worms away in a back bedroom now, for a week or longer. I have two 10 gallon RMs and they have fresh bedding and lots of nice nibbles for the week. I figured taking them off the dining room table would be better for them, and for me.

I have to visit mine in the dungeon.

pjames is a poster I watch and learn from.
I am glad for their sharing on the board.
Like tossing diamonds of information around for those willing to learn. I pay attention to good thoughts.

Hi. The difference between worm castings and worm compost or vermicompost: Vermicompost is a mix of composted organic material and worm castings; worm castings are just the "worm poop". Worms will digest organic material and poop out rich castings. The organic material will compost as the worms are feeding. Actually, the worms depend on microbiotic activity to "predigest" the material so they can process it. They basically go behind the microbes. Worm castings are rich and can be used as a side dressing fertilizer. Vermicompost can be added to your garden soil exactly as you would compost, it will just have the added benefit of containing the rich castings. The only benefit of "curing" is that the undigest material will compost further and be processed more completely by the worms the longer you leave it. Eventually, if you leave worms in the compost, all the material will be digested and it will become almost all castings. The worms will suffer, however, and should be removed long before it becomes "all poop". Any small worms and eggs can be returned to new organic material and the process repeated. Take the big ones fishing.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Vermicomposting

digger,
I was with you till you said, "take the bigger ones fishing".

Them there are fighting words, --unless you mean that they would enjoy watching me drown plastic bait and drink sodas and then return to the bin ready to consume mass microbial quantities.

Equinox: Thanks for the strokes to the ego.

Digger: I agree. I try to use casting only as a superior fertilizer. plus right now I am making a fair amount of tea to spray. I took my nephew fishing a while back and he had a little trouble getting the little red wigglers on his hook. i wished i had more hortensis at the time. Guess I need to take the kid on another trip before he goes back to Europe.