I love that! I think it might even be a better worm bin than the rubbermaid bin :). I'll have to try it this year. Last year I stuffed my jack-o-lantern in our earth machine, but it was a pretty tight fit.

I was planning on adding the gunk from inside the pumpkins I carve for the kids to my bin. It seems like pretty wet stuff, and having just gone through a stinky bout with the bin after adding 1/2 a rotted watermelon, I was wondering how much dry stuff I should add to counter the wetness of the pumpkin gunk. Any thoughts?

Chuckiebtoo, you are brilliant. I'd use your idea but I don't have enough worms. Although I could just take a few from my bin and add it to each pumpkin, and keep it outside. It might take the worms to knock the pumpkins out, but I suspect they'd be happy as worms in manure while they were working on it.

im going out after the 1st and look for pumpkins at the curb. love the idea leaves and pumpkins before winter sets in.

A nice treat for your worms with thankgiving coming up is to go buy a head of cabbage and just toss it in the bin. while you are eating turkey they can chow down on old pumpkins and a head of cabage.

Takes a few days but its one of those things they love to congregate on. Is a good way when you think you have only a few worms in the bin to see how many there really are.

The last cabbage I had (im sure it was OK, but a bit dry and browning on the end) ended up getting REALLY WARM in the bin. Not quite cornmeal warm, but close. lots of nasty fly maggots all over it too. ew.

I can not wait to go pumpkin hunting! We have big rolley-garbage bins here in the booneys, the truck comes, picks them up, and dumps into itself. Youre not supposed to leave piles next to the can. I might have to ask folks for their pumpkins.

I will look for some pumpkins too. I love placing the bottom round of the watermelon on top of the bin and later just seeing the thin seethrough skin left. I have also seen the same with cucumbers but with them the seeds are left over and start sprouting.

I love this forum!
I will ask my fellow Hartwell residents to save their pumpkins for me and my worms.
Good job on recycling, creating innovation, and inspiring me constantly! Many happy returns fellow worm lovers!
Happy Halloween.
jennifer.

A follow-up and bit of advice to those of you who have converted some pumpkins into little worm bins:

Make sure the worms have enough bedding in the pumpkins to overcome the excess moisture that will come very quickly with the rapid decomposition of the pumpkin. As you know by now, the worms will quickly eat the thing into a collapsing glop of gooey vermi-food. Right before the pumpkin gets too soft to pick up whole, I put it into a bin and fill it with bedding.