Pete, sounds like a nice setup. I get a brief pang of jealousy when someone talks about getting manure. It's a great source of natural heat for the colder months. It seems like your worm bed is now deep enough that the worms could burrow away if new material got too hot for them. You could also feed half the bed at a time, which would leave the other half as a safe haven if things really got hot.

How are you harvesting the vermicompost? You must have tons of cocoons after your big feeding of manure.

Andrew in Berkeley

My first harvest was just half the bin. I just fed on one side of the bin for a few weeks, then pulled back the carpet on the other side, fluffed and waited about an hour. I then sifted thru hardware cloth a worm free compost. The light makes them go away. Then again I am nearly blind!

I have a flower bed about 2 ft by 25 ft. I put a couple of handfuls of worms in last March. Throughout the year, I fed them by burying the food and they multiplied like crazy, too. The bed is now covered with 6-12" of leaves and it is our coldest month of the year. Would you just pull back the leaves and put the food there, or continue burying it? Reason to bury is to keep dogs, cats, and critters from digging it up. Does the carpet cover keep out critters? I used window screen laid over the food holes when it was warm. I sure would like to stop burying the food cause it takes so much time. Thanks for any input.

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.