It's been over 2 weeks since I started my vermicomposting adventure and so far my worms are still alive. I have lost at least one worm though. I found its dried out little body lying on the kitchen floor. After the funeral procession, I just put it back in the bin for the other worms to do what they wish with it. I have also found a few in the water on the tray and Eva found one trying to escape across the bathroom floor. I have done some more research and found that finding a few worms a week outside of your bin is normal, but if you find a bunch it means that you're putting too much food in it or not putting enough water in. It can also mean that you're putting too much water in and flooding them out.
Being the bleeding heart that I am, I want to make sure none of my poor worms turn into spaghetti noodles, so I have made some improvements. I thought I was being original, but have since seen a few videos on YouTube using this method. It will also make it easier to collect and use the water runoff (aka worm tea) for my plants.
This is my original setup. It worked well, but the worms had free reign if the decided to get out. I tried putting some screen in the bottom of the bin, but still found one outside afterwards.
For my improved system, I moved the bricks inside of another bin...
... and then put my original bin inside of the bin with no holes. This will keep any escaped worms contained, as well as make it easier for me to access my worm tea.
As far as the composting, it is going really well. I can tell that the stuff is getting broken down, and have not noticed any foul odors coming from the bin. I've been putting the pulp from my juicer in and a few days worth of coffee grounds. Emily has said that she likes the worm bin because she doesn't have to wait for me to take out the compost. I have decided to go all in with this method and ordered a pound of worms off of the internet.
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