Wigglers and Squigglers update

One of my first posts was about indoor worm composting.  Adam and I lovingly researched and constructed our own worm compost bin.  Everything went well for about 2 months and then tragedy struck.
I must have put too much moisture rich fruit into the bin and neglected to notice the drainage holes were clogged.  God knows how long they were swimming but by the time I noticed my worms had died.  :( It is known in our home as "The Great Worm Slaughter."  I was crushed to say the least.  After that comedy of errors, I decided that next time I was going to be a more responsible worm mommy and subsequently purchased this worm composting kit. 

Here is what ours looks like now:

This is an empty tray that you fill with food and bedding to coax the worms up to the next level once they've composted the lowest level tray

The whole composter with one tray.  Very compact and unobjectionable.

Contents exposed! We actually have little sprouted plants from god knows what growing in our compost.

As you can see, it is almost time to add another tray so we can use that awesome compost for our next batch of herb plants.

It has been almost a year since we purchased this composter and our biggest obstacle is actually keeping it moist enough.  (Thankfully that means I won't be drowning another batch of defenseless worms!) The fact that it's constructed of wood makes it breathable which is excellent.  Unfortunately, it also makes it dry out faster.  The corners and bottom are the first parts to dry out.  We have a spray bottle we use to keep it moist but sometimes it is necessary to dig in there to moisten the crispy underbits. 

Here is Adam tending to the worms:
 

To his left is a Full Circle countertop food waste receptacle.  (We bought ours at Homegoods, but I found a link to one on Amazon in case anyone wants more info.) It uses biodegradable bags and makes it easier to transport a weeks worth of waste to the outdoor compost heap.  In this case, Adam is using the contents to feed the worms.  The bin doesn't smell and the bags don't leak but they do break down inside the compost heap.  Hey, that rhymed! I should be in advertising! 

Anyhow, I just wanted to share our new (or not so new) hippie toys with y'all.  I hope I can inspire other people to try vermiculture in their homes because it is so easy and makes such a difference in our landfills and our gardens!

A big change is on the horizon for this hippie so stay tuned!!