wigglers

There are great fat worms in my garden spot. Probably normal size for earthworms, but the girth is twice what I'm used to after handling the smaller red wigglers all the time!

I'm in the process of moving the composting worms into a new bin. Prepped it with shredded cardboard a few weeks ago. Trying a new method I came up with, to transfer them over. I put the worm food in a shallow plastic container with 1/2" holes cut in the bottom, and put that on surface of the old vermicompost. When a new collection of food is ready, I dump this one that's been sitting in the old bin, into the new bin. By that time it's full of masses of worms who moved in to get the food. Scoop up more masses from just below it, too. Put new food into the container and do it all again.

This does move tons of worms over at a time, without me having to comb through the bin contents by hand. I've been doing this process for several weeks and probably have enough worms transferred to the new bin by now, but it's not nearly all of them yet.

I don't think I'll be putting vermicompost into my houseplant soil anymore. My houseplants get enough extra nutrients from the fish waste water, I think they can do without the worm poo. All the pots that had it added, have been having problems retaining too much moisture, and even though it's been a year, I still find an occasional worm in a plant pot. It tends to be the plants that look unhealthy, too. So whatever worms are left in the bin at some point I will just throw them into the garden when I rake the vermicompost into the soil. Either they live, or die and feed the soil...