How to Harvest a Worm Bin The Humane Way

Ok, so your worm bin is ready to harvest?

It should look like fresh earth with a little shredded paper or almost fully processed vegetable scraps. If not, do not feed your worms for another couple of weeks until it looks like I describe.

Consider having a second bin ready to split your worms in half or give some to a friend so that they can begin composting with worms.

Things You'll Need:

• 3/4 full worm bin ready to harvest
• bucket to hold worm eggs and the few stray worms
• bucket for finished vermapost
• clip lamp or you can harvest your bin outside if you take a few precautions to protect your worms.

1. Step 1

Decide where you will work to harvest your bin. I take mine out to my covered patio. This way I can work in the shade and prevent my worms from overheating, but you can work where you keep your bins using a clip light as long as you have enough room to work comfortably.

Set up a chair or stool to sit on and arrange your buckets to your liking then go to work.

1. Step 2

If you are working indoors you will need a clip light to attach to your bin. Use CFL bulbs to reduce energy usage while you work. Shine light over the bin. This will encourage your worms to burrow downwards to avoid the light.

If working outside you may not need to do this step.

1. Step 3

Gently brush finished compost to the side and place into one bucket.

Remove any worm eggs. They look like yellowish round seeds and place into your other bucket with a handful of finished vermapost. Any worms that you end up with in your hand when you are removing vermapost will also go into this bucket.

1. Step 4

work one layer at a time, the worms will continue to move downwards to avoid the light. If you find you are running into more worms than vermapost, take a break and come back to your bin in a little while.

This is where the light comes in handy as it drives the worms down faster.

1. Step 5

Keep working until you get close to the bottom of your bin.

At this time you can either continue till the entire bin is cleaned and you are left with a pile of wriggling worms all crawling into each other in a tight ball or you can stop when you have a few inches of bottom left.

1. Step 6

This is where I usually make 3 or more bins out of this one worm bin. I usually take all the eggs and few stragglers that I gathered and put into one of the buckets and use this to make 1 new bin.

I then take the remainder of the primary bin and then further break this down into 2 or 3 sections depending on how many worms I have.

I then use these sections to make additional bins or give away worms to friends so that they can start their own bins.

1. Step 7

You can then begin the process all over again by setting up this and any additional bins as new worm bins. If you began with a commercial bin and would like to make your own or just want to make more bins see my article on how to build your own worm bins.

Tips & Warnings

• You can mix the vermapost by 1/3 or even 1/2 for great potting soil or use as a soil amendment to your garden or around your existing landscape plants.
• Worms can eat up to 1/2 their own weight daily.
• Worms double in numbers every 3 months but I have seen greater growth than this in my own bins.
• A properly set up bin should smell earthy and not musty
• Do not place your bins in direct sunlight as they can quickly overheat and cook your worms.
• Worms like damp not moist or wet bins
• Some people place the contents of a harvested bin into a closet for an additional 3 months to allow any remaining eggs to hatch and then harvest these, but it is ok to place your contents directly into your garden.