Wierd question - worms & compost

ArcticFox

Do you encourage worms to work in your compost (not sure if that makes sense)?  I have put some worms in there (from when we dug up our yard), but I wonder if people ever buy worms to put them in the compost?

Sort of regardless of the above question - do you worry about killing the worms when you mix the compost?  I get kind of crazy when I mix it, because I use a shovel and I try to chop up stuff (like pieces of rind etc), and I can't imagine all that chopping is too kind on the worms.

I do try to cut stuff up before it goes in the compost, but I usually don't have the time and multiple people are throwing stuff in the countertop bin, so I'm not about to dig through it to cut up half-rotten veggies.

The things I worry about... :P

uncannycanuck

If you have an open bin on soil, I've heard they will just find their way in.

Right now, I have a worm bin in the basement. I'm trying to figure out if I want to keep it when I get my outside bin going. And if putting my worms in my outside bin is going to be bad or not (I don't want to introduce an invasive species).

pixieprincss

Worms are very desireable, so I am happy to have them in my compost. I have never added worms, as they just find the compost on their own. I don't worry about killing them when I turn my pile. I wouldn't deliberately hurt a worm and if I see one drying out on a sidewalk I'll move it to grass, but I don't go out of my way to scour the compost for them before turning it.

SuperGreen

If you have an open bin they will find their way in, our bin has a ton.  I don't worry about killing them when I turn the pile, as they don't usually hang out in the top dry layers that you're mixing, they're down in the finished compost at the bottom because they made it.  If you're really concerned about it, take the lid off your bin to let light shine in for an hour or so before turning your pile.  The worms will move to the bottom to get away from the light.  But I wouldn't worry about it.