To harvest the castings at the bottom of the bin, the active composting layer, containing the greatest concentrations of worms, is taken from the top with a pitchfork or garden rake and placed in another bin to start a new cycle. The Food Lifeline project demonstrates that staff with a minimum of skills can be trained to maintain vermicomposting systems. The labor required can vary widely. Food Lifeline currently composts 1,200 to 1,600 pounds of food and leaves each week using 8 to 16 hours of labor. The differences that vermiculture techniques affords is first noticed in the static nature of the windrows.
Odors are under control, and the final product is noticably of a higher quality.
Richard Mohar began growing worms 20 years ago, using manure from nearby horse ranches . His business expanded gradually and benefitted from sales of his worm castings to all the developers building homes in his area. The company took a big step in 1991, when it moved to a new location and began a pilot project to compost residential yard debris collected from the city of Simi Valley. Employees use a conventional tub grinder to shred materials through a 2-inch screen. They range in width from 8 to 10 feet.