I posted this question over on the worm forum (vermicomposting) but they are either a quiet forum or they are just in shock that I am considering what I am asking about.

I would like to combine the principles of composting with the principles of vermicomposting. I've done each (by themselves) on a lark just to see if I could produce something and my attempts were successful.

The compost piles were just piles of leaves to which I added one thing only to each of the piles to see which did better. I did not turn any pile. Some were better, but they all were successful.

The worm bin had either red worms OR red wrigglers. I bought them at a local bait shop and my vague recollection is that they were bigger than what I'm currently reading about red wrigglers.

I want to start a compost pile because 1) my life is simpler than it used to be and 2) in the summer we have a BOATLOAD of watermelon rind and lemon rind (real lemonade) that it just urks me to throw away and 3) I have a real honest to goodness garden now.

My theory is that the worms might help compost all the kitchen waste (2-3 watermelon rinds a week and 20-60 lemon rinds a week depending on how much lemonade I make.)

I BRIEFLY thought about just adding the red wrigglers to my garden, but a gal on the hosta forum convinced me that was not a good idea AND it occurred to me that I didn't want the worms composting up my mulch.

Besides having to prevent raccoons and possums from digging through the piles for the kitchen scraps and the worms is there anything I should consider and does this seem reasonable to you or more like a mad scientist?

Robin in NC

Maybe you can enlighten me about the downside of worms eating mulch. To me, having worms break down organic matter in the garden (including mulch) is the circle of life and ideal. Otherwise, I'd have to remove the mulch in the Fall so I can add compost to the garden (as it is now, I simply shovel on the compost and pray the worms mix it up for me so i don't have to work as hard).

Bottom line, I'd put the worms in the compost pile along with the kitchen scraps and let the worms find a happy spot in your pile (they're smart enough to move around).

I think I'm just gonna revert to my homeschooling ways and have some experiment piles ... worms, no worms, turning, no turning, lemon rinds (someone on the worm forum suggested they may not like them), pre-composted lemon rinds.

Tn_gardening, I wouldn't mind if the worms composted up SOME of my mulch, I just don't want to have to replace it MONTHLY and I didn't know just how fast they would do that. With the size of my beds (although I did just subdivide one with a path so it is now two more manageable beds. Love it now!) if they were very voracious, I'd be spreading mulch ALL the time. I do want the mulch to help retain moisture most of the summer.

I did add some earthworms to the beds to help with aeration.

I'll let you guys know how it all goes!

Robin in NC