Removing Worm Castings

Would like to know how the rest of you vermiculturists remove your worm castings, and how you use this material once removed.

My method is to collect about 1/4th inch of my dried media (sphagnum peat moss) from the surface of each plastic bin at each feeding. I use an old plastic vehicle window ice scraper to move the 'surface dried spent media' to a corner of the bin, and a square opening cat litter scooper to extract this material. I keep a two bulb, four foot, florescent light fixture directly over the four plastic worm bins to keep the worms from straying out of the bin. This fixture will warm the surface enough to dry the media within a couple of days. The spent media is used for both seed germination and potting mixes, and in the early spring I dump and entire bin into my outdoor horse manure compost bin.

morgan

Hi there,
I use the drying method also, but I don't do it daily. I start the bin by filling a tub with straw and manure, let it age so it is no longer hot, the add the worms. I wait until I feel that the whole bin is about done (all the food has been turned to castings) and then I expose it to our hot desert sunshine. It can take as many as 3 days to get to the bottom of the bin for me. I like to use the mix as a supplement to the soil I have in my yard, and also to dump some in water and use it as a plant fertilizer.
I have started my first 'feed daily' bin, which will be interesting. I guess I'll know it's time to change bins when this one is full?
Julia