New to worms

So I've just started my first bin of worms. I have a setup with a bin inside of a bin, with holes in the bottom of the inner bin. What I'm wondering is, if I'm not getting any leachate leaking out of the bin does that mean it is not wet enough? Thanks.

It has been my experience that if you can pick up a handful of bedding and squeeze it, you should be able to make a damp clump without ringing water out.
I am building a vermiponic setup where I will flow water through the worm bin to leach out the worm tea as it is produced. In this case, the worms will be living in a completely water environment. Worms can live in water if it has enough oxygen.

Personally I don't drill holes in my bins. If you are getting lechate out the bottom of your bins you are bordering on too much moisture which means conditions may soon go anaerobic which leads to a number of problems. If you want to achieve the same benefits as worm leachate, try making worm tea.

Thanks for the replies. No, I'm not looking for leachate, I just want to make sure I have enough moisture in the bin. I'm not getting any leachate out so I was worried I didn't have enough moisture. The bedding is damp and clumps up like lonejack described so it should be ok. I've only had the worms for about two weeks so I don't want to cause them any harm.

Mraider, what kinds of problems can occur if it goes anaerobic? Thanks.

redgten, malodor is generally the first indication of conditions going anaerobic. Worms will congrgate in the corners of the bin or attempt to leave the bin for lack of oxygen. Anaerobic conditions can also lead to a variety of unwanted organisms such as flies. Red wigglers can survive a wide range of conditions like lonejack mentioned. However, the combination of too much food and excess mositure leads to the problems mentioned.

in my bins i cut out holes on sides,and bottom..then i line the bin with solid cardboard..which eventually breaks down..
and my bins tend to be on the dry side.. worms seem ok..but im thinking i could let them go a bit more damp..
fyi..just got another co-worker into worms !!! lol yea.. :)
all the banana peels,cantelope rind,coffee grinds i take home..he asked and his wife wants to raise them for
the castings..
sort of summer like here.. got coolish again yesterday..and strong winds.. enough already !!!!

Just purchased my annual supply of peat moss at $15.50 per 3.8 cu ft. Bails were 70 lbs each. I manage to go through 140 pounds or so every year and still don't have enough 'spent media' to do all the things I like to use it for. Yesterday I finished a row of Stupice tomato transplants. I dug an 18" diameter hole, 24" deep for each one, then backfilled the holes with a 50:50 mix of top soil and composted cow manure. I spaded out a smaller hole in the center of each backfill, dropped in the tomato plants and topped the holes with a small cottage cheese container of my vermiculture mix, worms and all. Maybe 100 to 200 worms per plant. Worms will probably stay in the holes for the most part which will help aerate the soil. Plan to do the same for my squash, pumpkin and cucumber transplants in about another week. .

morgan..sure is a late summer for us huh..sigh
tomatoes are doing great..but we need warmer weather here..
it dumped rain this morning.. ran out and put lawn fertilizer on lawns in rain.. LOL im sure neighbours were
sayin .."there he goes again"..LOL
but i have a super lawn..so.. bla.. :)
im going to put out my cucs and squash this week too.. they are going good..but i dont want to let them get to leggy ...
my 1st crop of lettuce is now seeding..so its worm food now..
i need to get summer lettuce going now..
sure had a good yr this yr for lettuce here..
ive enjoyed "free" lettuce this yr..
?morgan.. are the commercial growers up there going to be loosing alot of their crops(potatoes,tomatoes,etc) this
yr to blights..all the rain??

The Late Blight problem as I understand it is mostly in the eastern part of the state, however Manhattan Montana is only an hour’s drive from here and they had problems last hear with their seed potato crop so I don't know if the problem will reach here in Helena, but I'm guessing there is a definite possibility with this wet weather and cool nights. If the disease hits here it will more than likely take out the tomato crop as well.

I really don't know why but I detest lawn duty. I have mentioned before about the 'lawn fetish' as I call it here. The majority of the neighborhood now uses a lawn service to get rid of dandelions and other lawn weeds and about half the people on our block have sprinkler systems which run constantly rain or shine. On top of that they fertilize and mow at least once a week. Man I don't get that at all. The guy next door mows his lawn on weekends and spends two days doing it. I mow about every other week and take about an hour! I even tilled the half of my garden which had not been planted in less time than it took him to finish his back yard which he had started about four hours before me.

Stepped out on the back deck a few minutes and the clouds are dispersing. Next couple of days it is supposes to be sunny so I have lots to accomplish. I did some digging in my 'sunken raised worm bed' yesterday and it is loaded with worms. I can't tell for sure but I think I picked up some red wigglers as well as the European and Canadian night crawlers. Later this morning I am going to get another pickup load of composted cow manure and top this bed off as well as fill another outdoor bin which I will transfer some of the European and Canadians to. I have noticed some of the larger European night crawlers moving about outside of the bin after a rain fall. One was even in a small pile of composted horse manure on the far side of my garden. Had no idea how it got there, but it would be great if they ultimately established themselves in the garden. I have no idea if they are that adaptable but will see. When I transplant my cherry tomatoes, squash and cucumbers this week I think I will take some of the outdoor compost worms from that bin instead of red wigglers from the indoor bins to top off the holes.