Everyone should keep a worm bin; and the Can-O-Worms works well. I keep mine right in my kitchen, so I can easily deposit vegetable debris it it. I have it sitting on a round dollie, so I can roll it around, since I have a tiny kitchen. I recommend the dollie to anyone who buys a worm bin of any kind; because once you have filled your bin with worms and vegetable debris it will weigh a lot.
It takes a while for a worm bin to produce enough worm castings to put out in the garden; but in the mean time the bin is constantly producing "worm tea," which plants love. The "worm tea" keeps potted plants happy, even though their roots are confined. I advise leaving the spigot on the Can-O-Worms open all the time with a collection vessel under it. That way the "tea" is constantly dripping out, and does not fill up the sump. With the dollie, you can put the vessel under the spigot on the dollie, so the whole thing rolls around together.
Although at first it might repulse you a bit to keep rotting vegetable matter around -- especially in the kitchen -- I have found that my initial repulsion has given way to fascination with the transformation going on inside the bin. Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly inside its cocoon, your vegetable detritus transforms into sweet, rich earth inside your worm bin. I have come to view my worms as miracle-workers.
And here is a tip that you won't find anywhere else: to keep your worm bin from emitting any unpleasant odors, be sure to put plenty of parsley stems in the bin, along with the rest of your vegetable debris. It will do you good to eat plenty of parsley leaves, and the stems will keep your worm bin from smelling.
I recommend the Can-O-Worms over any of the other worm bins I researched, because of its sturdy construction and the fact that it is made from recycled plastic. That gratifies my environmental conscience. However, I understand that in cold climates people who want to keep worm bins must keep their bins indoors, because the worms cannot tolerate freezing temperatures. People in cold climates who want to keep a worm bin outdoors can get a special heated worm bin from certain Internet sites.
I have kept compost most of my adult life. Although I still would prefer to keep a traditional compost pile, the restrictions of apartment living -- with close neighbors and little yard space -- render a compost pile out of the question for me any more. Other apartment dwellers will find the Can-O-Worms the ideal alternative to traditional composting.
