The compost is READY when the material is moderately loose and crumbly and the colour of the compost is dark brown. It will be black, GRANULAR, lightweight and humus-rich. To facilitate separating the worms from the compost, stop watering two to three days before emptying the beds. This will force about 80 per cent of the worms to the bottom of the bed. The rest of the worms can be removed by HAND, and are ready to be transferred into the next round of compost making. The vermicompost is then ready for application. The smell is earth-like. Any bad odour is a sign that fermentation has not reached its final GOAL and that the bacterial processes are still going on.

The compost is ready when the material is moderately loose and crumbly and the colour of the compost is dark brown. It will be black, granular, lightweight and humus-rich. To facilitate separating the worms from the compost, stop watering two to three days before emptying the beds. This will force about 80 per cent of the worms to the bottom of the bed. The rest of the worms can be removed by hand, and are ready to be transferred into the next round of compost making. The vermicompost is then ready for application. The smell is earth-like. Any bad odour is a sign that fermentation has not reached its final goal and that the bacterial processes are still going on.