Harvested my first batch of vermicast yesterday afternoon. After spreading layers of newspapers to catch any moisture, I removed the heavy tiers one by one, laying them on the ground. Surprisingly, the contents of the second working tray almost looked ready to harvest as well: fine, dark, and moist, almost like a chocolate cake.
More worms were cruising the bottom tray than I anticipated, though the vermicast itself was perfectly decomposed, black as espresso grounds, save for tiny flecks of brown organic eggshells I'd added a year ago to the bin, and near-odorless, save for the faintest wisp of rainforest scent. Fortunately, though the weather was sunny, there was no light directly shining on the composter, so I placed the finished tray on the top of the bin, and left it uncovered, trusting that the worms, true to form, would skedaddle into the subterranean depths to avoid the sunlight. Sure enough, in an hour or so, I was able to scoop the finished vermicast into a sturdy plastic bin with handles, donated to the cause by my friend, S, without much incident--though I did find two stowaways this morning in the finished vermicast, who're currently residing in the scrap jar in my office, awaiting return to the composter.
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