I have something that looks almost identical to this, but it was called "The Magical Worm Farm." Other than the three months they took to ship it to me, I've loved it. I have never noticed a smell, even though I've kept it inside.

Vermicomposting is so fantastic, those guys will eat so much that you'd throw away otherwise.

My husband made one of these for less than $20...if you're a DIYer, you can totally do this and save some money. He just used stackable gardening trays (the kind with the holes in the bottom) and drilled a hole in one of the lower trays to insert a spigot. It works great. Happy, fat worms.

We wintered our worms in the basement and never noticed any smell. If you have the right mix of brown to green matter, it should never smell.

I've had one of these for about 2 years, we like it OK, but keep it inside all year. I don't know what climate you'd have to live in to keep it outside all the time, but here in MN there's no way. They bake in any direct sun and freeze the rest of the year... Otherwise, they live in my very unfinished basement. I didn't have any trouble with them till my beer brewing hubby added a bunch of barley, and then the fruit flies and some smell started.

Overall the worm farm is just OK, I don't get as much compost as I thought I would and if you had 7 trays, that would be A LOT of worms and scraps you'd be feeding them. The worms aren't totally work free...but you can ignore them for awhile and they do survive, which is probably why I still have them!

How much compost do small space solutions such as these generate? And how does that amount compare with the needs of the small container gardens that most small spaces have? I guess I'm wondering if most apartment-dwellers who compost end up with way too much compost for their needs?

I imagine that any excess compost from this method not needed for container gardens or whatever could be scattered onto any available lawn or garden, nearly invisibly improving the soil. So you'd be improving the neighborhood while eliminating some of your garbage. How altruistic!

we have one and it works well... better if you can keep the worms at a steady temp. we've lost 2 colonies to heat. while working, it doesn't stink, but hot, dead worms form a stench you'll not forget.

I've always been interested in composting, but kinda terrified of worms. Is there a way to do it where you don't have much interaction with the fellas? Like they stay on their side and I stay on mine?
-anna
chateausavoie.com

@cookandtell, minimizing worm contact is what the multiple trays on these bins are for.

When one tray of compost is ready to be used, stop filling it and start filling the other trays instead. The worms will gradually migrate to the fresh snacks, leaving you able to use the compost in their former tray without having to pick out any straglers.

I love love love my "can o worms" worm farm-- I've had worms for a few years. It makes fantastic compost in a few months (versus a year in my standard compost bin). Can O Worms was pretty pricey and I wish I had seen the DIY solution above. However, it works great with minimal care.

I do get fruit flies in the summer (mine lives my garage and I eat quite a bit for fruit). The smell is pretty minimal (although when you harvest worm tea, it can get pretty rank). I am surprised on how much an established colony can eat. In addition to kitchen waste, I used bedding of shredded junk mail (soy ink only) and coffee grinds from the office.

Anna-- the worms do not escape, but you do have to handle them when you want to "harvest" the compost.

I have been using this style of vermicomposter for over a year and wish I would've gone with the DIY solution (i.e., the big rubbermaid tub with holes drilled in it). In my experieince, I've noticed these drawbacks:

*Although one can stack several trays, only one tray is actually in use at a time.

*The liquid from the spigot is not compost tea and is not appropriate for houseplants. It is compost leachate and, in fact, can overwhelm the small contained "ecosystems" of houseplants.

* In order for the worms to quickly process large amounts of food scraps, the scraps need to be cut into small pieces. I found this to be an annoying extra step. Adding whole food scraps means it takes longer for the worms to do their work.

*The low height of the trays mean that there is not always ample coverage of the worms and scraps with shredded cardboard or paper. We have had fruit fly problems because of this.

I have a MIO worm bin in the kitchen, this one http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-worms-for-compost-088364

same design, almost, as the Worm Factory, smaller, simpler, same basic plan.
No smells, no escapes, fat happy worms from coffee grounds and kitchen scraps, looks very cool too! I have happy plants inside and out from the worm poop.
I am giving a starter colony of worms to a friend who is building a worm bin because the worms are reproducing so well. With the MIO and this larger Worm Factory you are paying more than the cost of a homemade bin , it was worth it to me.
I started with one pound of worms because there was just no sense in killing two pounds of the critters until I got the hang of it. As it happens, worms are easy, breed like the dickens , eat an amazing amount of waste and my garden is beautiful because of them.

Hope this helps.