Over the last couple of decades I have made several worm bins, some hand made by me and some purchased.  As of this decade, this is my favorite.  Built for one person, I only attend it about once every 4 to 6 weeks.  I keep it indoors where it can’t be infested with any bugs that aren’t serving me.  This small bin feeds my entire container garden which includes many food related plants.    
This one batch of worms is about a year old, meaning that I purchased red worms from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm; Just google him about a year ago and the colony has been alive and well since then.   This bin I purchased off amazon for $30, but they are $50 now “4 tray worm compost kit”. 
Please consult the internet for basics of how and why you would want a worm bin/composter, many folks out there better than me at this and have dedicated a long time to it.   I personally am interested in the casting (poop) for my garden.  EVERYTHING loves worm castings. 

Here are my tricks to awesomeness once you have the basic concept:

1.  Keep it in a clean bug-free area!  It will not smell or draw bugs if you follow my process.  You will only open it once a month or so.  I always take mine outside for the initial opening JUST IN CASE.  If you open it and bugs are present, you have a problem and need to tear it down and clean it well, hand pick out as many worms as you can and then restart the entire thing.  The only thing more annoying than this is having a house full of flying bugs for the next 2 days on top of it. 
2. Keep your scraps for the bin in a sealed Tupperware container throughout the month, in your fridge.  Only open the worm container once every 4 to 6 weeks and feed it all at once, ensure a tight seal on the containers and then leave it alone. 
3. When harvesting out the castings (worm poop) I put the “mud” directly into my containers in a little hole in the dirt.  If I can’t dig a little hole because of roots, I will lay it around the top and then water it lightly.  When you have many of the thicker castings out from the edges, put it over a big bowl or bucket and spray it down with water, I use mist level.  The black water dripping out is straight fertilizer, most of the worms have already vacated this level because you were messing with it and flipping it around. The spray will leave the food and much needed moisture without drowning your worms.  You can then water your house plants and other smaller pots.  Only a little, you aren’t trying to wet down your roots, you are trying to get as much of the castings into the soil and leave them there as possible.  I’ll often do this AFTER I water just so the soil is wet and better capable of holding onto particles.
4. Get a bag of plan dirt, no fertilizers or anything in it (no miracle grow!).  Always put a thin layer of dirt under the food scraps, take the sprayed down leftovers (Tip 3) and throw that on top of the scraps and then a layer at least ½” thick of soil on top, then the lid.   The worms need it, and it keeps any wayward smells or insects away while the worms go to town on the scraps. 
5. If you have dead plants or old dead root balls, you have worm egg heaven.  Leave a root ball in the bottom tray to improve your worm population.
6. Feel like your worms are too many and going through the food to fast?  Throw a bunch in your containers.  They will happily live on old dyeing root and broken-down material.  

Today while the norther US is getting slammed with snow, I’m standing outside trimming my eucalyptus tree!  For those of you into container gardening, these guys do great.  I trim him about once every three to four months.  This is his first trim this year.  After collection and any dead or problem areas are removed.  I spray down any scaley areas or problem spots with water and dawn dish soap.  Don’t mist your plants and then put them in the sun!!  The water will magify the light and burn the leaves.  I trim for constant branching and getting to move of a small bush. 
I remove all the leaves and place them into a clean and sterile jelly jar with a new lid.  Cover with fractured coconut oil.  You can use any oil you feel comfortable rubbing on your face.  I avoid olive oil as it’s partial to mold and I like these to last about 6 months without fridge.
I heat the oil slowly in a double boiler for about 15 minutes and poke it with a toothpick to make sure all air bubbles are out of the oil.  Then seal up the jar, wait for it to completely cool and into the fridge for two weeks.  Strain and into a dark glass roller ball top.  Label and you have an instant sinus relief oil!

Very pleased with my new 2024 Wheel of the Year.  File purchased off Etsy, burned into the wood plaque by my good friend.  I had him leave the moon phases empty with just the outlines so that I could darken in the moons as we go through the year.  Really pleased with how it came out. 
I included it for the first time in my new moon ritual on February 9th.
The file is not mine, some of the date spreads (like Yule) are not the spread I celebrate on, however, I'm still very pleased.  

Almost to the close of the season, and I’m settling into what will hopefully be a solid foundation for the coming year.  I have added a large white 3 wick candle, normally reserved for Yule “log”, to mark my season.  Lite the night on Feb 1st through morning of Feb 2nd and my purple scarf hung outside on the door for blessing from Bridget. 

From the start of my projects on Jan 25th, the cantaloupe has sprouted in the hydroponics, the citrus tree has sprouted new buds, mango is getting ready to bloom and my container garden is happy and attended.  Eastern Mandrake is looking great in this cool weather and full sun.  I’ve start a new business course to meld my spiritual side and my corporate side, hopefully promoting a fruitful outcoming to carry me into the next phase of my life. 
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*Fire safety first, I have a fire place, and my candle is in a large steal cauldron with nothing flammable and a sand base.