Composting is a natural process whereby organic material, such as kitchen scraps and yard waste, decomposes into a dark nutrient-rich soil amendment called humus. Vermicomposting is simply composting with worms. The use of worms speeds up the process of decomposition to produce a richer end product, and also allows the process to occur indoors, making it an ideal system for apartment-dwellers. It's true that earthworms aren't pets for the squeamish, but they are great little composters! If you have considered composting, but live in an apartment, or fear tramping through your backyard in blizzard-like conditions, then vermicomposting is for you! To produce proper compost, you will want to use the kind of worms commonly known as Red Wrigglers, and not ordinary field worms from someone's garden. Red Wrigglers normally live in barnyard manure piles, and feed on fresh organic material. Field worms are better at digesting things that are already well decomposed and aren't likely to survive in a worm bin on a diet of kitchen scraps. Your valuable little Red Wriggler worms will live quietly in their dark box. It is unlikely that you will have too much waste to compost as Red Wriggler worms will eat one half their own weight in kitchen scraps and bedding each day, and will reproduce prolifically if their food supply permits it. The castings they produce are incredibly rich fertilizer and look like fine-textured soil. Even a small bin of Red Wriggler worms will yield pounds of rich sweet-smelling compost.