hau Janet, Welcome to Permies.
Things to consider in your particular situation are; do you have lawn that will be cut fairly frequently (every week or every two weeks)? Do you have access to other peoples lawn care refuse (branch cuttings, grass clippings, leaves in the fall)?
These are some of the great materials and most places, it is possible to pickup and haul home many bags that were set at the curb destined for a landfill if not rescued by you or someone else.
Commercial bins and tumblers aren't cheap to buy, but they do work when used properly. You can achieve a similar result with a circle of wire fencing which will hold the materials in place better than just piling up heaps.
Worm bins, while not labor intensive do take some care and attention so you don't end up creating a lethal environment for the worms, to much wet, to much food, not
enough drainage all can lead to a worm colony's demise.
Most of the people I know that do worm bins have four to seven bins going at the same time, they have built up to this in most cases but this number seems to be better able to handle the kitchen scraps generated with less possibility of disaster.
If you were to get into the worm composting, you might even derive a
residual income from sales of fishing worms eventually.
For your situation; single mother, working full time, worm bins would be a super way to start. News paper is a great medium for worms to live in. My office generates literally tons of shredded documents, most of which are not harmful to worm bins, perhaps you are in such a situation too.
Keep in mind that worm castings are best used as a top dressing in garden beds and that
compost is ideal for planting in, many commercial farms growing vegetables and berries use compost as their growing medium in high tunnels.
The ideal would be to do some of both methods so you can not only build your soil but have good amendments to go around each plant you grow.
Redhawk
