Many of us raise worms because it is fun and exciting. :-)

"not sure when and how you actually put these worms to use. Do you grow these for selling as fishing worms or to put them in the garden and turn the soil under? If so...how often do you need a new supply of them?" Most of us use these worms to compost our kitchen produce waste. Think carrot tops and potato peels. To send those items to the garbage dump or grind into drinking water appears to us a waste of resources and almost sinful. Not as many as one might think uses their worms primarily for fishing. Just as many would maybe purchase worms for fishing as their worms are their pets. We get attached to them. Hardly any of us put the worms into the garden soil. Our worms are red wigglers which eat compost and are different than the worms that are in garden soil. Our worms would die quickly in the garden. Some of our worms are other varieties. Ideally, if we are doing it right, we never again have to purchase or gather worms and indeed will have a large surplus of worms to share.

"How fast do they multiply?" For some vermicomposers very fast. For others, cough me cough, very slowly. Some of us here no longer have worms but have valuable information to share with new and experienced wormers.

"Do they multiply in the winter months as well?" Not as fast as in warmer months. Some vermicomposters use simple or Herculean methods to warm up their little buddies.

"When I read about people growing them indoors, I wondered why we need to protect them that way and why would someone ever need that many worms?" Like rabbits, and krill everything likes to eat worms. A mess or warms is a wondrous thing to behold. I just do not like walking through 3 feet of snow and ice in a blizzard, up hill both ways, just to empty my kitchen scraps in the outdoor compost heap.

"Do worms mainly aerate the soil for easier planting or do they nourish the soil as well?" That is the type of worm that likes to live in soil. Ours live above it, usually in horse poop or vegetable scraps.

"Are these earthworms or a special kind of worm? Can we raise regular earthworms and get the same benefits?" These are "Red Wigglers the Cadillac of worms!" as made famous by their ad on WKRP in Cincinnati http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2SBhu0303k. See I told ya they were fun. Eisenia fetida aka redworm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm. They are special to me. You need not purchase them there are probably some very near to you. You just need to know where to look.

"Thanks for helping me understand the purpose for going to so much trouble to raise worms." Do I get an A on my paper?