Worm Bins
Compost your kitchen scraps!
Worm bins are for composting food waste using red worms. Vegetable and fruit scrapes and shredded paper are added on a regular basis and the worms eat them and it turns into vermi-compost or “castings.”
Place a tray underneath to collect any excess moisture.
Place the lid on the bin to conserve the moisture and provide darkness for the worms and invasion of rodents.
Your worm bin can be placed outdoors, basement, shed or balcony. The ideal inside bin temperature is 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep out of direct sunlight during the summer and if outdoors in the winter move indoors if temperatures drop below freezing.
Generally 1 pound of worms are needed per bin. Red worms “red wigglers” or “manure worms” are recommended because they quickly process food waste in vermi-compost.
Worm Bedding – Good Bedding includes shredded newspaper, cardboard, brown leaves, straw or untreated wood sawdust. Fill the bin 3/4 full with bedding and dampen with water, do no soak. Add a handful or 2 of dirt to provide grit that is necessary for the worms digestion. During the next several months the worms will eat the bedding. Add more bedding as necessary.
Harvesting Your Compost – After several months the mixture will turn dark and crumbly and the compost castings will have collected on the bottom of the bin. This means it’s time to harvest your compost and add new bedding.
Feeding – Feed the worms on only one side of the bin. After a few weeks the worms will migrate to that side, then move the bedding from the whole bin to that side. Remove the finished compost from the other side and use in your houseplants, seedlings or garden.
Add new bedding to empty side of bin and moisten. When you add food place it under the new bedding. The worms will migrate to the new food and bedding to eat. Repeat every several months.
Healthy worm bins are a home to a community of beneficial fungi, insects and other organisms. So if you see sowbugs, beetles and creepy crawlies don’t worry, they are ok.
WORM FOOD DO NOT FEED
~vegetable scrapes ~meat or fish
~coffee & tea grounds & filters ~dairy products
~bread – no butter or mayonnaise ~greasy or oily foods
~fruit peels & pulp ~pet waste