what to feed compost worms

^{The "Go" List of items you should feed compost worms includes most raw/uncooked fruits and vegetables as well as the following items:}

• Worms have a sweet tooth so most fruits are a great idea (just not citrus). ...
• Green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine)
• Pumpkin and squash
• Pulp from juicers (avoid citrus)
• Crushed egg shells
• Coffee and tea grounds in small quantities (too many can lead to an acidic bed which can harm the worms)
• Shredded cardboard, egg cartons, and paper towels
• Most leaves (as long as they haven't been treated with pesticides or herbicides)

What are some of the best worms for composting?

Therefore, they can digest food faster if it is:

• Soft
• Cut into small pieces, with a knife or food processor
• Somewhat moist
• Buried in the bin – just below the surface for Red composting worms

What is the best worm for composting?

• They grow to be 3-8 inches long, and are 2 or 3 times bigger than their smaller cousins, the red wigglers (Eisenia Fotida).
• The euros are certainly better for larger foods that aren't as broken down, or for leaves and other tougher material that has not been pre-composted.
• Can be successfully introduced to most garden environments. ...

Why do you need worms in your compost?

Why do I need worms in my garden?

• Add nutrients to the soil. Plant residue such as fallen leaves and dead roots are food for the worms. ...
• Improves drainage. Over time, the soil in a garden can become compact. ...
• Mix the soil. Earthworms also help turn the soil. ...
• Improves plant health. With all the above benefits in place, the positive impact of earthworms on plant health is a no-brainer.

How to get worms into your compost?

Worm Composting: How to Get Started

• Worm Composting Basics. A worm-composting environment breaks organic matter down faster than a traditional compost heap. ...
• The Right Worms for the Job. Red wiggler worms are one of the best species for vermicomposting. ...
• Making Your First Worm Bin. ...
• Setting Up the Worm Bin. ...
• Acclimating the Worms. ...
• Maintaining the Worm Environment. ...
• Harvesting Worm Compost. ...

What is the best food for compost worms?

Top Five Best Foods for Your Worms#1 Leafy Green Vegetables. Worms love lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, to name a few of these vegetables. ... #2 Melons/Squash and Pumpkins. ... #3 Broccoli. ... #4 Apples. ... #5 SURPRISE: Pasta. ... Note: Worms can eat most fruits and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, used tea leaves, etc.

What should you not feed compost worms?

Items you cannot compost in a worm bin:Lemon, lime, orange or other citrus peels and juice (in excess this will make the soil too acidic)Onions and garlic (a good rule of thumb is if it makes you smell, it makes your worm bin smell)Meat, fats, grease, bones or oils (no butter, lard, stocks, soups, etc)More items...

How often should I feed my compost worms?

Depending on the size of your bin, feed the worms from once a week to every two days with about a cup (240 ml.) of food. You may want to keep a journal regarding how quickly your worms consume certain things so you can adjust timings, amounts, and varieties. A stinky worm bin may be an indicator of overfeeding.

What to feed worms to keep them alive?

Worms need food! They will eat some of their bedding, but they really love scraps of fruit and vegetables. Worms will eat the parts you won't, like cores and peels. Don't feed them too much or too often at first. A yogurt container full of scraps once a week will be enough.

Can I feed worms oats?

Fruits and vegetables (uncooked or peels) – you can feed your worms any variation as long as it's not citrus based (you'll have to stay way from lemons, oranges, pineapples and all that since it has high acidity levels) Starchy food wastes – these can be in the form of bread, oatmeal, and pasta.

Will worms eat banana peels?

Bananas are a great and inexpensive snack for both us and our worms. Those peels are desirable to compost worms no matter what shape they're in. They'll make short work of what otherwise would have taken up space in your trash.

Can compost worms eat cooked rice?

What can I compost in a worm farm? Grains, cooked or uncooked (rice, oats, barley, wheat, etc.) The smaller the pieces, the quicker they'll break down in the compost pile. Be sure to cut cores in half and break down the pumpkin you forgot to eat.

Are coffee grounds good for worms?

Worms love to eat coffee grounds, and that's great news for your garden. Add coffee grounds to your compost pile to help attract worms, which help speed up the process of turning food scraps into compost. You can also add coffee grounds directly to the soil, but you'll have to be careful not to overdo it.

How often should you change worm bedding?

After worms are added, bedding should be kept moist but not soggy and the top 6 to 8 inches turned every 7 to 10 days to keep it loose. About every 6 to 9 months the old bedding should be replaced with properly prepared new bedding. To change bedding, remove the top 5 or 6 inches (where most of the worms are).

Should I stir my worm bin?

There is definitely no need to completely mix up your worm bin contents. The worms themselves – along with various other critters do a lot of mixing on their own.

Can worms eat carrot peels?

Carrot peelings, potato skins, broccoli and cauliflower stalks, lettuce, kale, even onion peels (in limited quantities) are perfect for the worm bin. Vegetable waste like this isn't prone to overheating your bin either, so this is another low-maintenance food.

How long will worms live in a container?

about three weeksA 32-ounce container with about 1-2 dozen worms and filled with moist compost should keep the worms healthy and active for about three weeks. Store them out of direct sunlight at a temperature between 50 and 85 degrees. These special “crawlers” will actually thrive at these warm temperatures.

What do composting worms eat?

This includes grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Plant matter is filled with nutrients and vitamins that worms need.

How do worms digest food?

Worms do not have teeth. Their little mouths take in the food. Therefore, they can digest food faster if it is: 1 Soft 2 Cut into small pieces, with a knife or food processor 3 Somewhat moist 4 Buried in the bin – just below the surface for Red composting worms

What happens if a worm bin is too acidic?

If the bin becomes too acidic, there will be a bad odor, and the worms’ healthy could be compromised. Do not add citrus peels, pulp, or juice (orange, lemon, lime). Also, pineapple is too high in acid. Large amounts of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato juice are not good. Very small quantities of these foods will not make a difference.

Can you put toxic items in a worm bin?

Discard the water. Do not put toxic items in the worm bin. Worms are living creatures and they could die. Sawdust from pressure-treated wood is toxic. So are plants heavily treated with pesticides and herbicides. Carbon paper and carbonless paper are off the menu. So is office paper, because it is bleached white.

Can you put animal products in worm bins?

How Animal Products and Greasy Foods Ruin the Composter. You should never add meat, animal products, dairy products, or greasy, oily foods to the worm bin. The oils, meat, and milk become rancid as they decompose. Rotting oils cause a powerful and unpleasant odor.

Do worms have teeth?

Their excrement, called “humus,” contains digested nutrients and earth-friendly bacteria. Humus makes an ideal fertilizer for growing new plants. Worms do not have teeth. Their little mouths take in the food. Therefore, they can digest food faster if it is: Soft. Cut into small pieces, with a knife or food processor.

Can grass clippings kill worms?

Additionally, green grass clippings generate too much heat as they break down. These high temperatures can kill your worms. Fertilizers and other chemical compounds might be suitable for soil. However, they are too strong to add to a worm bin. They contain chemical salts that cause harm to the worms.

What is worm compost?

Worm composting, also called vermicomposting, is a great way to use kitchen scraps to create a nutrient-rich compost to feed your garden and keep it producing year-round. In a large container, simply shred some newspaper and leaves from your yard to create a nice loose base, then add in red wiggler worms, officially known as Eisenia fetida, ...

What do worms eat?

Do feed your worms organic fruit and vegetable waste, including the rinds, cores, and peelings of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Feed them crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and coffee filters (as long as the filters are unbleached), teabags, and aged manure from vegetable-eating animals, such as rabbits, horses, and cows.

What are worm castings?

Worm castings are full of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and humic acids that help improve soil structure. After you gather your supplies: a bin, shredded newspaper or leaves, and red wiggler worms, all you need to do is start saving food scraps to feed them.

How often do red worms multiply?

In fact, red worms are known to double their population size every 90 days. If you started with far too few, it’s okay to purchase more and add them to the mix.

Can you put old kitchen scraps in the compost bin?

A word of caution, however— don’t just throw any old kitchen scraps into the compost bin and hope for the best. Keep reading, and let’s dive into what you don’t want to feed them. Do not feed your worms fatty or processed foods, such as meat or dairy products. These types of kitchen scraps will cause strong odors when they decompose ...

Where do worms get their nutrition?

In fact, your worms’ main source of nutrition comes from the microorganisms that grow in abundance on organic fruit and vegetable waste. That’s why instead of devouring the scraps that you throw in to the soil immediately, your worms will wait around until microbes begin to flourish on the surface of the food scraps.

Can you put salt in a compost bin?

Avoid adding salt, or any salty foods, to the compost bin. Salt is really bad for worms and can kill them if it’s present in large amounts in the compost container. Onions are another kitchen scrap that you may want to consider just throwing away instead of adding to the compost bin to be consumed.

What is worm farming?

Worm farming is a great project for anyone who likes to get their hands a little dirty. The end result is nutrient rich worm castings that your garden will absolutely love. The key to a successful worm bin is to just take things slow, feed your worms sparingly with a proper diet, and be patient.

Why don't you put meat in worm bins?

(You don’t want to put these in your normal compost pile either for the same reason.) Don’t put meat or dairy in your worm bin because these will go rancid.

Do composting worms eat fruit?

Composting worms, or Red Wigglers, are not picky eaters. They will happily digest a wide variety of organic plant material into nutrient rich worm castings. I put old lettuce in there, rotten vegetables, potato peels, fruit, grass clipping, and leaves, just to name a few. They especially love the fruit.

Can you put citrus in a worm bin?

You should avoid putting citrus fruits in the worm bin, as well as garlic, onions, and peppers. Composting worms will avoid these at all costs due to the high acidity. It’s best to reserve these items for your regular compost pile.

What can be used as worm waste?

Any vegetable waste that you generate during food preparation can be used: potato peels, grapefruit and orange rinds, outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage, celery ends, and so forth. Plate scrapings might include macaroni, spaghetti, gravy, vegetables, or potatoes. Spoiled food from the refrigerator, such as baked beans, moldy cottage cheese, and leftover casserole also can go into the worm bin. Coffee grounds are very good in a worm bin, enhancing the texture of the final vermicompost. Tea leaves, even tea bags and coffee filters, are suitable.

Why do rabbits put worms in the bin?

Some people who raise rabbits build a bin underneath the rabbit hutch for the worms to eat the manure and wasted rabbit feed. If you do this, be sure and add an absorptive bedding to the bin and watch for concentrations of urine. You many need to dilute the urine so that ammonia does not build up.

What is the best way to speed up decomposition of meat?

Daniel Dindal of the State University of New York at Syracuse suggests adding a good carbon source (such as sawdust or extra bedding) to meat and bones to speed up decomposition time. He finds that if meat is chopped, ground, and thoroughly mixed with the carbon source, rodents won’t even be a problem.

Can you feed compost worms salty food?

The Perfect Diet for Compost Worms. You should not feed your compost worms salty foods; it will cause them to shrivel up and die quickly. “Worms Eat My Garbage” by Mary Appelhof and Joanne Olszewski has helped over 200,000 people start their own worm composting systems. Worms Eat My Garbage (Storey, 2017) by Mary Appelhof ...

Do worms need nitrogen?

There are some advantages to putting some of these nitrogen-rich materials into your worm bin. Worms require nitrogen in a form they can use. Nitrogen is also required by the microorganisms that do much of the composting and that are, in turn, eaten by the worms.

Does citrus kill worms?

Excess quantities of citrus will kill worms. If your bin is small and you squeeze a dozen or so oranges for juice, I advise you not to put all the rinds in the bin at once. Lemons, oranges, and limes contain limonene, which is toxic to worms.

Can you put coffee grounds in worm bins?

Coffee grounds are very good in a worm bin, enhancing the texture of the final vermicompost. Tea leaves, even tea bags and coffee filters, are suitable. Eggshells can go in as they are. I have found as many as 50 worms curled up in one eggshell.

What do worms eat?

Don’t feed them anything other than that! But they will thrive on some things over others. All manner of vegetable and fruit peelings, eggshell, tea (bag and all) and coffee grounds provide a kings feast for worms.

What to do if you overfed worms?

1. Remove any rotting food from the farm (don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, it’s all in the name of the healthy worm); 2. Gently aerate the bedding with a fork to give the farm a healthy oxygen hit; 3.

Why do worm farms fail?

Too much of one food item (fruit for example) threatens to upset the pH of your farm and degrade conditions. Try to feed your worms a good mix of different food items to balance out conditions. Your worms will be happier for it. In my opinion, overfeeding your worms is the number one reason why worm farms fail.

Is citrus a worm farm?

Citrus contains limonene, a substance toxic to worms in anything other than small quantities so be careful of disposing of rind in your worm farm; they don’t tend to like onions and foods from the onion family (leeks, shallots, garlic, chives); meat and dairy in all forms are a no-go zone; and pet poo is toxic and should not be fed to your worms.

Can overfeeding worms kill them?

Overfeeding can result in bad smells (because the waste rots before the worms can process it), attract flies and other pests, and ultimately result in death if the conditions become unbearable. Any of these issues might be enough for you to throw in towel and bring your career as a worm farmer to an abrupt halt.

What do red wiggler worms eat?

Red wiggler worms feed on the microbes that feed on decomposing matter. Since worms don’t have teeth, they’re not really munching on the food itself. That being said, we still talk about what food the worms like to eat. There are two parts to their diet…nitrogen and carbon materials.

What are the two parts of worm bedding?

There are two parts to their diet…nitrogen and carbon materials. The carbon materials make up the bedding, but it is also a food source for them. The nitrogen materials come from your kitchen. Worm bedding materials, clockwise from top left – shredded newspaper, paper bags, coconut coir, paper egg cartons, shredded cardboard.

How long to bake eggshells for worms?

You can use azomite, dolomite lime, zeolite, garden lime or finely ground eggshells. Bake the eggshells at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or until completely dry. I’ve also used the rock dust blend that comes with the Worm Factory kits. Sprinkle a light dusting of one of these over the food each time you feed the worms.

How to keep worms from breathing in dust?

I use eggshells with each feeding and then add a sprinkle of some rock dust over the whole farm once a month. Very lightly mix it into the top inch. Use a face mask to prevent breathing in the dust.

Can too much nitrogen kill worms?

Too much nitrogen based food can lead to anaerobic conditions in your bin which can kill your worms. It’s important to err of the side of too much bedding to avoid this. I add an equal amount of bedding material, by volume, mixed into every feeding.

Do you need to add water to a worm farm?

Most people do not need to add additional water to their worm farms. The water that is released as the food decomposes is usually enough. A worm farm should be damp like a wrung out sponge. If you live in a dry climate, you may need to add additional water.

Can you put cucumbers in a compost crock?

You can certainly put a whole cucumber in there, but it will sit for a bit before the worms get to it. Cut up the pieces into about 1″ chunks…no need to dice it finely. You can keep the food scraps in a compost crock until you’re ready to feed them.

What to feed worms?

Some “DON’TS” in the feeding of worms are: 1 Do not add salty or oily foods 2 Do not add tomatoes or potatoes 3 Do not add meat or dairy products

What do worms eat?

Worms will eat any of the following: Pumpkin. Leftover corn cobs. Melon rinds. Banana peels. Fruit and veggie detritus. However, it is best to avoid putting citrus, onions, and garlic in the worm bin. Onions and garlic will eventually be broken down by worms, but the odor in the interim may be more than you can handle!

How much food scraps do worms eat?

One pound of worms (about 1,000 worms) will eat about ½ to 1 pound (0.25-0.5 kg.) of food scraps per day.

Can you feed worms hot manure?

Don’t feed the worms pet waste or any “hot” manure. “Hot” manure is un-composted animal waste and its addition may result in heating the bin too much for the worms.

Can worms eat tomatoes?

Worms will eat tomatoes but make sure to break down the seed or you will likely have some tomato sprouts in the bin. No big deal, however, as you can just pull them out. The same may occur with potatoes and their eyes spouting before the potato is consumed.

Can citrus kill worms?

Citrus pulp or any highly acidic fruit added to the worm bin in large quantities can kill off your worms, so be aware and only add small amounts or just add the citrus peels without the pulp. When vermiculture feeding, basically go “green.”.

Foods Thatcomposting Worms Love

See more on thistledownsfarm.com

Exceptions to The Organic Materials

Otherthings to Keep Out of The Worm Bin

Conclusion