Disclaimer: Not everyone in the worm industry will agree with my views on this post!

Almost all foods that you eat and enjoy the worms will, too.  I hope you are buying and eating organically now.  The food scraps you will be feeding to your worms in their bin are best suited to the worm’s good health and performance if they are all organic. This is not to say the worms will not tolerate the occasional lapse of part of bags of very salty chips. They do like salt (saline) in small amounts.  The entire bag, which has become outdated in your cupboard, is not the best worm food all at one go.

If you can, it is best to have a balance of foods, for the worms.  Just as you prefer to have a wide variety of foods in your diet, the worms will, too.  All fruits and vegetables are wonderful worm food.  As I have mentioned before the longer those scraps can be placed in the sun, the soupier they will become and the faster the worms can ingest them.

Over the years, I have read and heard said that there are foods a worm bin should not have placed into it. These have included meats, cheeses, fats, oils and butter.  You get the idea.  Let me share with you what does happen in the worm bin to these foods.

The Meats: they will breakdown fast. This occurs because there will be flies attracted to them and in turn, those flies will lay eggs. The eggs turn into maggots.  OK, I do know what you are thinking, which is: I don’t want maggots anywhere near me or my worm bin! I am sure you will recall the goal in any worm bin is to get a large particulate piece of matter down to the size it will fit into a microscopic worm’s mouth. All the helpers in the bin are busy doing this.  Maggots are no different.  Once their role is finished, they simply fly away and will not harm you or the worms.  I do know that other worm breeders will or may tell you something else entirely, but I have found in the past 21 years, the maggots have harmed neither the worms nor me.

The Cheeses:  This is an interesting one for me as I have had varied experiences with different cheeses.  Cheese, which is pasteurized and organic, is fine for the worms.  One reason is that it is loaded with the calcium, which they require to replicate themselves.  Another reason is they like it and it will breakdown well in their bin.  Cheese that has been made into singles or a in processed block of it, which you can use, as much as you need at a time, is not good worm food.  I had a block of this, which was leftover from a party.  It outdated in the refrigerator and I put it into the worm bin, a large bin.  That block of cheese remained in the same pristine state through 20 harvests of that bin.  It was never broken down.  After that 20^th harvest, I left it out of the bin for a day or two.  I noticed several things about it: flies never landed on it, the sun did not melt it and ants did not go near it.  I concluded that this type of cheese was not real food!  This is not a good food choice for people or the worms.  Unfortunately, it never broke down in the hot compost pile either and I finally had to send it to the landfill.  I will never buy this type of cheese ever.

Oils and Fats: Yes, I do know there are good ones and ones that are not good for us to consume.  I steer clear of the bad oils and bad fats in my diet as you will for your worms.  All natural oils are OK in your bin, as are the fats, not a whole bottle at once though.  No matter how tempting it might be to dump a bottle of oil, which has ‘gone off’, and is old and stale do not do this. Hold off and pour it instead, into the worm’s food pail and let it mix with the other organic(s) for them.

Bones:  These are also full of calcium for your worms.  For me, here at Vermicoast, I do put them into the bins.  The long hollow bones will breakdown well over time, as they are softer than ribs are.  Time being a relative issue for me, as I do not care how long it takes them to breakdown. Ten harvests or twenty, it does not matter to me at all.  I simply harvest, add the bones, which have not broken down back into the bin when I restart it. Another way I have used the bones is to allow them to dry out in the oven as it cools down. This makes them very brittle. Once that happens, I place them into a brown paper bag and when I am frustrated about something I get the bag out and whack it with a flat shovel.   Then I have an instant supply of pulverized bones, which are a rich source of calcium for the worms.  I add this to every bin as long as the supply lasts, about 1/2 an ounce per bin per week.

To Recap:

> Meats:  It is up to you if you want to add them or not. You can be adventurous, do it, and see how you can handle the fall out as mentioned above.

> Cheeses:  Once again, the choice is yours in what you will buy and feed to your family and yourself.  If there is any left over do let the worms have the organic cheeses.  Perhaps some day the processed cheeses will be outlawed.

> Fats and Oils:  Pick the ones you know will be tasty for your household. Anything left over is fine for your worms.

I’ll be back in a few days and will have some questions and answers I have gathered over the years from those who have emailed me or have spoken up with a question or two at speaking engagements I have presented.

I hope you are enjoying your worms and will continue to learn from them.

~Shel

You’ve set up your worm bin, the worms are in, for the next few months all you have to do is feed them the right things in the proper amounts until it is time to harvest the casts.  Is the right or wrong?  I have found this to be true for the most part.  What is missing here is what do the worms like and in what amounts.  They like and love organic foods, just like all the of the things people eat, only with even greater variety.  Organic includes everything that is alive or ever was alive.  Just like humans, Eisenia fetida appreciate plenty of fiber and a varied diet.  They don’t have to be told to eat their vegetables, in fact, those are some of their favorite foods.  Keep in mind you are not only feeding the worms, but also the thousands of microscopic organisms which are breaking down the food for the worms.  These organisms can only work on the food surfaces they can reach, so the finer you chop your kitchen waste, the faster it will be consumed and the easier it is for the decomposers in the bin to do their jobs.  But if you don’t, eventually they will break it down but it will take longer to be consumed by the worms.  You may recall, that in a previous blog I mentioned placing the wastes in a covered pail, in the sun and letting them all become soupy.  The worms love this as they can consume it faster.   This does have the ick factor to it, as it might have an unsavory aroma to it, but I do know that the worms here love to have their food delivered in the way.

Killing Worms With Kindness:

One of your most difficult tasks will be to restrain yourself from overfeeding your worms in their bin.  Temptation abounds and it is hard to resist as your organics pile up in your kitchen compost container.  It’s summer and the family got together with the neighbors for a picnic and watermelon fest.  What do you do with all those rinds, the leftover potatoe salad, the hotdogs and hamburgers the kids didn’t finish?  Or, you just finished peeling and pitting a lug full of peaches to can them for winter desserts, here you are with a huge bowl of trimmings.   Now, it’s Thanksgiving and it was your turn to cook, wouldn’t the worms just love these extra treats?   Well, maybe they would, but not all at once.  You have several alternatives:

1. freeze the excess to gradullay feed the worms at a later time.

2. place it in your active compost pile.

3. dig a hole and dump it in, cover it back up and worms in the soil will find it.

4. if you live in an apartment and haven’t any other choice, put it in the trash or turn on the disposal.

This last item is my least favorite choice, as you are wasting that organic resource, wasting the water and electricity. I happily said goodbye to my disposal more than 15 years ago. What freedom I have now!

Probably more worms in their bins at homes are lost to overfeeding than almost any other factor.  Worms in the wild don’t have this problem because they are free to roam.  If there is a big body decomposing in the woods, they can wait until it is their turn at the food chain and come and go at will.  In the worm bin, if excess food is anaerobically decomposing, there is nowhere for the worms to escape to.  They are trapped.

If you find  consistently you have more food than the worms can handle, get a larger bin or start a second one.  There isn’t any rule that says you are limited to only one bin.  I highly recommend to all my clients, that they have a worm annex on hand, just in case a worm bin emergency happens.  This can be anything you have on hand in your home or garage.  An old sweater box, a Rubbermaid container or anything which has been drilled out beforehand, so you are ready for all contingencies and have a safe place to transfer the worms in a hurry, if you have to.

To Recap:

> your worms in your bin will love all organic foods, just like you do.

> overfeeding will kill your worms, always have a plan in place should you need one for excess worm food.

> killing your worms with kindness is NOT your goal.

I will cover the foods which can safely be placed into your bin and which  could pose a problem for you or the worms  next time.

Until then, please:

Enjoy your worms as they have much to teach you about their likes and dislikes!

~Shel

The red wigglers I have here have over the years become accustomed to how much I fed them and how often.  I have found ways to be away on holiday for up to a month and still have the worms doing well when I have returned.  For all 90+ bins this is not always easy, but it can be done.  It is helpful to recall if you began with either one or two lbs of worms, as that will dictate the amount of wastes you can give them.  If you challenge them with too much your worms and bin are in for some nasty surprises and so are you. Dead worms are not happy ones.

As I mentioned in other blog posts your should always error on the side of feeding your worms too little rather than overwhelm them with too much food. That can and does lead to the food wastes heating up and since the worms have no where else to go they perish.

I recommend you feed them in the beginning of your learning about them about  one cup of food waste from your kitchen every three days.  If you rotate the feeding sites in the manner of looking at a clock face.  Using 12:00 at the top and on the right side you can feed there the first time, in spot to the side or under that first one  of 1:00 in three days, in spot 2:00 in another three days, until you are at the spot of 6:00.   Once you have reached the 6:00 area pull back the bedding at 12:00 into which you have buried the food well down into it.  If all the food wastes have been consumed you can safely continue with this feeding schedule.  You may even find that the worms are doing better than you thought and are consuming the wastes at a faster rate.  At this time you can safely step up the feeding to more than  a cup at a time to two cups.

Over time I have found one way to speed up the consumption by the worms.  This will require you getting over the initial ‘ick’ factor of the process I use.  I place all the wastes into a large covered pail.  I make sure the pail has a rock on it to keep the vermin out.  I place it in the sun for at least one week.  At the end of the week the wastes have all become a type of soupy mass.  It is not easy to determine if the  apple core is really that or if the banana peel is a peel, it is that well degraded.  Do recall this: the goal of your worms eating and preforming well in your bin is to have a balanced diet for them and on which they can readily eat.  Because the worm’s mouth is microscopic in size, the smaller the particle size is the faster the worms can eat it and make castings for you.

How to feed the worms this soupy mixture?  Good question.  I use long gloves, which are called Bluettes.  They are durable and will last you for at least five or more years.   I use a long handled scoop to ladle the mixture into the bedding, cover it well, add more bedding only  if the level has dropped below how much I need to have cover the food wastes well.   Do recall this: the bedding is an insulator for the worms, as well as a place for them to mate, rest and eat.  Without adequate bedding they will not do well for you.  I add more food to the soupy pail contents as I have it or the worms need more food, leaving it in the sun as before.

How much bedding is needed in the start of your bin or the first 2two months?  That is dependent on how quickly the worms are consuming it along with the food wastes you are giving them.  For the first two months I suggest that you keep the bedding to within one inch of the top of the bin. This gives the worms that added cushion of both insulation and an organic food source, should they need or require it.  Do recall also that the bedding is always shredded and soaked paper.  I found in one bin that I had unfortunately left unfed, except for cardboard, which had been shredded that the worms survived on just that and no food for over a month. Of course the casts were all of a yellowish tinge. The worms were all smaller than normal.  These two things told me that the worms have to have a balanced diet of both bedding and food wastes. I also told me they would make it on bedding alone, not well, but they did survive.  I remedied the situation as quickly as I could and the worms became large and happy once more.

To recap:

>  How much, how often your feed your worms is vital to their well-being.

> Getting over the ‘ick factor’ in a soupy mixture  of the food wastes is a good idea.

>  Limiting the worms diet to just one food source is not the best idea.

>  Making sure the worms have enough bedding is key to their well being and moderating the temperature in their environment.

Until next time when I write about the do’s and don’t's of what you can feed you worms, I hope you are learning from your worms, as they can teach you a great deal.

Enjoy your worm bin!

~Shel

Which type of worms will work for my bin?

That is a good question. There are many different types of worms on the market today for vermicomposting. Red worms, or red wigglers have always been the ones, I have used with great success over the years, as well as my clients. Now Alabama Jumpers are on the market and fellow breeders tell me they also do a fine job.  I am staying with the breed I do know a great deal about.  You can choose, after reading up on the various species, which ones will work for you and your situation.

What is the right size of container is right for my worms?

Take a week or so, look at or weigh your organic waste recyclables from the kitchen. Compare the volume of your waste with this rule of thumb: for a one to two person household a twelve to sixteen quart bin will work. To meet the needs of a two to four member household, a twenty-two quart will do the job.

The container doesn’t have to be very deep, remember E. Fetida are top feeders, anything deeper than one foot is wasted. The more surface area you give the worms the better.

Measure the length and width of the container in inches.  Multiply the length by the width to calculate the surface area of the container in square inches.  One square foot equals 144 square inches.

The ideal beginning volume of worms will vary depending on the size of the bin you choose.  Once the bin has been set up the worms will begin to multiply.  In about four to six  months the worms will have doubled the number you began your bin with.  When the volume reaches three quarter pounds per square foot, the worms will become over crowded and will try to begin to migrate.  Worms on the sides and top of the bin trying to escape are good indications that it is time to harvest the castings and divide the herd, as it is sometimes called by breeders.

How much and how often should I feed my worms?

In ideal conditions in the wild, a worm will eat its own weight daily.  In the confined space of the worm bin you can expect a worm to eat up to one half its weight per day. Worms burn up less energy in a worm bin.  They do not have to range very far to locate food and they cannot travel far in a confined space.

A family of four with a 22 quart bin, starting with 2 pounds of worms, can expect them to consume one pound of waste per day.  Estimate processing 3 to 7 pounds of food waste per week.  Feeding the worms twice a week should work out well.  Having written that I do need to tell you that the most common cause of worm bin failure on the part of the new bin owner is over feeding of the worms.  In their  haste to have the worms consume as much as possible and see the results in the vermicompost, or castings they will give you, many people over feed the worms.  What happens in the bin is catastrophic for the worms.  Too much waste in the bin will cause the wastes to heat up or hot compost.  This means it will cause the bin to over heat. This over heating of the bin will, in turn cause the worms to panic, as they have no where to escape to since they are in a confined space.  The only way the worms can tell you there is something wrong in the bin and it needs to be remedied ASAP is this: t hey will all congregate at the top and sides of the bin, as they are trying to get away from the intense heat. I always caution the first time worm owner to error on the side of too little food wastes to begin with and see how the worms handle this in their new home.

The rotation method of feeding your worms:

In the show and tell bins I use for demonstrations I have the top of the bin labeled with a marking pen into a grid of numbers 1 through 8.  I mention that the worms are new to their bin and should be fed on the third day after they have been transferred into the bin.  The amount they should be fed can be 1 to 2 cups only and that should be placed in the spot labeled #1.  At three day increments of time the worms are fed again, this time in spot #2 and so on. Once the spot #5 has been reached pull back the bedding in #1 and see if the food wastes have been consumed, if they have you can carry on with this feeding schedule until the worms are used to it and have adapted.  All the food wastes are buried deeply as you can into the bedding.  Since the bedding is shredded, soaked household paper wastes you will need to always have on hand both wet and dry bedding, as the worms will consume this organic waste, too.

I also ask that everyone, who is a client of mine to have a worm annex on hand. Any old sweater box, a dish washing tub will do.  Have it drilled out along the bottom with your 1/4 inch drill bit, 9 holes evenly spaced, lined with cardboard and ready.  If the worms have a problem you already are prepared for it.  You have a new and safe bin to transfer them into, while you fix their real worm bin. You have an adequate supply of wet and dry bedding. You are prepared for any eventuality!

To Recap:

> Determine the ratio of food wastes your home produces in a week, to tell you the number of pounds of worm you will need and size of the bin you  will need.

> Mark the top of the bin for feeding spots or stations.  Perhaps marking your calendar will help,  so you will know when and how much you have feed them.

> Always have your worm annex bin ready. You never know when the worms  and you will have need of it.

Good job. Well done!

I will be back in a few days with some helpful hints about a recipe for a worm bin, the instructions for it and how often you should add more bedding to the bin.

Until then: please enjoy your worms!

~Shel

You have the worms in their bin and have let them settle in for three days. This allows them time to de-stress from the rigors of travel. Recall those vibrations they had if they arrived through the mail to you or riding in your car.

I hope you have been saving your kitchen wastes for the worms, if not your compost bin, while the worms were traveling to you. There are many ways to save them in preparation for the worm bin.

You can freeze the wastes in containers, if you have the room. This method allows for the first level of molecular breakdown to occur within the food. As the moisture in the food waste freezes, it takes up even more moisture, breaking apart the tough, fibrous skins of bananas, etc. This is the same as the action that happens when you make ice cubes and the water in the tray has that small dip in the middle of it. Once the ice has frozen there is a slight bulge or the top of the cube and is rounded because the water has frozen and expanded in the freezer. The action in the freezer will hasten the food’s breakdown in your worm bin. 

Another way is to use a small bin on your counter top to collect wastes throughout the day. Now we have biodegradable liners for these and you can wait until it is full before taking it to your bin. These liners will dissolve in the bin and a plastic bag is not used or wasted.

It is a good idea to have thought ahead of time, before the worm’s arrival, as to where you will store the wastes until the worms are ready for them. I use lidded, very tall pails for mine. I place these around the 90 plus bins I have, in the sun. This allows the waste to further break down through the action of the sun’s heat on the food waste. After one week the wastes are soupy. I have found it hard, but not impossible to tell a banana peel from an apple core.  Using a long handled scoop I feed the worm bins this way.

What to feed your worms? I recommend all wastes from your kitchen. This includes the plate scrapings from meals, all the left over ends from making a salad. Virtually everything you once put into the garbage disposal will now be food for your worms. I have often been asked about citrus and how to feed them the rinds because they are so acidic. As I have many citrus trees this was a problem in the beginning for me. I found, by trail and error, that if I placed them into a pail of water, allowed them to sit for three or four days, I could them pour off the water onto an acid loving plant, such as an azalea or Camilla without a problem. Then I could feed the bins a small amount of the rinds without harming the worms.  

One reliable way to feed your worms is to make a grid on the top, outside of your bin’s lid with a making pen. This allows you to know which burial site you have used for the worms. I label mine with the numbers one through eight. Feeding first in the spot of number one. I gently  pull back the bedding and place the food at the bottom of the bin, replacing the bedding when I am done. This should be done on the third day after your worms have arrived. Every three days you can feed them again, until you are at the spot of number five. Pull back the bedding and see if the food in number one has been consumed, if it has the worms are keeping up with you. If not, wait another three days and feed them, if the food has been consumed. Continue on this way, since it appears the worms are keeping up with the feeding schedule. The number one reason that worms die in the bin is from over feeding. The food wastes heat up, hot compost. Since the worms are  secured in the bin and have no where to go, they die from the heat. You can see this is a disaster for them. By giving the worms just one cup of food every three days you are going to be erring on the side of caution. You will be able to judge just how much food they can eat, once you have worked with them for  two to three weeks.   

I do recommend that everyone who keeps a worm bin have a worm annex. This is another bin, any type you might have on hand will do. It could be an old wash tub from your kitchen sink or a sweater box. If it doesn’t have a top you can use a piece of wood with a rock on the top. This will make sure that you have a safe place to transfer the worms to if you do have a problem within the bin. The other insurance you will need is more dry and soaked shredded bedding for them, just in case, for the annex. The only way the worms will tell you there is a problem in their bin, is come to the top of the bin, as they are trying to escape from either over feeding or over poluation .

I will write about those two issues next time and who else lives your bin.

Have a good time with your bin. We all make a few mistakes in the start of any new project. The worms will forgive you just about anything. Until next time: enjoy your bin and the creatures who live and help the worms in it along with the worms.

~Shel