Make The Bedding
Proper bedding is important to worms' health. Newsprint torn into long strips is perfect, and for variety, include small amounts of potting soil (without chemicals), straw, fall leaves or dry houseplants, and a bit of floor sweeping or ground eggshell for grit.
Fill your bin almost to the top with loose bedding, then sprinkle water on it until it's as damp as a wrung out sponge. There should be some loose water on the bottom of the bin but not too much.
Feed the Worms
Bury your scraps under the bedding in the worm’s kitchen. Use a different part of the bin each week.
The smaller you cut the scraps, the faster they will disappear.
What Works Well and What Doesn't
| Yum! |
Yuck! |
| Vegetable scraps |
Meat |
| Breads and grains |
Fish |
| Fruit rinds and peels |
Cheese |
| Egg shells |
Oily food |
| Tea bags |
Butter |
| Coffee grounds |
Animal products |
Keep it Fresh
If the compost runs out of Oxygen it will start to smell. Fluff the compost and work bedding into clumps to break them up, and in 20 minutes things will be better.
Troubleshooting
Fruit Flies
One of the most common problems with bins is fruit flies. Fortunately, they don't bite and they're easy to deal with.
- Chop banana peels so they rot fast, and worms can eat the baby flies
- Keep scraps covered with a few inches of bedding or castings
- Freeze scraps overnight before adding them to the bin
Fungus Gnats
The other small flying insect which can invade your bin is more bothersome because it can also survive in your house plants. An added challenge is that whatever you do to kill these pests may kill many of your beneficial decomposers. Let us help; call the Compost Doctors.
Other Creatures
Many other small creatures may share your bin with the worms. Most of them are helpful and rarely cause problems. Only centipedes, which will eat your worms, pose any threat to your bin.
Photo-thousands of white mites and several red mites and springtails are visible, and hundreds of millions of microbes are not visible, on a cinnamon stick.
Odours
If your bin smells bad, it probably has too much food, water or the wrong types of food inside. To eliminate odours, remove excess or inappropriate food and add fresh bedding. You might also leave the lid off to allow for evaporation.
