What to feed worms
Worms recycle waste into rich organic soil for the environment. I keep indoor worm composting bins in my basement; I feed the worms many of my table scraps and garbage and they turn it into worm castings and compost tea. We all win with worms composting garbage! So, what to feed worms to get them to create this soil, known as worm castings (or vermicompost)? Worms feed on a wide variety of things, as described here:
Fruits: I feed my worms apple skins, apple cores, fruit rinds (not citrus), banana peels, strawberry remains, and fruit that has softened or gone bad.
Veggies: worms like to feed on cabbage/lettuce (nearly anything green is great food for worms), carrots, tomatoes, corn cobs (cut up), and cucumbers.
Grains/cereals: rice, left over oatmeal, extra pan cakes, bread crusts, etc. I limit the grains I give them since these often seem to attract mites….you might have more success than me, though. I do feed worms grains, but sparingly.
Other things to feed worms: shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard, dryer lint, egg shells (crunch them up!), unlimited amounts of coffee beans, flowers or dead plants (I avoid anything that is visibly diseased!). You can feed worms (or for bedding) wet paper towels. But don’t use ones that were recently used by sick kids or towels used to mop up motor oil. If it’s wet but “clean” use it, though!
Things to consider when feeding worms: the smaller the better. In my research I have found recommendations of putting food into a blender and purifying it before giving it to worms. I’m not yet that attached to my worms…but I do take the time to cut things into smaller bits. This speeds the composting processing time. Because worms don’t have teeth, they need grit to help them with digestion. So, egg shells work great, just smash them up really well. Or, use rock powder. (Egg shells also help control the Ph balance from becoming to acidic).
When I feed worms, I like to bury it under a few inches of damp, shredded newspapers. I haven’t yet noticed any fruit flies…keep the food buried and you should avoid these little pests. I generally put a pile of new food in the north side….the next one goes in the south side of my worm bin….then east side….and the west. Do whatever you like, just rotate new food so you don’t have piles of it on one side only!
Foods to avoid feeding worms
Do not feed worms oily foods….think fast food french fries or chips. To avoid unpleasant smells, I don’t add spicy leftovers…no garlic, or onions, for example. I also avoid feeding my worms citrus (lemons or oranges). This raises the Ph balance and upsets the worms! In fact, these citrus remains contain a toxin that is harmful to worms. I read that potato peels take awhile to break down, as well. So, I haven’t added those. I find that I have TONS of scraps for them, finding food for feeding worms is not a problem in my house. So, I don’t add things that I’m not sure about.
My kids like to help me feed the worms….so I point out that we don’t put in plastics, or glass. We avoid feeding worms glossy newspaper ads, as well. One son did try giving the worms some hard candy, once, when I wasn’t fast enough to prevent it.
Also, do not feed worms meat. Consider them hard-core vegetarians. Meat can attract unwanted “guests” so just avoid that hassle. Worms should not be fed dairy, either. Keep the milk and cheese out of the bins.
How much food for feeding worms?
Red worms eat about half of their weight per day. Don’t over feed worms. I find that during weekends when my family eats more (or has guests over) we tend to have more table scraps and leftovers for the worms. To avoid over feeding them, make sure they are actively working on the food in their current bin. If they are not, don’t add more! This will just cause the food to sit longer and encourage pests. Toss extra waste into your outside composter, if you have one. In fact, that is one of my secrets…I like to let my outside composter break things down for a month and then introduce some of this waste into my bins for the worms. They seem to enjoy the variety.
One rule of thumb with composting: variety creates fantastic soil. So, I follow this rule when feeding worms; I give them a variety of food. This will help create rich soil. Plus, it’s interesting to see what they eat faster! Every few weeks my family makes a large fruit salad. The rinds and waste makes perfect worm food. Same goes with a green salad….I feed the worms lettuce, cucumber scraps, parts of tomatoes, carrot shavings, etc. It seems so much better than me throwing this waste into the garbage! Let the red worms enjoy it and turn it into fantastic vermicompost, instead! Making tacos or fajitas for dinner? Plenty of scraps for the worms to munch on.
Anyway, when feeding worms, make sure the food is being worked on. The good thing about worms is that you don’t feed them on a schedule like a human or a pet dog. You can feed worms one day and then wait a week or two. Makes vacations easier, believe me!
Once worms are comfortable, red worms should eat about half their weight in food per day. So, 2 pounds of red worms need about a pound of food per day. And remember, red worms double in number every 90 days!
A note here: I recommend when feeding worms to put it under shredded newspaper…do not bury red worms food under their castings / soil. Put it on top of this. Don’t mix new foods with old compost! That’s more difficult for the worms and you (when you try to get the worm castings out). If you have a worm bin with multiple bins, work your way up…not down.
Worm Habitat
Shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard, leaves, etc make happy homes for worms. I like several inches of this above the food I’m adding to my indoor worm bins. The reason for this is to prevent issues with fruit flies. The cool thing about this bedding for the worms is they use it up and then eat it. They turn the paper products into soil along with the plant remains! Talk about worms making their bed … into something useful.
As far as temperature and humidity goes, worms don’t want to be too wet, too dry, or too hot. Otherwise, they don’t seem too picky about their habitat! So, my indoor worm bin is kept in my basement…pretty constant 68’ish degree temps. Worms prefer temperatures between 55 and 75. The extreme temps shouldn’t reach freezing or 90 degrees.
I keep the newspaper on top damp (not soaking, but wet to the touch). If it gets too dry, I sprinkle water on top….again, just keeping it damp. The cool thing about this is, the water seeps down through several layers and forms a fantastic tea compost at the bottom of my bins. This tea compost is fertilizer for my indoor plants! They drink it up….literally!
Worms want to avoid direct sunlight, so keep their bins in a darker / shaded area.
To sum up feeding worms: don’t over feed them. Keep the bits as small as possible. Feed worms egg shells, fruit, veggies, damp and shredded newspaper and cardboard. If you do this, they will be happy and healthy and work hard producing rich organic soil. Your plants will thank you for feeding your worms right!