Worm Compost Bin
What size worm bin do I need?
A three tray unit is adequate for two or three people. A family of four will fit a four tray bin. A five tray compost will accommodate five or more people.
Red Wiggler Worms
How many worms do I need?
Start with a pound of worms. Your worm population will build up, after time, matching the amount of waste offered to them. If you want to accelerate this process, you may buy more. Worms eat their body weight in food each day. A family of four generally produce two pounds of food waste each day.
Worms
These amazing creatures reach sexual maturity at 60 to 90 days, at which point they begin to lay an egg capsule per week. A worm lifespan is ten years. The eggs can survive in adverse conditions up to 30 years. Red wigglers consume their body weight in food each day. Worms need sandy particles that rub together in order to digest their food in their gullet. Worms digest their food more than once. The longer they are left to compost their food the better castings will be produced.
Bedding
Worms enjoy a variety of bedding materials: Peat moss (although not recommended because it is not an environmentally sustainable product), shredded paper, shredded corrugated cardboard, paper egg cartons, hair, fur, or a worm habitat product, coir. Coir fibres are found between the husk and outer shell of a coconut. Coir is quickly gaining popularity as the new peat moss. The bedding material should be moistened to the level of a wrung out sponge.
Food
Food for worms is decomposing organic matter. Although small amounts of grain products can be digested by worms, we recommend not using this as a food source because of the smell it creates during decomposition. Feed your worms all your fruit and vegetable waste, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, ground egg shells, and small amounts of leaves and plants clippings.