Bedding For Worm Bins

We have loads of choices of materials we can use in worm bins. First though, lets go over the worm's requirements:

*Composting worms are surface dwellers. This means their living environment is oxygen rich and fairly loose.
*Worms take in air through their skins and to do this requires that they live in consistently moist material. So, the bedding must hold moisture.
*A worm bin is generally a small space for a large number of worms to live. There can be nothing in the material that would distress your worms as they would have nowhere to go to get away from the irritant.
*Worms use the equivalent of a gizzard to process nutrients. So, include small amounts of grit or sand in any bedding.

The bedding material, while being light and fluffy, should also have enough substance so that you can bury your garbage and cover it knowing that you are not attracting unwanted pests and that no odors escape.

Materials that fit the bill:

*Coconut coir
*Peat Moss (although this is not a renewable resource)
*Aged sawdust
*Shredded newspaper (mix this with compost to avoid matting) avoid color pages as the inks may be toxic
*Compost, choose organic but avoid compost containing cotton burr (I do not know why this is an irritant)
*Shredded leaves
*Cardboad (combine with compost)
*Grit should be added in small amounts with any bedding

If your goal is to keep the worms in a "natural" habitat, compost and shredded leaves is the answer and don't forget the grit.If you don't have the time and/or materials to make up a natural bedding, we provide worm bedding on our site that meets all of the worms' and the worms' owners needs. It comes as close to a natural habitat for the worm as we can make it.

Home Worm Bins

Food for a home worm bin:


Fruit and vegetable scraps are always a safe bet .

Collecting kitchen scraps in small lidded bucket allows them to age for a while
before adding them to the bin. Aging encourages microbial colonization while
the food is breaking down. This will happen in the worm bin actually but the
worms won't start feeding on the materials until they are starting to rot.

You can also add tea bags and coffee grounds with filters to your bin. Be moderate with this material as it can be very acidic. Worms love orange veggies! Pumpkins, butternut, as well as any variety of melons.

These materials will break down into liquid so watch that your material doesn’t get too wet for the worms. Too much water robs the bedding of air.

Foods to avoid: dairy; meat; onions, citrus fruits and garlic.