WORM COMPOSTING DIRECTIONS & TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
THE WORMS DO IT, LLC
Turn Kitchen Waste to Compost:
Worms do all the processing naturally, safely and with no odor, no hassle, no turning of the soil. Composting can be done indoors or outdoors in a minimal amount of space and with little effort or knowledge. Perfect for homes,
schools, offices and apartments.
Help save the ozone with a Worm Bin!
We all know the benefits of composting. Less waste enters landfills and water systems, less dependence on chemicals for your gardens’ growth. Composting greatly reduces the amount of methane gas emitted from landfills into our air. Worm composting is superior to regular composting because of the concentrated nutrient rich soil that is produced by this specialized process.
What do red wiggler worms eat?
If it grew, then worms can likely eat it. Their favorite foods are fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, grain, plant trimmings leaves, etc. Adding crushed egg shells once a week will keep the bedding from becoming too acidic, which will burn your worms.
What should I not feed them?
Avoid acidic fruits (lemons, oranges, limes) pet waste, meat, dairy, and extremely hot or spicy foods. Rotten food is not recommended. Remember, if it is stinky going in, it will be stinky in the bin! Do not feed your worms metals, foils, plastics, solvents, insecticides, soap, paint, etc. If you accumulate a lot of food scraps, you can freeze some for later.
How do I feed them?
With the shovel provided, simply bury the scraps of food in a corner or along the side of the bin, leaving the shovel as a marker. The next time you feed, make another hole in the bedding, next to the previous one and bury the food, continuing in this manner until you are back to where you started. If there is still food remaining there wait a few days for the worms to catch up and then continue.
How often & how much do I feed them?
Worms can be fed anytime. In the beginning, less is more. Eventually your worms will eat up to 1 cup of finely-chopped food, 2-3 times per week. Table scraps may be stored in a small container in the fridge, making it easy to feed your worms when it’s convenient. The smaller the food bits are, the faster the worms will compost them. Remember to check the moisture of your bin when feeding and dampen with water if needed. If bedding is mucky or pooling add leaves or shredded paper. The worms can survive up to 3 weeks without fresh food.
How do I harvest worm castings?
After some time you will notice the conditions of the worm bin changing to mostly rich black castings. Stop feeding for a week then move all castings to one side of bin and on the other side put in new bedding material and feed only on that side. Within a month most of the worms will have moved to the new side, allowing you to remove the compost. Another way to do it is to pile up everything in the bin into a corner and begin to scoop off the top layer every day or two. The worms migrate to the bottom and will continue to eat the bedding. When most of the soil is harvested, mix what is remaining with new bedding (mixture of leaves, grass clippings, shredded paper and a handful of soil in any combination). The new bedding should be about 10 inches deep to start. Using a squirt bottle or some other shaker with water, dampen the bedding. It should be thoroughly moist but not soaking (no puddles) or worms will drown.
How do I use the worm compost?
Compost castings can be used immediately, or stored for future use. Use as a top dressing for indoor and outdoor plants, mix with potting or garden soil, or make a “Compost Tea” simply by adding 1-2 inches of compost to your watering can or rain barrel and allow to steep for a day or two, mixing occasionally. Water plants as usual with this nitrogen enriched tea.
Where should I keep my bin?
Bins should be kept indoors. Laundry rooms and basements are ideal. Insulated garages or sheltered outdoor areas are acceptable, if temperatures remain between 40-80 degrees.
Note: If you choose to leave your bin outside, keep it out of the rain. Deter critters (i.e. raccoons) from playing in your bin by securing the lid with bungee or rock. Also, nuisance bugs might be introduced if kept outside.
Never leave your worms in a sunny, hot location, or in your car! Worms will die from not feeding, drowning or drying out.
Troubleshooting Guide:
Symptom: Unpleasant Odor
Fruit Flies
White Mites
Worms Dying
Mold Growing
Cause: Unburied or excess food Exposed food, too much moisture, fruit fly eggs in food scraps
Too moist, excess food
Too wet, dry or too hot; worms are drowning or drying out, not enough food, bedding composted
Too much food, too warm
Solution: Gently stir contents, add more bedding, stop adding food for 1-2 weeks Pre-rinse fruits & peels, bury food, cover contents with moist piece of newspaper Remove lid, allow contents to slightly dry out, harvest compost Add fresh bedding, avoid high-water content food (if too wet), sprinkle with water (if too dry), harvest compost and add fresh bedding Remove moldy food, put in cool spot, add dry materials and temporarily stop feeding
Disclaimer:
Suggestions here are not meant to be an all-inclusive list of do's and don'ts. Since worms are living organisms, they are susceptible to predators and adverse environmental conditions. Care should be exercised at all times to maintain healthy living conditions for your worms. While we guarantee live delivery, we assume no responsibility for the ongoing survival of your worms once they are in your care
