Caring for Your Worm Bin

Step 5 Add food scraps, paper bedding, and compost to worm bin

Now it's time to put everything that isn't finished compost back into the bin. We will work in layers, so that the worms are able to reach all the way to the bottom of the bin without borrowing through their own poop, which tends to collect in the bottom. Layers also help air and moisture move throughout the bin.

First, I put down a layer of compost from my outside compost pile into the bottom of the bin. This is made up of mostly intact grass clippings and mulched yard waste, since it hasn't been able to decompose as well during the cold winter weather. To jumpstart this compost pile, I added a handful of the worms that I isolated earlier. I'll continue to shuffle compost and worms back and forth from the pile to the bin, until everything is a nice uniform black soil.

The next layer is damp, shredded paper. Newspaper works well, but I just emptied out the paper shredder full of shredded credit card apps and other office waste. This provides "bedding" for the worms, allowing moisture and air to move through the bin. It also balances the carbon/nitrogen ratios in the bin.

After that, add the food scraps you set aside earlier, as well as anything else not eaten by the worms.

Alternate layers until you're out of material, or you've filled up the bin (but not all the way!).

Comments

[Pizzapie500]

Do I put any soil into it or cardboard into it?