What to Feed Worms for Composting
(See How to Vermicompost)
Note: Happy and healthy worms will eat up to half their weight in food each day. So if you begin with one pound of worms (about 500-1000, depending upon size), you can expect them to need 3-4 pounds of food per week!
What makes good worm food when making compost? Worms can eat anything organic that is already dead. In general, when vermicomposting, you want to use the same sort of material that would go into an outdoor compost pile. While it's true that worms eat anything organic, you will want to avoid things that take extra long to decompose or that create a strong odor while they do (like meat or dairy).
Note: When Vermicomposting, smaller pieces of matter will work better and provide faster results.
Examples of Items Good for Vermicomposting:
- Used coffee grounds
- Teabags (remove staples)
- Crushed egg shells
- Fruits (avoid citrus)
- Vegetables (raw or cooked)
- Bread, rice or other grains
- Cereal
- Pastries
- Paper coffee filters
- Shredded garden waste (but nothing with recently treated fertilizers)
- Grass clippings
- Leaves
Not recommended for Vermicomposting:
- Meat
- Fish
- Dairy
- Vinegar
- Oil
- Salt
- Bones
- Fat
- Tobacco
- Pet or human manure
- Chemicals or fertilizers
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Note: the advice and information contained herein is based upon our experience and study. As with any advice, please apply at your own discretion.