Here are a couple questions from Leslie:
hello, I started my bin about a month ago and I wanted to know two things-
how much kitchen scrap (in lbs? or kg..) can 1000 worms handle (in an approximately 2 ft x 4 ft bin) per week? Also, how soon before the worms start reproducing? I’m concerned about too little or too much intervention with the worms so any guidance is greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Those are really good question (some things a LOT of people are wondering about, I’m sure), but the first one is also a tough question to give a firm answer for. One of the challenges of vermicomposting is that there are SO MANY variables that can influence the success of your worm bin, and the overall health and well-being of your worms. As such, trying to come up with absolutes based on various calculations can be pretty challenging – at least for the average worm bin owner.
What you do with your waste materials (before putting them in the bin) ALONE can have a massive impact on the productivity of your bin. Obviously, if you add your wastes simply as they become available, without taking any steps to help the process along, you will end up with a bin full of undecomposed material pretty quickly.
If on the other hand you freeze your waste materials or let them age for a period of time, then blend them up before adding them, you will greatly speed up the process, thus effectively boosting the processing power of your worms.
The type of waste can also have a significant impact on the quantity of waste that can be added every x number of days. Tests using highly optimized professional flow-through reactors have shown that worms can potentially consume 4-6 times their own weight in food PER DAY! I should mention that these numbers are based on consumption of grocery store produce waste (similar to homeowner food waste, I would imagine), which is mostly water to begin with.
Is it realistic to think you will see similar abilities with your worms – not likely! My point is simply that the processing ability of worms can vary WIDELY, depending on how you maintain your particular system.
Some suggest that a good guideline is 1/2 worm weight per day. In your case, since 1000 worms on average weigh somewhere around 1 lb, an estimate of 1/2 lb of waste per day – or 3.5 lb of waste per week might not be a bad guess. I’m a little hesitant to even mention that, but hopefully you will take that recommendation with a grain of salt, based on what I’ve said above.
So what exactly DO I recommend?
😆
Let the worms be your guide! Do everything you can to optimize the process, and carefully monitor your worms’ progress – especially early on. Start with very small amounts of waste (especially if you have set up your bin ahead of time with food), and go from there based on your worms’ ability to consume the materials. Obviously you don’t need to wait until every last morsel is gone from the bin. I would suggest creating several small food pockets (staggering the creation of these over the course of a given week should be helpful as well) and simply watching how quickly these pockets of food are consumed. Once the first pocket is basically processed, you can probably set up a new one (you would have a couple others on the go already), and so on.
Moving on to reproduction…
It is very common for worms to start reproducing VERY soon after being added to a worm bin – especially if conditions are to their liking. In fact, worms don’t even really need to reproduce in order to start depositing cocoons into the bin. Reproduction is basically a means of replenishing the sperm storage organ. Once the worms have sperm they can simply keep producing cocoons (using their own eggs) until it runs out.
Given the fact that you’ve had your bin for a month, I would think that there would be plenty of reproduction and cocoon laying in your bin by now. It might not be all that obvious – but rest assured, if the worms are healthy and vigorous you will almost certainly have cocoons and young worms in your bin.
Anyway – hope this helps, Leslie!
Thanks again for the great questions
8)
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FAQs
Rule of thumb: Worms can eat half of their body weight in a day, so a pound of worms can process ½ lb. food scraps every day. This generally holds true for a well-established bin, so start small and slow until you get there.
How much waste can worms eat? ›
Rule of thumb: Worms can eat half of their body weight in a day, so a pound of worms can process ½ lb. food scraps every day. This generally holds true for a well-established bin, so start small and slow until you get there.
How much can 500 red wigglers eat? ›
The amount of food that worms can eat depends on the size of your worm bin and the number of worms you have. As a general rule, worms can consume about half their body weight in food per day. For example, if you have 500g of worms, they can consume about 250g of food per day.
How many red wigglers do I need for composting? ›
The healthy number of composting worms is 1 pounds per square feet of bin surface area (1:1). Okay, by now you are thinking about your days in high school math class, so area is simply width x length. Example: bin is 1.5ft (18 inches) by 2 feet (24 inches) regular storage bin, your surface area is 1.5 x 2 = 3 sq ft.
What do red composting worms eat? ›
Feed the worms vegetable and fruit scraps, banana peels, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, crushed egg shells and corn cobs. Don't add meat, fish, bones, oils and dairy products. Be conservative with citrus peels, onions and garlic. You can chop up the bigger pieces or not; eventually they'll get eaten.
Can you overfeed red wigglers? ›
Feed them too much, and they can't keep up. Too much rotting organic matter can cause odors, mold growth, excess moisture, and damage to the bin's ecosystem. Find out how much food is just enough for your worms. In theory, red worms can eat half their weight each day.
Can red wigglers eat paper towels? ›
It's not only shredded paper your worms will love, they will enjoy many other forms of paper too. Chuck in your paper towels, paper packaging, cardboard, toilet rolls etc.
What temperature kills red wigglers? ›
Bedding with a temperature above 84 degrees F. is harmful, sometimes fatal to red worm populations.
How long does it take red wigglers to multiply? ›
Red wigglers and compost worms are prolific breeders and under the right conditions can double their population size every 3-4 months through mating. This means that over the course of a single year 1,000 earthworms (around 1lb) can reproduce to a size of 12,000 to 16,000 worms!
How many red wigglers can live in a 5 gallon bucket? ›
A 5 gallon bucket can comfortably support 1 pound of red wiggler worms, which is equivalent to roughly 1,000 worms. It's important to remember that red wigglers live in the top 2-3 inches of soil, so surface area is more important than depth in determining how many worms can live in a 5 gallon bucket.
Unlike common earthworms that borrow deep into the soil red worms thrive in the first several inches of topsoil directly beneath decomposing vegetative organic matter. It really doesn't matter what the matter is red worms love it. Decaying leaves, grasses, wood, and animal manure are all favorites of red worms.
Should my compost be full of worms? ›
Generally, you do not need to add earthworms to your compost pile. They will usually find it themselves if it is accessible from the ground.
How often should I check my worm bin? ›
If it's starting to get dry, be sure to spray the bedding with filtered water. I typically open up my worm bin every other day to check the moisture levels and if it starts to feel dry, I'll give it around 50 squirts from my spray bottle. Feed your worms the appropriate amount of food.
Do red wigglers eat coffee grounds? ›
Worms love to eat coffee grounds, and that's great news for your garden. Add coffee grounds to your compost pile to help attract worms, which help speed up the process of turning food scraps into compost. You can also add coffee grounds directly to the soil, but you'll have to be careful not to overdo it.
Can red wigglers eat banana peels? ›
Bananas are a great and inexpensive snack for both us and our worms. Those peels are desirable to compost worms no matter what shape they're in. They'll make short work of what otherwise would have taken up space in your trash.
How long does it take for worms to eat scraps? ›
Your worms should start working on scraps within a few days and finish them within 1 to 2 weeks.
Can worms break down human waste? ›
Worm-based sanitation uses composting worms to process and digest human faeces, converting it into carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, and vermicompost (worm faeces).
How big should my worm bin be? ›
For example, if your family produces 4 pounds of food waste each week, you will need a worm bin with 4 feet of surface area. This could be a bin whose floor is 2 feet by 2 feet, or two bins, each with floors that are 1 foot by 2 feet. The bins should be shallow (no more than 1.5 feet deep).
Do earthworms eat kitchen waste? ›
Worms are the animal kingdom's master composters of kitchen waste, turning it into a rich high-quality compost for your garden.
