Worm Bedding

Think about it this way: try to mimic nature.

Would you find worms in a pile of wet newspaper or cardboard? Probably not, unless it had been decaying for a long time. Yet, many people recommend newspaper and cardboard as primary bed materials. I don't. Why? Because I have seen bins fail time after time when these items are used as the only source of bedding.Sure, you can use it. Just not as 100% of the bin mix. And it is best to use it as an additive to an established bin.

Here is what I recommend when you are starting a bin. I call it worm starter bedding. 50% of the MIX needs to be:

• Coconut coir (a renewable resource made from coconut husks, it is expensive due to shipping costs)OR
• Peat Moss (non renewable but cheap and easily accessible) OR
• Aged Manure (has to be aged for at least 8 weeks to go through the heating process and aged for 6+ months if the animals have been dewormed)

The other 50% can be any combination of : shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard or shredded leaves (non acidic).And example would be: 50% coconut coir and 25% newspaper and 25% shredded cardboard.
These are examples of STARTER bin materials. After your bin is established you can use any combination of the above.

In an established bin you can also use any of the following as worm bedding: newspaper, cardboard, dryer lint, shredded leaves (although oak tend to be too acidic), peat moss, coconut fiber, manure, straw, some grass clippings (but be careful, these can heat up a bin fast and make sure they do not have chemicals on them)

One final note about materials, the finer it is the quicker it will be processed. The bulkier the slower and the slower they will eat the food scraps.

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