Worm Bin Setup: How to Avoid the Pitfalls

Setting up a new worm bin is very easy, but newbee composters can have their doubts.  Are you wondering how to set up your worm bin?

Worm Bin Setup Ingredients

To set up your new worm bin you will need 4 things:

1. shredded paper – newspaper is great, but you can also use office paper or brown paper bags.  This is also known as worm bedding.
2. kitchen scraps – 2-4 cups.  Chop them up fine to help the composting process begin.  After your bin gets going, it won’t be necessary.
3. water – filtered water is good.  Your tap water is probably okay, but you never know.
4. worms – red wiggler composting worms, probably the best worms for home composting.

Steps to Set up a Worm Bin

1. Fill the bin about 1/4 full of shredded paper.  Soak the paper well with water from a spray bottle, or place paper in a bowl of water and squeeze out.  The paper should be wet but not dripping profusely.  If you are setting up a bin with trays, you can cover the bottom of the tray with sheets of newspaper.
2. Add the kitchen scraps.  For tray bins, mix food and shredded paper and place on top of newspaper sheets and cover with more sheets of newspaper.
3. If you can, cover up the bin and let it sit for a week or so before adding worms.  If you’ve already got worms, then go ahead and add them.

That’s it!

Common Worm Bin Setup Errors

Keep in mind that your worms want to live in an environment of rotting organic matter.  The more you can help that happen quickly, the happier your worms will be.  Here are are some common worm bin setup errors:

• Food size too big – once your bin gets going, you’ll be surprised at how fast a banana peel can disappear.  At the beginning, however, your bin will be lacking a good microbial community to do the work.  So chop up food nice and small to start.  You can even put it in the blender or food processor.
• Too dry – worms like a very wet environment.  Your bin materials should be evenly moist throughout.  When you squeeze your bin materials, they should stick together, but not be oozing water.
• Clear or transparent bin – if you made your bin, did you use a transparent plastic?  If you did, you will have to cover it with a towel to keep your worms out of a state of panic.  Composting worms hate light and putting them in a clear bin is a recipe for disaster.
• Food not buried – with a brand new bin, it will be difficult to bury food well.  However, burying it will keep it wetter so it decomposes faster.  And being down in the material makes it easier for worms to get to it.  So don’t just open the lid and toss kitchen scraps in the bin.  Bury them down in the bin.

That’s pretty much it for new worm bin set up.  If you have any other questions, post them in the comments.  Or if you have a set up trick, post that in the comments as well.