Super Special Redworms for Compost Bins

These dutiful little red wriggler champions (Eisenia fetidas) are raised specifically for worm composting. Abundant Earth has been offering redworms for worm compost bins for over 10 years and we only offer you the best to get you started with and to help you expand your existing worm composting efforts.

It takes about 3 to 4 months for worms to double their population. The more worms you start with in your worm bin, the sooner you will be composting and creating black gold worm castings for your gardens and houseplants.

The more worms you order the more you save!
 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What should I feed my worms?
A: Worms will eat many things, for example:
Left over vegetable scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings
Manures (well aged)
Tea leaves / bags and coffee grounds
Vacuum cleaner dust or hair clippings (also animal)
Torn up newspapers, egg or pizza cartons (soaked first)
Washed, crushed egg shells (these will help with the pH balance)
DO NOT add meat scraps (or any form of animal products)

Q: What shouldn't I feed my worms?
A: As mentioned above, it's important that you do not feed you worms any form of meat products or scraps. Also, take precautions in regards to the items you feed your worms, particularly if you are unaware of its source. Manures, for example, from horses, cattle or dogs often have Vermicides still active in it that were designed to kill parasitic worms in the animal. They can kill all your worms in one day. We recommend you allow the manures to age before you use them.

Q: How much will my worms eat?
A: This depends on how many worms you have. Worms can eat up to half their own body weight every day and can double their population every few months. If you start your worm bin with 1000 mature worms (identify mature worms by a distinct ring shaped swelling around their body) they will consume up to 1/2 a pound of scraps per day. After a few months you should have 2000 worms and you can feed them more. The baby worms, however, won't eat much and will take about 3 months to mature. As you become familiar with them you will learn their rate of food consumption.

Q: How can I help my worms to eat more?
A: Worms will feed at a faster rate once they have adapted to any new food source. Worms will also eat more if kitchen scraps are mashed, blended or food processed. Controlling temperature to around 75 degrees F will improve the overall performance of your system. Worms will leave very acidic food such as onions and orange peels until after they have eaten their preferred foods. A handful of garden lime every few weeks will help to balance the effect of acidic foods.

Q: Can I feed my worms garden refuse?
A: Not usually. Slow composting organic wastes such as garden refuse are best dealt with by conventional aerobic composting methods.

Q: Will I get too many worms?
A: No, you can never have too many worms. They self-regulate their population to the confines of available space and the amount of food you give them.

Q: Can I put compost worms in the garden?
A: Only if you have a thick surface layer of mulch in your garden. Compost worms require moist conditions all year round because they don't tunnel deep like pasture worms to find moisture. If you cannot provide this environment in your garden, don't introduce compost worms.

Q: My "brand new" worms seem unsettled, and are squirming all over the place. Some are even escaping my worm bin! What's going on?
A: This crazy worm behavior is a normal phenomenon called "worm run."  It is fairly normal for the worms to "run" until they get settled in, and it can take about a week for most of them to do this and work their way towards the food. You may have a few dried up escapees when you set up your worm bin, but honestly, they do settle in time.

Q: Are the little white worms in my worm bin baby earthworms?
A: No, baby earthworms are not white, but clear to opaque, before developing a reddish color. They are just visible at this stage. The 'white worm' you are noticing is a type of worm called entrachyadids. They will not hurt compost worms but they do indicate acidic conditions, which can be overcome by the regular addition of a handful of lime. By placing a piece of moist bread in your worm bin, you can also lure the white worms to a small area for easy removal. It is important to note that many organisms that may appear in your worm bin (such as large populations of minute red mites and large soldier fly larvae) are beneficial to the break down of organic material, so there is no need to remove them.

Q: What about maggots?
A: Should you experience any influx of maggots, it will most likely be the soldier fly or vinegar fly larvae. The soldier fly larvae grow up to an inch big starting out white but soon turning dark gray with distinct ribbing bands. Fishermen say they make great bait. The vinegar fly larvae are small, usually 1/4 inch or less.

Don't be too alarmed if they appear. They are actually beneficial to the waste breakdown. If you want to remove them though, do so by liberally applying lime, or placing bread soaked in milk on the surface of the compost. Larvae love bread and should infest it. Remove the bread after 2-3 days and dispose of it.

During the hot Summer and cold Winter months, worm orders are often held for weeks until temperatures are more moderate and worms are most likely to survive shipping. **Worms cannot be shipped to Hawaii**