How many worms for compost bin

One pound of red wigglers for one square foot of surface area in a worm farm is a good, healthy ratio So, if your optimal worm herd it 4 lbs, you will need a worm farm with at least 4 square feet of surface area. Many plastic storage bins fit this size and make excellent worm farms. For more on setting up a very simple starter worm bin using a plastic storage tote read: Make Your Own Simple Worm Bin If you need a larger worm composting herd, you will also need a larger worm composting container to hold the worms.

For instructions on building your own custom worm composting container read: How to Make a Homemade Worm Composting Container How many red worms are in a pound?

How many composting worms should I start with? To get up to 4 lbs of red worms you can do one of two things: Worms Reproducing, Worm Sex! Buy 4 lbs of composting worms. This is the simplest but also the most expensive way to reach your optimum worm herd. The wigglers will facilitate a faster-composting process when they are enough in the worm bin. Red wiggler worms are in pounds available in most worm farms, meaning you can conveniently purchase the number you desire.

For every square foot surface area of your composting bin, add one pound of wigglers. If you have created a suitable environment for your wigglers, they reproduce faster. This rapid reproduction consequently increases the population in your bin. Adding wigglers to this favorable environment demands that one has to have the reproduction rate in mind.

Also, make sure you have a backup worm bin to transplant the wigglers into instead of a worm farm to avoid overpopulation. Feed your worms with more foodstuffs to meet their food demand for better performance. The feeding intervals must be steady to create an environment that supports reproduction. Homeowners who regularly produce more kitchen waste and wood waste require more wigglers. If someone has less organic materials for composting , they should keep the worm amount on the lower end.

Red wigglers have the potential to eat food that is about half their weight per day. That feeding rate means that every five pounds of wigglers in your bin, add two and a half pounds of food scraps every day. Whenever you desire to remove the worms, look for a plastic sheet or paper. Empty your pile onto the sheet. Shape a few cone-shaped piles from the whole heap. Worms will migrate to the lower part of your pile, leaving you with worm-free piles. Once you have removed the top layer, allow the remaining pile to rest in the sun for about three minutes.

The heat will force any worm to move to the bottom of the now exposed pile. Try out our worm density calculator below and carry on reading where we walk you through figuring out your personal composting requirements, the size of bin you need and the number of worms you want to start with.

When you buy products through the links on this site we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. The first question that you need to ask yourself before getting to the number of worms you need in your compost bin is what are your composting requirements. Every person has different composting requirements, depending on how much waste is being produced by them and their family , or the number of plants that they have to use the compost on. Other considerations extend to the size of the worm composting bins — which will be discussed in the next section — and the type of worms you are going to use.

Here, we will be concentrating more on the amount of food and organic waste that is being produced by you and your family. The best way of calculating the number of composting worms you need for your compost bin is by tracking the amount of vegetable food waste that you create with the help of a family food waste audit.

This is very simple to carry out regardless of whether you are living alone or with other people. First and foremost, you will be required to collect the amount of vegetable food waste that you create in a day, which could have otherwise been fed to your compost bin.

This should include all the food waste that worms can ingest with ease, so avoid things like meats and dairy. Once you have collected all the scraps for the day, put them in a bag and weigh it using a kitchen scale. For one week, you will have to repeat the exercise every day and then take out the average of the results on the last day to know your total vegetable waste creation.

Another factor that influences the number of worms that should be added to the worm bin is the size of the container itself. If you keep the temperature and moisture conditions right for the growth and subsistence of the worms and give them the right amount of food to eat, the worms will expand to incorporate the entire container that they have been poured into.

As these worms work in the top inch of the compost pit, the size of the compost bin and the number of worms that are at work in it are intrinsically linked. Usually, the ratio between the surface area and one pound of red wiggler worms — which are the most popular type of worms used for vermicomposting — is Keep in mind that we will be going into further detail about how many worms are in a pound of red wigglers at a later point in this guide.

It is very easy to start a composting pit in a regular plastic storage box but if you need a larger composting pit, the number of worms will also have to be increased. To help you through this predicament, we have put together this guide that will help you reach the right number. First and foremost, you will be required to answer the two important questions that have been mentioned earlier in this piece — how much food waste you produce on a regular basis and what is the size of the container in which you are setting up your composting pit.

Buying your worms: getting what you pay for The type of worm most commonly used for vermicomposting is the red wiggler. What should you feed your worms? Troubleshooting worm composting issues Being a stickler about how much food you add to your bin will help prevent a lot of problems. Prevention is key. Your composter stinks : If your compost starts to smell, dig through the bedding and remove any food waste that appears to be rotting.

The worms should really be eating anything before it can get moldy, but they may let something sit to soften up. Cutting up larger pieces will help them process food faster. A bad smell can also signal a moisture problem. Too much rotting waste can create a lot of humidity, which will soak the bin and make it a little too damp for the worms.

Add some dry cardboard and paper bedding to help balance things out and get the bedding back to a spongy moisture level. This will include moisture, temperature, and possibly even infestations.

If the bin is too dry, add some water. Check for insect larvae or other issues under the top layer of bedding. If you notice insects, eggs, or even furry creatures, take the bin outside and harvest the castings. This is a good time to clean out the bin and remove any rotting food or old bedding. Start off fresh and put the worms back in their home. If you had a rodent invader, hold the lid down with bungee cords or rocks.

Helping your worm compost thrive: amendments If troubleshooting fails to correct your problem, consider adjusting your worm bedding with one of the following amendments: Material Purpose Coconut coir Balances out nitrogen-rich materials like kitchen scraps and grass clippings, controls moisture, and improves quality of worm castings.

Harvesting your finished compost: lure vs. This is a good time to clean out any unwanted bits and add new, fresh bedding.

Where can I use worm compost? Caring for your worms If conditions are right in your composter, your red worms will breed when they are over two months old. Responses 2 Worm Composting Basics for Beginners - 2. About the Author Nicole Faires Nicole Faires is an urban farmer and best-selling author of books on sustainable agriculture and food policy.

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