Get the feeding chart

Feed your worms. Feed your garden.

Plain-English guides for turning kitchen scraps into worm castings, the richest thing you can give your vegetable beds and houseplants.

People often ask about

New to worms? Read these in order.

Six short guides take you from an empty box to a working bin. We'll remember which ones you've read.

  1. How to Start a Worm Bin: A Complete First-Week Walkthrough

    Everything you need to set up a worm bin that works from day one, plus exactly what to do (and…

    7 min read

  2. How to Build a DIY Worm Bin From Two Plastic Totes

    A cheap, reliable worm bin you can build in under an hour with two storage totes and a drill. Includes…

    5 min read

  3. Worm Bin Bedding: The Best Materials Compared

    Cardboard, newspaper, coir, leaves, peat or manure? A side-by-side look at worm bin bedding materials, how to prepare them and…

    5 min read

  4. How Many Worms Do You Need to Start a Worm Bin?

    The right starting number depends on your bin's surface area and how much food you produce. Here's how to work…

    5 min read

  5. What Can Worms Eat? The Complete Worm Food List

    A practical list of what to feed composting worms, what to feed sparingly and what to keep out, with tips…

    5 min read

  6. How Often and How Much to Feed Composting Worms

    A week-by-week feeding plan for new and established worm bins, plus the signs that tell you to feed more or…

    5 min read

Something not right in your bin?

Pick what you're seeing. You'll get the quick fix here and the full guide one click away.

Run the full health check
It smells badSour, rotten or like ammonia
  • Stop feeding for a week.
  • Bury what's left under fresh, dry bedding.
  • Open the air holes or leave the lid ajar for a day.
Read the smell troubleshooting guide
Fruit flies everywhereTiny flies when you open the lid
  • Bury every feeding at least 5 cm deep.
  • Cover the surface with a sheet of damp newspaper.
  • Freeze scraps for a day before feeding them.
Get rid of fruit flies for good
Worms are climbing outGathering on the walls or lid
  • Normal for the first few nights: leave a light on above the bin.
  • After that, check moisture and acidity first.
  • Add crushed eggshell if you've fed a lot of citrus.
Why worms leave and how to stop it
The bin is soggyWater pooling at the bottom
  • Mix in a few handfuls of dry shredded cardboard.
  • Cut back on watery scraps like melon and lettuce.
  • Drill extra drainage holes and raise the bin.
Fix a wet worm bin
It's too hot or too coldWorms are slow or bunched together
  • Worms do best between about 15 and 25 °C.
  • Move the bin out of direct sun or off a cold floor.
  • Check your reading against the safe range.
Keep your bin in the safe range
White fuzz or moldOn food or the bedding surface
  • A little white mold is harmless and part of the process.
  • Lots of it means too much food at once: feed smaller amounts.
  • Remove anything that is green-black and fuzzy.
When mold is normal and when it isn't

Can worms eat it?

Holding a scrap and not sure? Type it in for an instant answer, with the reason and a tip.

See the full printable chart

Popular checks:

How much bedding does your bin need?

Enter your bin's inside measurements for a starting estimate.

Units
Open the full calculator

For your bin

–bedding to start with
–coir bricks (650 g each)
–water to soak the coir
–worms to start with

Fill about two-thirds of the depth, half coir and half shredded cardboard. The bedding should feel like a wrung-out sponge. These are rough starting numbers; adjust as your bin settles.

This month: late autumn

Getting your bin ready for cold nights

Worms slow right down below 10 °C. A few changes now keep them eating through winter.

  • Move outdoor bins against a house wall or into a garage.
  • Add an extra layer of dry bedding as insulation.
  • Collect fallen leaves now. They make excellent winter bedding.
Read the cold-weather guide

The guide library

Filter by where you are with your bin.

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Gear we'd buy again

Three things that make a real difference. Everything else in a worm bin can be made from what's in your recycling.

A stackable tray bin

For anyone who wants easy harvests

Worms move up into the next tray on their own, so you lift off finished castings instead of sorting them by hand.

Coconut coir bricks

For setting up and refreshing bedding

Holds moisture evenly and doesn't compact. A 650 g brick expands to roughly 8–9 liters of bedding.

A probe thermometer

For outdoor bins and hot climates

The fastest way to catch a bin that's overheating in summer or getting too cold in winter.