Feeding the Worms
Redworms will thrive on any kind of vegetable waste you create while
preparing food. Here's a partial list to consider: potato peelings,
citrus rinds, the outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage, spinach
stems, cabbage and cauliflower cores, celery butts, plate scrapings,
spoiled food like old baked beans, moldy cheese and other leftovers,
tea bags, egg shells, juicer pulp. The worms' absolute favorite
seems to be used coffee grounds though these can ferment and make a
sour smell.
Drip coffee lovers can put the filters in too. This extra paper
merely supplements the bedding. Large pieces of vegetable matter can
take a long time to be digested. Before tossing cabbage or
cauliflower cores or celery butts into the compost bucket, cut them
up into finer chunks or thin slices. It is not necessary to grind
the garbage. Everything will break down eventually.
Putting meat products into a worm box may be a mistake. The odors
from decaying meat can be foul and it has been known to attract mice
and rats. Small quantities cut up finely and well dispersed will
digest neatly. Bones are slow to decompose in a worm box. If you
spread the worm casts as compost it may not look attractive
containing whitened, picked-clean bones. Chicken bones are soft and
may disappear during vermicomposting. If you could grind bones
before sending them to the worm bin, they would make valuable
additions to your compost.
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