Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:50 pm
Do my worms eat potato peelings? Can I feed onion? What about kiwi? We receive many inquiries about the right food for the compost worms in your homes. It’s nice when you care so much about the well-being of your fellow inhabitants! With our food list (almost) nothing can go wrong.
Contents
What waste can be put in the worm bin? 🟢
Raw, chopped and moist fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves (no nut leaves), eggshells (pulverized), plant scraps. Newspaper & cardboard should make up 20% of the feed. Worms need the fiber it contains.
Compost worms love tea and coffee. (Max 1/3 of feed) Please crumble coffee grounds to avoid mold. Tea bags are allowed – provided they are free of micro-plastics.
What is not allowed in the worm bin? 🛑
Toxic, antibacterial, dry, woody, bones, chemicals, dairy, citrus, meat, bread and cereal products, glossy paper, cooked, marinated and salted food should not be in the worm bin.
The worms and MOs would either take a very long time to break down, or perish from it. Please avoid feces & cat litter as bacteria may not be broken down sufficiently.
How often to feed? 📅
You can feed the compost worms daily or a larger amount every 3rd day. If there is less organic waste, that is not a problem either. An adult worm weighs about 0.4g and eats half its weight daily. Our starting population contains ~200g of worms, which then multiply. If there is odor, too much was fed!
Indicator that everything is going well: If you take away the organic waste on top (2-4cm), you will see compost worms.
A
🟡 Pineapple, fruit
💚 Pineapple, peel
💚 Eggplant
🟡 Avocado, fruit leftovers are ok, a whole avocado will be soggy and not suitable for the worm bin.
🟡 Avocado, peel The peel is very hard, so it should be chopped small.
B
🟡 Banana, fruit
💚 Banana, peel
💚 Broccoli Larger quantities may smell sour.
C
🟡 Chili Possible in small quantities.
💚 Coffee grounds Clumpy coffee grounds should be loosened beforehand – risk of mold.
E
🟡 effective microorganisms Worms have a variety of microorganisms in the digestive tract, which have an approximately equal effect as EMs. Thus, you already have the effect of EMs in your box.
💚 Eggshells They must be powdered for the worms to utilize them. Eggshells alone are not a substitute for mineral mix.
🛑 Vinegar
F
🛑 Fermented & preserved Worms like to avoid vinegar, oil and strong spices.
G
🟡 Bleached paper (kitchen roll, handkerchief) Now and then like. You should not feed bleached in large quantities.
💚 Cooked vegetable scraps If only boiled in water they are possible as food. Be careful, can become soggy.
🟡 Pomegranate, peel Will not be utilized within the 6 months for some boxes.
H
🟡 Hair Recycling time: 4-6 months, possible in small quantities.
🛑 Glossy paper
🛑 Wood ash
I
🟡 Ginger Decoction as tea – yes. Only tiny amounts should be given raw.
K
💚 Potato peels cooked.
🟡 Potato peels raw Will not be touched by worms in some boxes. Do like to sprout.
🛑 Seeds (stone fruit) Do not bother the worms, so can be added to the box. Reappear whole at harvest.
🟡 Kiwi, fruit
💚 Kiwi, peel
💚 Toilet paper rolls (cardboard)
🟡 Garlic peels can be fed, but should be moistened or fresh organic waste on top. Garlic in itself has an antibacterial effect, so only in small quantities.
🟡 Kombuchascobys/Kefir Possible in small quantities. Will not compost in every box.
L
💚 Leaves Important, leaves should be dry. (No nut leaves or bay leaves).
💚 Leeks Large quantities can sometimes have a strong smell.
🛑 Bay leaves
M
💚 Corn, kernels & strings.
🛑 Corn, cobs Will not decompose.
🛑 Tangerines
💚 Almond skin
🟡 Mango, fruit
🟡 Mango, skin
💚 Chard
🛑 Chestnuts, skin (sweet chestnuts)
💚 Melon, fruit Caution: very moist, add shredded paper or cardboard right away.
💚 Melon, peel
💚 Monstera, leaves
O
🛑 Oil
P
💚 Palm, leaves
💚 Pepper seeds may sprout – tear out or bend over.
💚 Plums
💚 Mushrooms
R
🟡 Radish/radish leaves are fond of worms. Feed radish/radish by itself only in small amounts.
🛑 Lawn clippings It should not compact and should not develop heat. Dry grass clippings can be added in small amounts.
🛑 Rice
💚 Rhubarb
S
🛑 Salt
💚 Cut flowers Strongly woody parts of stems are not utilized. Treated flowers should not be fed.
💚 Celery
🟡 Asparagus Asparagus may have a strong odor in large quantities.
🟡 Sweet potato, skin raw.
💚 Sweet potato, skin cooked.
T
🟡 Tea bags Unfortunately, microplastics can be found in some tea bags. A natural tea or coffee filter the worms will gladly eat.
💚 Tea set
🛑 Pasta (noodles, cakes, bread,…).
V
💚 Chickweed
Z
🛑 Lemon
💚 Zucchini
🛑 Sugar
🟡 Onion peels can be fed, but should be moistened or fresh organic waste on top. Onion juice acts as a worm deterrent, so only feed in small amounts.