Worms - Take One

I did so much research on vermicomposting. The type of bin, the type of bedding, the type of food scraps to put in it. And then I just bought worms on a whim, without thinking. Not my brightest move. But the worms arrived (they were the wrong kind for best vermicomposting results) with instructions on what to feed them (everything I had read over and over NOT to put in a vermicomposting bing) and what to put in as their bedding (very expensive, greenhouse grade peat and pre-composted leaves). Well... this was throwing a wrench into my plans!

Hoping they'd survive with the plans I'd read over and over and over again online, I went ahead with my well-researched plan and crossed my fingers.

The first step is creating bedding for the worms. Which, for those without a huge budget and access to greenhouse grade planting material, is shredded newspaper. One sitcom later, I'd shredded most of the free newspaper I could find.

But worms are 90% water, so they need something nice and moist. So I took out everything I'd shredded and wet it, being sure to wring it out well so it was like a damp sponge. Remember, we don't really want anything coming out of our insurance holes on the bottom of the composting bin. Once there were a few inches of damp shredded newspaper I put in the worms. They hate light, so immediately began trying to burrow into the bedding.

I wished them luck, put some saved egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds and lettuce, on top of the worms, then covered it with more dry shredded newspaper. That serves as some insulation because worms like warmth.

So hopefully my poor decision-making in ordering worms from a not so great place, won't hurt too much. I've already placed another order with a well-respected company and will get better worms next week. I'm hoping they all get along like a big happy family.