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Feed and harvest the worm bin

A worm bin runs well with small, regular feeds and stable conditions.

How

1. Feed small amounts once or twice a week, burying food under the bedding. Once established, 0.5 kg (1 lb) of worms eats roughly 0.25 to 0.5 kg of scraps a week.
2. Keep the bin between about 15 and 24 °C (60 to 75 °F). Worms start to die above about 29 °C (85 °F).
3. Avoid meat, dairy, greasy food, citrus peels and pet waste, and limit cabbage-family scraps, which smell.
4. Harvest every 2 to 5 months: push contents to one side, add fresh bedding and food to the other, and collect the castings once worms have moved.
5. Dilute any leachate about 10 parts water to 1 part liquid before using it on plants.

Sources

1. Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms. Oklahoma State University Extension, accessed 2026-11
2. Vermicomposting Puts Worms to Work. Penn State Extension, accessed 2026-11

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