🪱 Compost Worms & Soil Biology
Compost worms — like red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) — are nature’s tiny soil engineers. They eat organic matter and leave behind castings: rich, microbe-packed fertilizer.
These castings improve soil structure, increase water retention, and introduce beneficial microbial life that supports root development and disease resistance.
🔧 How to Start a Worm Bin
- Use a plastic tote, storage bin, or specialized worm bin.
- Add bedding: shredded newspaper, cardboard, or coco coir.
- Introduce red wigglers and keep moist — not soaked.
- Feed with veggie scraps, coffee grounds, and crushed eggshells.
🌱 How They Help Plants
Worm castings provide slow-release nutrients in a plant-available form. Their mucus helps bind soil particles into aggregates, improving aeration and water-holding capacity.
Plus, they help suppress soil-borne diseases by introducing beneficial bacteria and fungi.
🧪 Fun Fact
Worm castings can contain up to 1000x more beneficial microbes than the surrounding compost!
Troubles with the worm bin?
Worm bins require a balance of "brown" to "green" material. Usually a roughly 70% brown to 30% green is a good ratio. Keep in mind that what you feed the worms also affects the ratio, something like watermelon feed will add more "green" than say cardboard "brown". Worms dont like foods that are spicy or acidic. This means no japalenos and no onions etc. Don't feed worms or compost things like dairy, meat, pet hair etc. These can spoil and introduce pathogens, rotting, or pests.