Worm Bin Setup Guide
Learn how to set up and maintain your worm bin.
Composting Essentials
Buy Your Supplies
Get everything your need to start your worm bin with the Essential Bundle. It includes Coco Coir, a Worm Blanket, Premium Worm Chow, Microbial Food and Oyster Shell Powder, and a Worm Thermometer.
Step 1
Find a Bin & Prepare the Bedding
- Get a suitable bin for your worm composting, this could be a fabric growbag, a plastic bin, or a Hungry Bin. Buy bins here.
- Fill the bin ¾ full with damp bedding. Recommended mixture: 1 or 2 bricks of coco coir and shredded cardboard. Buy Coco Coir here.
- Add 2 handfuls of mushroom compost and 2 handfuls of cotton compost (use a shallow bin for cotton compost).
- Mix all the bedding components thoroughly.
- Optional: Top off the mixed bedding with a sprinkle of worm castings if available.
Don't add worms yet. Wait till Step 4.
Step 2
Add Food Scraps and Supplements
- In one corner of the bin, create a hole for your food scraps.
- Add your kitchen food scraps into the hole.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of oyster shell flour evenly over the entire worm bin including the food scraps.
- Add 1 tablespoon of worm chow evenly over the whole bin.
- Incorporate 1 tablespoon of microbial food.
- Rough up the additives to ensure they are mixed in with the bedding.
- Cover the food scrap corner with a thin bedding layer from your bin.
Don't add worms yet. Wait till Step 4.
Step 3
Allow the Bin to sit for 1 Week
Let the bin sit for a week to allow the initial breakdown of materials and microbial activity.
Do not add worms yet, wait 1 week.
Step 4
Introduce Worms
- After a week, spread 1 lb of worms per square foot across the surface of the bin.
- Place a worm blanket over the worm bin. The worm blanket helps retain moisture and heat in the bin.
- Add a thermometer into the bin, the ideal temperature is 55’F to 77’F.
- Follow the What's Next guide below to maintain your worm bin.
Video Set Up Guide
Get your supplies, follow along, and watch Samantha from Meme's set up a worm bin in just 24 minutes!
Your bin is set up, what's next?
Every 2-4 days
Check on your kitchen scraps. If the worms have eaten it all add 1 cup of scraps with 1 tablespoon of worm chow. Ensure the food scraps are covered up, they should be 3-4 inches under the bedding so the food cannot be infiltrated by pests. Make sure you are rotating the areas you are adding your food scraps to.
If your bin is smelly it could be an indicator that you are overfeeding.
You may want to keep a journal regarding how quickly your worms consume certain things so you can adjust the timings, amounts, and varieties.
Buy Chow
Every Week
Add 1 tablespoon of Microbial food to the top of your bin and mix it into the top layer of bedding
Add Microbes
Once Per Month
Add 1 tablespoons of Oyster Shell Flour to the top of your bin and mix it into the top layer of bedding
This is also a good time to fluff the bedding if you haven't already. Fluffing the bed just means to turn it. This releases any gas buildup and also allows airflow. If you smell any foul smells you will need to add more dry bedding as the bed has become sour.
Add Oyster Shell Flour
