Worms first feed
I’m checking on the Wormcity Wormery a few days after setting it up, and to give the worms their first fresh food feed. The Worms seem to be settling in well with only a few now in the top. If you keep your Wormery outside, and it isn’t totally sheltered, I’d definitely put a brick on the lid. There are holes in the corners that you can also use to secure it with a small bolt and wing nut. This lid is not going to stay on in high winds. As it is, I keep a brick on it in our outbuilding as Mice can get into it, and I don’t want them in there either.
What to do now?
It’s now time to check on how your worms are doing for food. Did they eat all the worm chow you added on top of their bedding? If so, it’s time to give them more to eat. I show feeding the Worms Banana, which they really enjoyed, but in hindsight, I wouldn’t put as much in as I did. This is because it caused a Composting Mite bloom.
Are Composting Mite bad?
Compost Mites are all part of the usual composting process. They are not an issue to the Worms themselves unless a Worm is already struggling. In which case, the Mites will treat it the same as anything else in the system for composting. However, it is important to keep an eye on their numbers as Mites can sometimes be an indication that something else is wrong in your Wormery. Since they like a more moist environment, and will do just fine in a more anaerobic one, which your Worms will not like. So having a few Mites around is not cause for concern, but in the case of a large bloom trapping them out by using Banana skins, or damp bread on the surface of the feeding tray is a good idea. Remove and replace it as needed. In the mean time, assess the Wormery to make sure all other conditions are correct. Add more dry bedding if the tray is too wet. This will allow the bin to both dry a little, and add more oxygen back into it.
What should I feed my worms?
You can feed your worms pretty much anything. However, it is better to not over feed, make sure you have a good supply of carbon to fresh, or frozen food. Always provide a good supply of grit since worms have a gizzard just like chickens. The best source of grit is ground eggshell, since this is high in calcium, and helps mitigate protein poisoning. Remember that when the weather has extremes of cold and heat that your worms will eat less. Their bedding is also food. It really is up to you whether to feed whole foods, or grind things up. The smaller the pieces the quicker microbes can get into it though. One thing to try avoiding is clumping. Most especially of things likely to ferment.