Tag Archives: composting with worms

Look Ma, No Teeth

Worms convert waste into nutrients. Mary Apelhof’s book is full of advice.

Do worms have teeth?
No, worms don’t have teeth. Like birds, they have a gizzard to grind the food they nibble. For that reason, we need to add grit to the worm bedding. A handful or two of soil will do.

Q. What do worms eat?
The amazing thing about redworms is they’ll eat almost anything that was once living… beyond ripe food and plant waste, leaves, shredded newspaper, napkins… They are highly efficient recyclers.

And although worms will eat almost anything, there are some things you should avoid  putting into a worm bin. We recommend disposing of meat scraps, bones, and dairy products elsewhere. They’re more likely to attract rodents and other pests, and could cause the worm bin to become rotten and stinky. 

At Good Earth Worms, we bed our stock in pre-composted horse manure and hay. Our worms eat plant and vegetable surplus from our own organic gardens and hayfield, and from neighboring farms .