You will need to purchase red wriggler worms. These worms are different from your garden variety earthworm. They can consume and process large amounts of organic material in a relatively short time, they reproduce quickly under the right conditions, and are very happy to live in a small container. You cannot vermicompost with garden earthworms, you need red wrigglers. We recommend purchasing at least 1/2 lb of Red Wriggler worms to start with.

There are a number of locations in Manitoba where you can purchase what you need to get started:

• Nature’s Perfect Plant Food, Contact Mike Jaques (Sarto, MB) at 204-434-6887 or Jen Unwin (Winnipeg, MB) at 204-837-4190
• Selkirk Manitoba – Contact Art at (204) 482-1244 or email acrane1950@gmail.com
• Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or Buy Nothing Groups

Bedding is a food source for the worms, and it also helps to regulate moisture, keep smells down, and aerate the bin. You will need to always have this on hand to add to your worm bin.

Common materials used for bedding are shredded newspaper, computer paper, and paper bags. Glossy paper like flyers or magazines should not be used. Coconut coir is also a great option, and can be purchased from most gardening centres.

Red wriggler worms are vegetarians. While they can eat most foods that you would put in an outdoor compost bin, there are some important differences. Foods like citrus peels and coffee grounds can make the bin acidic and should only be added in moderation. Crushed or finely ground egg shells will help control acidity and also provide the worms with valuable nutrition.

Here are the good, the bad, and the moderate foods you can feed your worms:

Before you can put your worms in your bin you need to provide them with some moist bedding material. The bedding should be about as wet as a wrung-out sponge: not soggy, but not dry. You can easily wet down your bedding as you add it using a spray bottle. The bedding helps to regulate moisture and provides a medium in which your worms can live.

Your worms should be covered with a layer of bedding at all times. Don’t pack it down, as red wrigglers like loose bedding because they don’t burrow as well as garden earthworms. When you first start your bin you can add a handful of soil or sand just to help things get started.

Red Wrigglers are most productive at room temperature. Exposure to hot sunny conditions or temperatures below 10° C should be avoided, as your worms can die in extreme temperatures. Keeping your worms indoors year round is likely your best option. Keep your bin somewhere that is easy to access like under the kitchen sink, in a bathroom, closet, basement, or in the garage (only in summer unless it is heated).

There is not a lot to do other than feed the worms and harvest your free compost, however because your worms’ skin needs to be moist to allow them to “breathe,” you have to keep an eye on the moisture content in the bin. If it is too dry, the worms will not do their job and can even die. If it’s too wet, the worms can drown and your bin can begin to smell.

Making holes in the bottom of your worm bin will help to keep the bin from getting too wet, but you still need to check it regularly. If the bin is too dry you can use a spray bottle to dampen the bedding until it is as wet as a wrung-out sponge. If the bin seems too wet, you can add additional dry bedding to help absorb the extra moisture.