Worm Terms & Facts

“Black Gold” – fine, black granular compost, rich in nutrients (see vermicompost, worm castings)

Hermaphrodites – contain both female and male sex organs

Red Wigglers or Red Worms (Eisenia Foetida and Lumbricus Rubellus) – preferred worms  for composting as they are known as a gluttonous species

Vermicomposting – the process of using worms to turn kitchen waste into nutrient-rich compost

Vermiculture – the cultivation of worms for use in composting

Worm Bed – shredded newspaper layer; grass clippings and leaves layer; potting soil (no chemical additives) or peat moss layer

Worm Bin – worm housing (dishpan, wooden storage bin, plastic trashcan)

Worm Castings – fine, black granular compost; use as a nutritious soil additive

Worm Tea – bin drainage; nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer

Worm composting can be done indoors and does not require much space.

Worms can consume their weight in food everyday!

Worms can convert household garbage into rich compost.

Worms will recycle (most) organic kitchen waste (no animal products).

Worms should not be fed meat or fish, bones, colored ink newsprint.

Worms can be fed paper towels, vegetables scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, coffee filters, egg shells (crushed), fruit peels (however, no citrus peels).

Worms are best kept at 70 degrees fahrenheit, but they can tolerate as low as 40 degrees fahrenheit.

Worms will create the compost (worm castings) in a few months.

Worms are hermaphrodites (each consists of three segments:   two male and one female).

Worms join head to tail to fertilize each other’s eggs.

Worms double in population every 2-3 months.

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