Hey Worm People,
What is the best bedding? We always hear this question, and we want to create a guide so you will have the best information available to pick the bedding that is right for your needs.
Bedding serves two purposes in worm farming. It’s where the worms live, and it's the roughage they eat. Worms eat their bedding.
This is why making the right choice about bedding is very important for the success of your worm bin. Some types of bedding perform better in different climates and temperatures. Some worms like certain types more than others. Knowing the ins and outs of the different types of bedding will empower you to give your herd the optimum bedding to thrive.
Before we start, we would like to invite you to take Learn to Worm. We poured all our years of expertise into this course. It is simple, educational, and fun. Captain Matt walks you through the entire process. Sign up today to learn everything you need to know about worm farming!
Let’s bed down and learn all we can about these bedding sources. Bedding is often referred to as browns. This is because it's primarily carbon.
List of Common Worm Bin Bedding Materials
Leaf Mulch
Money does grow on trees, at least for worm farmers. The trees shed their precious leaves every fall, and most of the world considers it a nuisance, not for us. It is a valuable carbon source and a great bedding for our worms.
Below each short description, you will find a list of attributes for the material, all information provided came from agricultural extensions service and the resources are linked at the bottom of the article.
- C:N Ratio: 40-80:1
- pH: Varies, generally neutral
- Moisture Content: Low to moderate
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Moderate
- Nutrient Content: Generally high in carbon
We recommend the Worx WG430 Leaf Mulcher (Affiliate Link). This affordable mulcher is a must have during the fall when money is falling off the trees. Watch Captain Matt and Jude make quick work of their leaf pile.
If you make a purchase through our affiliate link we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps us continue to provide these resources to our community. Thank you for your support.
Wood Mulch and Chips
Wood chips are a great source, but keep in mind a few things. Some woods are toxic to our worms. Never use treated wood as your chips' source; it's best to know where they come from if they are sprayed with insecticides.
- C:N Ratio: 100-500:1
- pH: Neutral to slightly acidic
- Moisture Content: Low
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Shredded Cardboard
Worms love cardboard because the corrugation adds structure to their bin, and the glue used is a starch compound. It’s readily available to anyone with an Amazon Prime addiction. If you plan to shred it, get a good-quality paper shredder that shreds more than sixteen sheets at a time. Cardboard can dull the blades of your wood chipper, so be warned.
- C:N Ratio: 560:1
- pH: Neutral
- Moisture Content: Medium
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Trusted Wormer Chuck S recommends the Bonsaii C-149 shredder (Affiliate link). It has an 18-sheet capacity, perfect for corrugated cardboard. With a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Amazon and over 10,000 reviews, the Bonsaii C-149 is a solid investment.
Shredded Newspaper
Extra, extra read all about it! They say printed media is dead. Well, not for us. Newspapers are a great source for bedding. Make sure you avoid the glossy type. Most of the dyes used in newspapers are soy-based, which will not hurt your worms. Make sure you shred it and mix it with another source because it tends to clump.
- C:N Ratio: 560:1
- pH: Generally neutral to slightly acidic
- Moisture Content: Medium
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Composted Manure
Manure is an excellent source but very high in nitrogen. You can run into temperature and anaerobic issues if not properly composted before adding to your bed. Composting it first with another bedding source like leaf or wood mulch is a great way to increase the total carbon.
- C:N Ratio: 15-25:1
- pH: 6.5-8.0 (neutral to slightly alkaline)
- Moisture Content: High
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Fast
- Nutrient Content: High in nutrients
Hay and Straw
Where there is manure, there’s usually hay. Those scraps of hay that build up in the barn are no longer a fire hazard; scoop them up, add them to the manure, and let them compost. You now have excellent bedding material. Hay and straw add structure to the bed, which helps with aeration and drainage.
- C:N Ratio: 50-100:1
- pH: 6.0-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Moisture Content: Low
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Coco Coir (Coconut Fiber)
This is a popular purchased bedding. Except for the lucky few of us who are worm farming on Bora Bora. The benefit of coco coir is it comes in a compressed brick, taking up very little space. It can be stored until needed and adds diversity to your bed.
- C:N Ratio: 80-100:1
- pH: 5.5-6.5 (slightly acidic)
- Moisture Content: High
- Aeration: Moderate
- Decomposition Rate: Moderate
- Nutrient Content: Balanced, good moisture retention
Peat Moss
This is another form of commonly purchased bedding. It retains a large amount of moisture and tends to be acidic. When you add it to your bed, buffer it with agricultural lime. Peat not being a renewable resource (it took hundreds of years to build up in peat bogs - and sequesters significant carbon) should be used responsibly.
- C:N Ratio: 58-75:1
- pH: 3.5-4.5 (acidic)
- Moisture Content: High
- Aeration: Poor without mixing
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon, acidic
Saw Dust
Use sparingly, and make sure it is not from treated lumber. It will clump. If you have a sawdust source, mix it with another form of bedding.
- C:N Ratio: 100-500:1
- pH: 4.0-6.0 (acidic to slightly acidic)
- Moisture Content: Low
- Aeration: Poor without mixing
- Decomposition Rate: Very slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon, low in nitrogen
Uncolored Egg Cartons
Cardboard egg cartons are great bedding. They are not corrugated like their Amazonian brothers, but they are a good carbon source and a great reuse of a single-use product. Avoid them if they are dyed.
- C:N Ratio: Similar to cardboard, 350-550:1
- pH: Neutral
- Moisture Content: Medium
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Shredded Office Paper
This is a great source if you can find it for free. Do not use glossy paper. Law firms, accounting firms, corporate offices, banks, government buildings, universities and schools, hospitals, real estate agencies, and print shops all go through tons of this stuff and discard it. They shred it for you. All you need is one green thumb in the building, trade a bag of castings, and you will have a carbon source forever.
- C:N Ratio: 130-180:1
- pH: Neutral
- Moisture Content: Medium
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Slow
- Nutrient Content: High in carbon
Compost
Compost is a catch-all for organic matter that's already started to break down microbially. This is a great source of bedding and food for the worms. A few setbacks you will face with compost from a pile is it will be teaming with competing composters. Most of them are harmless. Check out our Worm Bin Pest Guide to learn about all the other stowaways you will find in your worm bin.
- C:N Ratio: 15-25:1
- pH: 6.5-8.0 (neutral to slightly alkaline)
- Moisture Content: High
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Fast
- Nutrient Content: High in nutrients
Garden Soil
Using a little bit of soil in your bedding mix is always good practice. This will provide a natural source of grit, which helps the worms chew their food. Like the compost, this introduces outside life, and you must be careful to avoid introducing anything harmful. If you’ve used fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in your garden or lawn, it's best to avoid using soil from there because it can harm your herd. Soil is good to mix with other bedding, but we do not recommend using it as your only source. There will be moisture problems as well as compaction problems.
- C:N Ratio: Varies widely, typically lower
- pH: Varies, generally neutral
- Moisture Content: Varies
- Aeration: Good
- Decomposition Rate: Moderate
- Nutrient Content: Moderate to high
Finding the perfect blend
As with all things, balance is the key. We want to create the perfect environment for our worms. This means a neutral PH, moisture levels around 80%, a constant temperature 55 and 77 Fahrenheit (22 to 23 Celsius) and a C:N ratio of 50:1 or higher. As Captain Matt say's,
"When in doubt, add carbon."
The best sources of bedding to reach these goals are the ones you can gather for free that facilitate these conditions.
Forum Member's Blends
Here are a few of our community member's personal blends. One interesting throughline with each is they are all composted before adding to the worm bin. This is a great way to prepare them for the worm bin.
Michael Doyle uses leaf mulch, salad bar waste, spent brewing grains and used coffee grounds. All composted prior to adding them to the worm bin. This is a great use of otherwise wasted resources.
Melodie started her bin with coco coir and shredded carboard. Now she ads cardboard when she feeds kitchen scraps. She doesn't incorporate outdoor products to limit infestations. This is great advice if you are keeping your bins indoors.
David uses a combination of shredded leaves and curbside food waste. Once that is composted he mixes it with shredded carboard.
Tony Grant throws the kitchen sink at his worms. Shredded cardboard, composted horse manure, peat moss, dried tree leaves, tree bark, sand, wood ash, coffee grounds, wheat bran, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, crab and lobster shell meal, fresh ground malted barley, rock phosphate, calcilic lime, dolomitic lime, volcanic rock dust, azomite (trace minerals), Epsom Salts, and hydrated beet pulp.
Now say that ten times fast.
Kudos Tony that is an impressive blend. We are sure the worms love your attention to detail.
Chuck S switched from coconut coir to carboard, shredded leaves, and coffee grounds. All sourced locally. He hot compost it for a few months before adding it to his bins. This is a great use of free ingredients!
Kathy utilizes an abundant free resource. Gathering as much cardboard from the her local dollar store. She also proves there is many ways to be a successful worm farmer. Thank you Kathy for providing this example of a great process and use of a free resource!
Laying the Foundation for Success
We recommend taking our course Learn to Worm to learn every step of the process and establish a firm knowledge base for your worm farming endeavors. Captain Matt takes you through the entire process from start to finish. You will have the tools you need to succeed as a hobbyist or a professional worm farmer. Sign up today!
Our Mission
We are Worm people. We do this for the love of worms but also the love of community. We love sharing knowledge and growing as a group. Our love for our little wriggly friends brings us all together. Through them we nurture our living soil. Worm farming reduces waste in landfills and rejuvenates stressed and depleted topsoil. You are creating a healthier, biodynamic world. You are making a difference!
References
- Cornell Composting: Compost Chemistry (Cornell Composting)
- Oklahoma State University Extension: The Basics of Vermicomposting (OSU Extension)
- Oregon State University Extension: Composting with Worms (OSU Extension Service)
- North Dakota State University Agriculture: Composting Animal Manures (NDSU)
- NRAES Farm Composting Manual, 1992
- Vermiculture Farmers Manual
- The Worm Book
- Rodale Book of Composting