Here’s an exerpt from Kmin10’s question on watering The Worm Inn.

Hi Jerry,

I moved my worms from the Wriggly Wranch to my new Worm Inn about a week ago.  So far, so good. The worms are swarming around mushy pumpkin. I’ve seen 2-3 gnats, but no mites (infestation averted). LOVE the Worm Inn!

When I first changed from the Wriggly Wranch to the Worm Inn,  a lot of leachate drained out (at least 4 cups of water overnight).  My poor worms were drowning in the plastic bin!   Now, there isn’t as much leachate coming out (about 1 cup every 2-3 days), but how much should there be?   The worms get mostly fruit scraps (melon rind, banana peel, apple/pear bits, etc.), all frozen and thawed so it’s mushy. I moisten the bedding with a spray bottle every couple of days and try not to overfeed. My question is how can I tell if the moisture level is right between the moisture from the food and the misting?

You’ve done a great job describing the moisture difference between The Worm Inn and a plastic system. The great thing about The Worm Inn is, that as long as it doesn’t completely dry out throughout, it doesn’t matter! About the only way you could make it completely dry out is if you stop feeding scraps and stop watering! The scraps you are feeding are constantly releasing water. This water release keeps the bedding damp around the ”Sweet Spot” of The Worm Inn. In this case, the moisture level is determined by the amount and type of scraps that you are feeding your worms. Although the top will dry out if you do not add additional water for a bit, it doesn’t matter.

I’ll usually water my Worm Inn once a week or so, depending on what scraps I have inside. I recently buried 36 apples in my Inn, and they are releasing water as they break down.   Absolutely no smell, no bugs, and the worms are all over them.

One thing you will notice is how much more lively your worms are in the Worm Inn.   They get sluggish when kept in plastic bins at times due to too much retained moisture, which restricts air flow.

The beauty of The Worm Inn is it’s simplicity.   If you under water, you will notice the worms hanging around the moisture pockets in the ”Sweet Spot”.   If you over water, the exess drains within minutes and moisture levels become perfect within minutes.

Anyone that has ever studied vermiculture knows that there are three basic ways to kill Redworms.

1. Direct Sunlight
2. Standing Water
3. Too Much Food for the Amount of Worms in your Bin

Direct Sunlight:  Worms can tolerate a lot of heat, but worms cannot tolerate the heat from unfiltered sun. Sound strange? Let me explain.

Regardless of what you read on the Internet or in worm books, worms (In damp bedding) tolerate ambient temps over 100 degrees without any problem whatsoever!  I usually have over 100 pounds of worms residing in my garage at any given time. Our local temps exceed 100 degrees quite often in the summer. I’ve never lost a pan of worms due to ambient temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.  Why?  The bedding the worms live in keeps them insulated from the ambient temps.   Conversely,  I’ve worked outdoor events in 75-85 degree weather where I thought I had shaded my worms well, but the sun shifted, cooking my worms.  How does this happen?   If the outside of the bin gets warm to the touch, you create a frying pan situation for your worms.  As the heat transfers from your bin to the bedding, worms begin to  cook.

How do you know when worms are cooking?  You’ll smell them.  And it isn’t a pleasant smell.

Standing Water:   Redworms need moisture to live, but cannot tolerate standing water. 

Although worms need moisture in order to breathe, standing water causes redworms to rot.  It’s the reason the stackable worm bins have become so popular!  Even the most uneducated worm farmer can keep worms alive in a bin that doesn’t hold water!  The spigot in the base really isn’t for collecting the leachate (Notice I did not call this overwater”Worm Tea”….more on this later), it’s so you don’t have a bowl of standing water sitting around forever!  The stackable bins allow you plenty of room for error in the amount of water you add to your bin, without killing your worms!  Pretty cool huh!

Too Much Food for the Amount of Worms in your Bin:  This is the tough one.   

It’s pretty easy to keep the sun off of your worm bin.  It’s easy to avoid overwatering when your worm trays are loaded with holes.  But…How do you avoid overfeeding your worms?   The 15 pounds of  lettuce in the picture above was added this weekend, and will all  be eaten by next weekend.  How?  I’ve got 20 pounds of worms in the bin.  

Considering that most people buy 1-3 pounds of worms to start, it may be quite awhile before most people are actually recycling ALL of their scraps with their worms.  It’s unreasonable to try and feed a pound or two of worms 15 pounds of scraps, but you would be amazed at how many people try!      So…How much should you feed your worms at any one time?   A good rule of thumb to feed your worms no more than the weight of your worms ! 

1 pound of worms get up to 1 pound of scraps.

2 pounds of worms get up to 2 pounds of scraps.

3 pounds of worms get up to 3 pounds of scraps.

I don’t recommend a new worm person start out with more than a few pounds of  worms.  Best to learn how easy they are to keep alive first (It is easy with some good advice)!

For those of you that have been raising a pound or two of worms, and are salivating at the thought of composting a LOT more here is my recommendation. 

Go halves with a friend on a bulk purchase! On my no frills site, WWW.BulkWorms.Com, I currently have a 10 pound special on Red Wigglers…JUST $169 WITH FREE DELIVERY!

Why buy bulk?  3 pounds of worms are $59.99, plus $11 shipping = $70.99   Compare this with splitting a bulk purchase with a friend…you each pay only $84.50 for 5 full pounds of worms!

You too can be shaking your head in amazement at just how much your worms can eat!   Plus, when spring comes, you’ll have all the castings you need for the BEST garden ever!