Bananas have been in my layered worm farm and a big trash can with holes I use as an extra worm farm-ish thing, for 3 years, no problem. I've been told they are very helpful to roses. I know some say no citrus, but I have put it in and also see no problems. I don't put much in, and I have a lot of other things, egg shells, all sorts of greens, lots of newspaper, coffee grounds, tea bags, onions skins...and more. I wish I had more farms, I never seem to have enough compost! Maybe I will get another trash can.

People SAY no banana skins, onion, citrus, etc. but they are wrong. I put ALL the above into my bins with no problems! Some things just take longer to break down, that's all. If it's organic (and NOT a bad chemical) the worm bins can handle it.

pinkpowell,

The only reason I can think of to not put banana peel into your bin is that the fruit flies/gnats could have laid their eggs in them and then you have little fruit fly larvae in your bin. This is not in itself bad, but they tend to make your bin anaerobic a lot quicker because their waste is a lot wetter than the earthworm's.

I have put whole bananas, whole onions and even some oily chips into my bin and the worms are still going strong. The only thing I have stayed away from for now is putting citrus peel in. But I'm sure even that will break down after a while.

I've heard mention of banana peels having sprayed chemicals on them but don't know the truth behind it. I too have used peels and whole bananas past their prime with no problems.

As others have mentioned, there's no problem using the skins or the fruit of the banana. And since my bins are located in my unheated shed, I almost use the skins exclusively during the cold months. My worms consume them much more slowly due to the cold, so they last quite a while before I have to open the bin up to add more food. I usually make sure they get covered with a light layer of shredded paper and cardboard to keep any laying of eggs by flying critters. When we get to March, I'll notice the consumption increasing, so I'll add other items at that time.

I put just about everything in my bin and have been vermicomposting for 6 yrs or so. I also use all citrus peels as well and don't have any issues. If you are concerned about any items that you place in your worm bin the best thing to do is to sprinkle egg shells over it, and guaranteed the worms will swarm the area and get right to work.