The best of luck to both of you! Enjoy your worms!!! ;>)

Robert

The problem of peat moss being to acid is, IMHO, overstated. As I see it, the problem with peat moss is that you have to pay for it. I cannot imagine feeding worms anything that you have to pay for.

Rotted leaves are wonderful. The worms love them. I would toss some in now to help get the microherd established.

Pine needles are problematic. They break down slowly, and the pine sap is not good for worms.

Your conservative approach is a good idea.

Rick,

I agree with sbryce. Peat moss is slightly acidic but not enough to cause harm to the worms. Whatever you do, do not add lime to your bin though. I know that some worm vendors recommend it, especially when they hear you have peat moss, but it does next to nothing in your bin and as sbryce said why pay for something that that you don't need.

To quote chuckiebtoo's motto from the garden forums: Moderation, Diversity, Patience.

Enjoy the adventure. Oh and resist the urge to dig around ;-)

Alex

Totally agree with sbryce "I cannot imagine feeding worms anything that you have to pay for." That's why I can't bring myself to purchase coconut coir as beddings. I just started my very first bin in my life last Thur. and has done a lot of homework to figure what to do to decorate wormy's home. So far shredded paper/cardboard is the only thing that I use for bedding, along with the peat moss that came with my 1 lb worms. Any suggestion so I can skip coconut coir and substitute it for? p.s. I do have one bag of peat moss in my garage, but I think my bin is way too acidic/watery already, due to overfeeding. (You know, newbie's common mistake.)

rose,

adding additional shredded paper - you can even add it dry - to your bin will soak up the moisture. It's the most commonly used bedding and it is very cheap (if not free).