I don't think it matters much. The Can O Worms I just got says to put the cardboard it came wrapped in on the bottom of the tray to prevent bedding from falling through although I don't think it would fall through anyway.

On top of that it says to put the coir it came with, but one can use peat, leaves, newspapers, whatever 'brown' fibery type material one wants.

The food goes on top of the bedding and then the worms will hang out in the bedding while they do their thing.

A damp newspaper is placed over the top of the worms:food:bedding according to the instructions.

Anyway, before too long the worms take everything in the bin and turn it into poop and they then live in that so... they don't seem too particular ;-)

monkeyman..I would highly recommend reading, "Worms Eat My Garbage", by Mary Applehof. You could find it in your local library perhaps. It is an easy read and full of good information when starting up. I checked it out so much the library suggested I just go ahead and buy it..:)

it's actually best to set up a bin with bedding and some feedstock, like chopped up kitchen scraps, a week or more before you add the worms so the material has a chance to start decomposing and become microbially active - fresh organic material is of no use to worms and they'll ignore it until it is being worked on by the bacteria that are really the worms main food, to the point that they'll hightail it outta there lookin for food

if you have some finished but fresh compost, that's ideal - just lay the worms in on top, they'll dive in soon enough, especially if you don't put a lid on to make it dark, as they avoid light

Bill

Yep, they prefer their food a bit 'aged'. Some food ages quickly, like strawberries and banannas. If you bruisse htem up and mix in with coffee grounds, you'll find your worms in the mix in a day or two.

For new bins, I always add a few handfulls of worm castings and moist newspaper to the bottom, then worms, then more newspaper. I put food in one corner (I rotate food additions to my indoor worm bins to simplify harvesting for sales), but this is not necessary.

Here is a link that might be useful: WormMainea