1. Do not buy red worms from a bait store. Buy them online. I originally started with red worms from a bait store, and I still have some in my bin. They have survived, but they don't have near the energy or composting power of the worms I bought online from Uncle Jims Worm Farms. Sounds crazy but it's true. There IS a difference that I noticed immediately. I got tired of reading how great people's worms were doing in the forum only to see my kitchen scraps just sit there for weeks and my worms just barely moving around. The online worms actually dart away from the sunlight and they attack the food I put in my bin quickly and convert it fast. The bait store worms don't.

2. Don't use newspaper. I have a lot of newspaper that's still in my bin from my original bedding material I used a year ago. But ALL of the cardboard that I added three months ago is gone already! I'd stick with a mix of cardboard, leaves, and a little dirt.

3. The worms do slow down over the winter but they will survive and do fine when it warms up. Here in Alabama, the coldest it got in my garage was probably about 35 degrees.