I would suggest some compost mixed in with the damp newspaper and then go ahead and put in your first feeding so it can start decomposing.

I agree with MKitten. Be sure to put a good 3" layer of damp shredded paper on top of the food also.

My personal preference is peat moss mixed with shredded news paper - the peat seems to keep the paper from matting so bad. If you have a chipper/shredder, cardboard is reputed to be one of the best bedding/feedstock materials available. Of course, aged manures are also great.

bruce

As you can see there are many different bedding preferences and reasons why they are preferred. What this all really means is that there is no such thing as a "best" bedding. Any organic material that performs the function for which bedding is needed will do very well. Different people in different environments will prefer differing materials, but this is not to say that one is better than another from the worm perspective, rather it means that the PEOPLE have found a bedding mixture that works well for their particular management method and/or circumstance.

Bedding performs three functions in the worm bin; it holds moisture, its chunky structure keeps open space through which air can penetrate the system, and it balances with carbon the relatively high nitrogen in the feedstock. Materials most commonly used as bedding are fallen leaves, shredded paper, shredded cardboard, chopped straw, compost, peat moss, and shredded coconut fibre (also known as coir). Not as common, but also materials I've seen effectively used are shredded corn cobs and rice hulls.

If this is your first worm bin, then know that much about setting up the system is intuitive and opportunistic. In other words, use as bedding what is available and what feels right to you! ::grin:: The only advice I might add is to use more than one material as bedding; shredded paper and leaves mixed together, for instance, or shredded leaves, chopped straw and a bit of compost. The differing strucrues of each of the materials will prevent the others from compacting or forming mats. Shredded paper alone, for example, will often become sodden, and leaves will often cling together in mats. Mix the two together, however, and each prevents the other from engaging in bad behavior!

Worm bin set up and management really is pretty simple stuff. Remember to go with your gut any time the advice you read just doesn't "feel" right for you, and avoid any advice that seems complicated. Worms have been on this planet for thousands of years longer than we, and have changed almost not at all so well adapted are they to their natural role. They don't need us nearly so much as we do them!

Kelly S

Anything is better than what I have now! We havent found the best mix yet, and our compost isnt rotted enough to be great, so Im going to try a mix of shredded paper, paper towel rolls, coir fiber, and some semi-rotted hay. good luck to everyone!