cardboard would probably be quite a bit better than potting soil. I'm not sure I would struggle too much to remove the potting soil unless it is easy to do. Soil isn't so great for keeping worms though lots of potting soils actually are soil-less mediums that contain mostly peat moss, aged bark, and perlite or vermiclulite. They often also contain things like fertilizer and water crystals which make the potting soild cost alot more as well as making it less suitable for the worms and other microbes.

Cardboard (the corrigated kind) is excelent for worms since the glue is also a great protein source for the microbes that the worms eat. Cardboard is one of the few materials that can not only function as a great worm bedding but also as worm food.

hey dan! nice to see there's another NYC worm newbie! worm on!

the potting soil won't hurt, but it's not particularly useful either - the usefulness of soil in a new bin is to add a 'charge' of decomposer bacteria, and potting soil is usually sterilized - leave it, it'll 'disappear' over time as you keep adding feedstocks and the volume of bedding decreases - for additional bedding additions use paper or cardboard

Bill

Thanks for the responses. You guys are great.

I guess I'm just a bit nervous that I am making things unintentionally harder for my little friends. I only started out with about 20 worms that we got from a community garden compost heap.

Not really knowing what I was doing, I dumped a pot of left over potting soil into the bin along with shredded newspaper and cardboard. Later I read you only need a handful, not a whole pot. Since then I have been adding more cardboard along with keeping a moist layer on top. I don't want to over feed so I keep a seperate bin with garden scraps off to the side. I am also keeping kitchen scraps in a plastic container in the fridge until the bin population can start taking in more food. How much should I add for about 20 worms? I add about 1/8 cantalupe rind and a tbl spoon of coffee grounds along with a few dried up plant cuttings every 2 weeks or so. No smell so I think it is ok so far.

I have some pictures of the bin on the url listed below, its under composting.

Thanks again for all of the tips and encouragement!
Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Blog

nothing's hard for a worm, they just laze away their time eating :)

but you'd be better off to paint that clearish tub to block the light - will let the worms cover more of it, they really dislike light ... melon and other soft, high carb, sugary things become microbially active fast, so disappear faster

one# of worms will consume 1/2# of food per day, you should be able to increase the feed schedule a bit and just keep an eye on how fast it dissapears, with good conditions they'll breed rapidly

Bill

Thanks Bill,
I taped cardboard to the outside of the bin to block the light. And I did find an egg yesterday so hopefully conditions are ok for them. How often should I turn over the pile? I've been doing it about once a week.

Thanks,
Dan