You are thinking backward. What gets a compost pile hot is greens. The C:N ratio thing works in worm composting too, but we handle it differently. We can do one of three things:

1) Start with a lot of browns, and gradually add greens over time.

2) precompost browns and greens past the heating stage and go wild feeding our worms with the result.

3) Add greens and browns in thin layers so they don't heat up, or, if they do, the heat dissipates easily.

Hi Sbryce,

Thanks for your thoughts. I was basing my comments on high brown content for "hot compost" on articles like this one Organic hot compost. It calls for 25:1 ratio of C:N. I've seen other articles suggesting 30:1.

The three approaches you describe make a lot of sense so I'll start working with those. I was reading an article that kept referring to a "healthy" compost mixture; so I wanted to be sure I understood that idea.

Since I originally started my worm bin to handle kitchen scraps during the winter I end up with a lot more greens than Browns. I didn't want to make a slimy mess or kill off the worms by using the wrong ratio. I'lol probably include some shredded paper in the mix or layer it the way you described.

Thanks again

The 25:1 ratio does not mean 25 parts browns to one part greens. It means 25 carbon atoms for each nitrogen atom. To get a 25:1 ratio, you come pretty close to equal parts browns to greens, depending on the browns and greens in the mix.

For example: coffee grounds, food waste and grass clippings are about 20:1. Shredded cardboard is about 250:1. Equal parts of cardboard to food waste will put your mix very close to 25:1.

Horse manure is already about 25:1, and does not need to be mixed with anything.

But feeding worms is as much an art as it is a science. We usually start a little heavy on the browns to avoid possible problems, and get a feel for how much greens to add over time with experience.

If your bin is large enough, overheating shouldn't be so much of an issue. If the worms have enough cool space to flee too, you can effectively forget about it, unless you're doing everything at once (more like traditional composting).

As far as greens go I add as the worms tell me and use it up. Not all bins are working at the same speed depending on how many worms , temp of bin and an equal balance. When the food I add starts disappearing at a faster rate I add more and also usually always add more browns with the food more to keep the food covered but this possibly also helps to balance out the bin and the worms remain happy. Also mine is an inside setup.