What Can Red Wiggler Worms Eat? [Infographic]

Greetings worm farmers! For this month’s blog post, we decided to do something a little bit different.

We put our heads together here at The Squirm Firm, and we’ve come up with this amazing infographic to help you answer the question, “What can red wiggler worms eat?”

Red wiggler worms are practically vegans. Their diet consists mostly of vegetables and fruits, no meat, dairy or anything greasy. Healthy human foods are generally healthy for red wigglers too, but there are some important differences. Check out the infographic below!

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<p><strong>Please include attribution to The Squirm Firm with this graphic.</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><a href=’http://thesquirmfirm.com/what-can-red-wiggler-worms-eat-infographic’><img src=’http://thesquirmfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/What-Can-Red-Wiggler-Worms-Eat-Full.jpg’ alt=’What Can Red Wigglers Eat?’ width=’540px’ border=’0′ /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <blockquote>Do you ever worry if you’re feeding your worms a healthy diet? This infographic is now available as a 6″ x 9″ refrigerator magnet at <a href=”http://thesquirmfirm.com/what-can-red-wiggler-worms-eat-infographic?utm_source=infographic&utm_medium=embed%20code&utm_campaign=infographic%20embed%20code%20link<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> “>The Squirm Firm</a>.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p style=”text-align: left;”>With this infographic by your side, you’ll never have to worry again. <a href=”http://shop.thesquirmfirm.com/what-can-red-wigglers-eat-infographic-refrigerator-magnet/?utm_source=infographic&utm_medium=embed%20code&utm_campaign=infographic%20embed%20code%20link<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> “>Click here</a> to check ’em out!</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p>

Do you ever worry if you’re feeding your worms a healthy diet? This infographic is now available as a 13″ x 19″ refrigerator magnet at The Squirm Firm.

With this infographic by your side, you’ll never have to worry again. Click here to check ’em out!

Food to keep red wigglers’ hearts – all five of them — healthy:

Red wigglers enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

• Vegetables: including celery, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, corn, cucumbers and cabbage
• Fruits (non citrus only): including watermelon, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears and apples
• Cooked Beans: black, pinto, white, and garbanzos are fine

Never add these foods to your worm bin:

There also are foods and materials that should never be added to the worm bin. For example, non-biodegradable materials don’t do any harm but they take up precious space.

• Citrus fruits: they contain a compound called d-limonene, which can harm your worms
• Meats, fish, bones, dairy, and eggs: these create foul odors and attract unwelcome visitors
• Oily, greasy, salty, spicy foods: they are too hard to digest
• Pet feces: may contain pathogens that are not welcome in the compost

Then there are the middle-ground foods that red wigglers can eat occasionally.

Foods which are okay for red worms in moderation:

These are starchy foods – think potatoes, grains and bread. Make sure you don’t overdo them; do not feed these items unless you are sure that your worms have finished any other starches that are already in your worm bin. Aside from too many being unhealthy for the worms, the presence of starches can encourage annoying gnats to move into your worm composting bin.

• Pizza crust (without the cheese)
• Pasta (no butter sauce)
• Rice (brown or white, long or short grain)
• Bread (whole wheat, sourdough or whatever you like)
• Pancakes (or waffles without the whipped butter or cream)

Some extra red wiggler feeding tips:

Of course, red wigglers also enjoy materials not in a healthy human diet. These items include shredded newspapers, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags (without the staple), and paper egg cartons.

To keep your compost more chemical-free, be sure to rinse off the vegetables and fruits before tossing them in the bin. Even better, choose to eat only organic foods.

Occasionally add some fine soil or crushed eggshells – aka grit — to the compost bin. This helps the toothless warms process their food. Better yet, blend the food before feeding; this speeds up digestion, allowing your worms to process more food in less time.

So how do I remember all of this?

If this seems like a lot to take in, that’s because it is. So, in order to help you out we have decided to offer this infographic in physical form.

You can now order this infographic as a 13″ x 19″ refrigerator magnet!

Imagine you just finished with breakfast, and are about to rush out the door to go to work. You don’t remember if the scraps from your breakfast would be an appropriate breakfast for your worms.

You want to make sure you are feeding your worms a nutritious diet, but you don’t have the time to go research online.

Our new “What Can Red Wigglers Eat?” Infographic Refrigerator Magnet may be just what you need. Click here to check them out!

If you found this infographic useful, and would like more great worm composting tips, tricks, and how-to’s, sign up for our newsletter using the bar at the top of this page. Happy worming!

Article by Bob Kenney