North Carolina Composting Worms

Housing

• Place worms in bins made of wood or plastic. Use dampened bedding of shredded newspaper or peat moss. Provide worms with 1 square foot of surface space for every pound of organic material they will be fed each week.

Worms

• Red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) are the best choice for vermicomposting in North Carolina. These worms can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. Two pounds of worms can consume a pound of scraps every day.

Programs

• North Carolina State University has a training center that offers hands-on workshops in worm composting methods. Vermicomposting is also being considered as a means of dealing with significant waste problems such as those created by the hog industry in North Carolina.