If feeding food scraps that are soft enough for the wormies to consume, put an amount (1/2 cup?) in little pile (spot-feeding). When it's gone (unrecognizable), repeat. There will still be edible stuff there too small to be seen. This will help prevent smells and/or critters.

If you're feeding your compost, it makes no difference.

chuckiebtoo

Moderatiion, Diversity, Patience

I agree with cb2 re. feeding compost.
Feeding fresh worm food (WF) is quite a different matter with 100 worms in a brand new bin. It will be a very slow start. You could spot feed the new WF in the compost and observe how after some time, the worms will be concentrated in that spot. It is very interesting to see even for a not so new worm farmer like myself.

I have only been stalkin these worm ferums for a short time now but have seen a few of this type of post. To date I have not replied but think it might open an eye or two if this is said.

100 worms is barely enough to even think they might breed. Sure there is a chance 2 worms will make 2 million in a year but really, worms are cheap as hell and if you want to give yourself the best shot at makin a wormgasm of procreation start with a pound or two. Give them a good shot at gettin going.

Now if $20 is a hardship then yes there are ways to go about this that can forgo the monetary investment and there is certainly no shame in playin the cards you are dealt. If this isnt the case though then its a different conversation so maybe its important to bring that to the front at the beginnin of the game as it may very well elicit far different advice.

On feeding 100 worms... have to say 'not much'

Nevex: that's assuming that the new worm farmer is a working adult. In the past few years, teachers in elementary schools are introducing kids to worms and composting and for example setting up a garden at school. So, members of this forum are of all ages and sometimes not possible to identify from his/her post. (unless of course one complained about back ache and diminishing eye-sight :)

""worms are cheap as hell""
When I started worm composting back in 2008, I paid $25 for .5 lb of Eisenia Fetida. Now that I know better, they weren't all EFs and hardly 0,5 lb. Depending where you live, the cost of composting worms varies. Then add shipping and taxes on top of that.
If you're lucky to have access to a stable, then you can get pounds and pounds for free.

The points here, meaning of the entire blog, are being missed by Nexey of the High Desert....and I've seen a few of these types of posts.

Hang around awhile, Nexey.....it all starts making sense most of the time.

cb2

Otis - I'm offended, I complain of back pain and failing eyesight and I'm still in my 40s...

I agree with everything else you said. Even if people CAN afford it, for some of us, this is a hobby that's about being frugal/free and not wasting things. I never imagined before getting worms that I'd be stalking Craigslist for free cardboard boxes...

For some of us, free is part of the challenge.

HIfromCA: didn't mean to offend you and you shouldn't be offended.
Harvesting a FT could be back-breaking if one has to go on all 4, I know the feeling.
What I meant was, if one complained about back-ache & eye-sight, then that person can't be an elementary student.

"" I'm still in my 40s..."" Some one said that once you hit 20, then it goes down hill :) ??? Just kidding.

I agree with you about free stuff. I don't think you need to bother to consult craigslist for free corrugated cb. Just go to any super market and they will be happy to oblige you. The time they stock their shelves are around/after week-ends in the morning. Then you can be choosy. I do not take the north american cb because the quality is too superior compared to asian cb and take longer to break down, and slower in absorbing moisture.

As for feeding, what chuckiebtoo said. If you are feeding them finished thermophilic compost, you should just fill the whole bin with compost, and you will need nothing else to bed them in or feed them. Otherwise, feeding is as much an art as it is a science. For your 100 worms, you don't need to feed much. A small amount in one corner of the bin will do. When that is mostly gone, put a small amount in another corner. The best thing you can do is fill the bin with aged horse manure and never have to feed them at all.

As for cardboard, I pick mine up at Walmart when I go grocery shopping. Many stores will put canned goods on the shelf still in the cut down boxes. look for the empties and grab them. Three or four of these a week will take care of a typical RM bin with about 2+ lb of worms. If you have an apartment complex nearby, their dumpsters usually have a few boxes courtesy of people moving into the complex or receiving shipments.

Nah guys, I get it as far as the varied situations of the individuals that visit here. Not only that but everyone has different ideas on how to go about any and everything.

The only point that was attempted at expressing there was that if someone with a question alludes to their own situation along with the question the response would be more tailored rather than addressing the least common denominator or possibly going beyond their means.

Would any of you folks recommend starting with 100 worms out of hand without knowing there was difficulty in obtaining a more robust population? Also how much food would you give 100 worms? Are these worms kept indoors? This is zone 4 the OP is indicating, in a cold garage they might not use up any appreciable amount of food before the weather begins to warm and they become more active.

I might add that whatever your situation 100 worms or 10,000 if you are feeding kitchen scraps minimize the food in as small a particles as you can get it. Either chop it up or thru a food processor of any kind will speed things along. Since it cant be eaten until bacteria breaks the food down and this is what they actually eat.

One time I had some winter squash which I sliced in half lengthwise and placed it cut side down just to see how long it would take [1500 or so worms] it took 2mo for it break down enough for the worms to eat it. It was mostly gone by the end of 2mo. Ive come a long way since then.

I've started out with a dozen or so worms from Freecycle. I put them in a small container that baby spinach comes in, with shredded paper and egg cartons as bedding.

Fed by the tablespoonfuls so as not to overfeed. They multiplied and prospered.

They did graduate to a larger bin. If your bin is large, you can make it smaller by putting a slab of cardboard or styrofoam across the center or elsewhere. This makes it easy for them to find each other and breed :-)

Starting with 100 worms & building the herd is safe. Starting with 10 pounds of worms that evacuate your brand new worm bin the first night is not safe.

Evacuated worms are dead very quickly.....& worthless.

What's the hurry?

My old motto..."Moderation, Diversity, Patience"...will help a new, eager wormer become an old, grizzled, veteran, successful worm whisperer.

chuckiebtoo

Moderation, Diversity, Patience

Quite a leap to 10lbs from 100 worms CB and certainly a lot more investment than the $20 or so suggested.

Personally I scattered my worms when I got them, free range here :) In my situation I did not want to wait so long to bring up numbers and spending a couple hundred dollars was within my means.

One valid part of your philosophy that you did not really detail is that a worm born into an environ is more likely to succeed there than one imported to it.

Wonder if the OP got his question answered to their satisfaction.

Otis no actual offense was taken, and I'd say it's closer to 30 before it's all down hill, but at that point, it's just the slope that varies...

I live in Corporate Hell for pretty much any waste, cardboard or otherwise, from businesses. About the only non-Corporates are specialty grocery which is all shipped from overseas and who knows how the boxes are treated, and how quick the store will be something new again (typically less than a year).