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Your First Week With Worms🪱
Simple Steps That Prevent Common Problems
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Hello worm friend!
This first week is not about making compost fast. It is about building a bin that feels calm and stable. If you follow this plan, you will avoid the most common beginner problems and feel confident enough to keep going.
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This newsletter is written like I would write to a friend in our worm club: simple steps, honest troubleshooting, and a steady pace.
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What you need to start
- A worm bin (start small, you can upgrade later)
- Composting worms
- Carbon rich bedding (shredded cardboard or paper)
- Food scraps. Mostly fruits and vegetables (strawberries, mango, lettuce, squash, etc.).
You may have heard the terms "brown" and "greens” however, bedding and scraps are terms that are clear and more accessible.
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The Week 1 rule
Start with more bedding than food. Feed less than you think you should. You can always add more later.
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Day 1: Set up and feed once
- Add 3 to 5 inches of moist bedding. It should feel like a wrung out sponge.
- Add a small handful of food scraps. Chop if you want, but you do not have to.
- Bury the food fully, then cover it with bedding. No exposed food on top.
That is it. You have done enough.
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Days 2 to 6: Check, do not panic
Do a one minute check every few days:
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- Bedding should feel damp, not wet.
- Food should be buried, not sitting on the surface.
- Too wet: add dry bedding and fluff.
If things look normal, do nothing.
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Day 7: Decide if you feed again
Feed again only if most of the first food is gone or clearly breaking down.
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If it is still there, wait. Waiting is not failure. Waiting is how you avoid smells and pests.
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Week 1 is different
A beginner friendly starting point is to feed a small amount first, then increase only after you see the bin handling it well. If you know your worm weight, start small and build from there.
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What worms can eat
Worms do best with fruit and vegetable scraps, plus bedding.
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Want hands on help?
If you are not sure what a worm bin is or how to choose one, I can walk you through it live.
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In the Beginner Setup Workshop (live, online 01/19/26), I will show you a real starter bin and we will set it up together:
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- What to look for in a beginner bin (and what to avoid)
- How to make bedding and test moisture
- How to start feeding without smells or pests
- Meet the worms, the stars of the show, and ask questions in real time
Quick question (10 seconds)
Where your bin will live (indoors, patio, or garage)
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Your number one concern (smell, pests, time, space, “I will fail,” or other)
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Ivette Zamora Cruz
Happy Worm
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P.S. Next issue will be my January 8 conference field notes: what was useful, what was hype, and what will actually help beginners.
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