6 Best Worm Composters For Easy Vermicomposting At Home

Ready to turn your food scraps into compost without too much effort? Consider vermicomposting, or worm composting—a system where worms break down organic waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment, often referred to as black gold.

“A worm composting bin provides a closed environment in which worms, usually red wigglers, eat your leftover food scraps and excrete waste known as castings,” explains Matt Eddleston, a gardener with over 20 years of experience and founder of Gardening Vibe. “The worm castings are nutrient-rich, making them an ideal organic fertilizer for growing plants.” 

A worm bin can be as simple as a plastic container with a lid, or as complicated as a multi-layer bin with many different compartments and features.

While you can save money by building your own bin, Chia-Ming Ro, a garden consultant and owner of Coastal Homestead explains that buying a pre-made one “takes the guesswork out." Considering that an ill-fitted bin could leave too little room for air to get in—or not enough room for air to flow through—opting for a pre-made one will better set you up for success from the beginning.

When you're deciding on what compost bin is best for you, the first step is thinking about how you'll use it. “It’s a good idea to consider how much space you have to keep the bin, the volume of food scraps to process, and how discrete you want the appearance to be,” says Eddleston.

You’ll want to keep your bin in a cool spot that doesn't get direct sun; either inside a basement or garage, or outside on a covered porch. Some bins are better suited to be indoors while others are designed to be outside.

When it comes to nature working its magic, the conditions are important, so you should also think about your familiarity with vermicomposting. “Some bins help to keep the conditions humid, well-drained, and well-aerated without much intervention needed from you, increasing the chances of faster compost production,” explains Eddleston.

Finally, consider the bin's size. “Ideally, your worm bin has two bins that allow worms to move freely from one to the next," says Ro.

Once you have your bin and order your worms, you can get the process started by filling the worm's bin with a mix of food scraps (green and brown) and "bedding" such as shredded paper, cardboard, straw, hay, dry leaves, dirt, or wood chips.

Worms can eat a variety of food scraps including fruit and vegetable scraps and coffee grounds, but avoid giving them citrus fruits, animal, and dairy products. The key to maintaining your bed is making sure it has the right amount of food (and therefore, moisture) at all times. When the system is out of balance, it will start to smell. Here's a complete primer on getting started feeding your bin.

One of the main differences between worm composting and traditional composting has to do with speed. “Vermicomposting is faster than traditional composting and you also get the added benefit of worm castings (ie. poop),” says Ro.