How Much

• A herd of earthworms will recycle their own weight within 24 hours if ideal conditions are present (food is moist and the ground is soft). Figure that 2 lbs. of earthworms will eat 1 lb. of waste in one day, as conditions are not always ideal.
  
  

What to Feed

• Feed earthworms discarded food, yard and garden waste. Even cow manure or sewage sludge is fine. Earthworms also consume wet paper and cardboard. Coffee grounds, bread, beef, fish, watermelon and banana peels are great as well.
  
  

What Not to Feed

• Do not feed worms chemicals, metals, oils or soaps. Avoid any citrus fruits, onions, garlic, cloves, hot peppers and food containing high acids. Do not give them poisonous plants or plants and vegetables that have been sprayed with insecticides.
  
  

How to Feed

• When preparing your earthworm environment, you want the mix to be moist, similar in texture to soft cake. Do not soak or flood the mixture. Before adding the worms to their home, mix or grind the waste together. The smaller the material pieces, the faster the recycling of the waste. Once the worms are in their environment, take your waste off of your plate and scatter it around the top of the bed.