What Can Worms Eat?
Expert advice from Downswood Worms
Quick Answer
Dendrobaena worms will eat a wide range of decomposing organic matter, but not everything belongs in their bedding. Fruit and vegetable scraps, leafy plant material, cardboard and other suitable organic waste can be used, but some foods can cause problems with acidity, salt, moisture, smells or pests.
When in doubt, keep it simple: feed small amounts, bury food beneath the surface, and wait until most of it has been consumed before adding more.
Dendrobaena worms are detritivores, feeding on decomposing organic material and the bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms associated with it. As food breaks down, it becomes easier for worms to consume.
This is why worms can make use of such a wide variety of household and garden waste. The important thing is choosing suitable foods and not adding more than the worms can process.
ℹ️ Did You Know?
Dendrobaena worms don’t have teeth.
They take in food using their mouth and rely on their muscular digestive system, along with tiny particles of grit in their bedding, to help break down what they consume.
Foods Dendrobaena Worms Can Eat
Dendrobaena worms can make use of a wide range of plant-based foods and other suitable organic materials. Here are some of the most useful options:
✅ Good choices
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Leafy greens
- Vegetable peelings
- Pumpkin and squash
- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Potato and sweet potato
- Apple and pear
- Banana skins
- Melon and courgette
- Used tea leaves and tea bags made from suitable natural materials
- Small amounts of plain, unbleached cardboard
- Complete worm food
Complete Worm Food
A quality complete worm food can provide a convenient and consistent diet for Dendrobaena worms, particularly when you don’t want to rely on kitchen scraps.
A properly formulated worm food should provide the protein, carbohydrates, minerals and other nutrients worms need, while also containing grit to help with digestion and an alkaline ingredient to help buffer acidity and maintain a suitable pH in the bedding.
This can make a complete worm food particularly useful when keeping worms specifically for breeding, growth or as live food, where a consistent diet is important.
Can I feed this?
Not sure whether a food belongs in your worm bedding? Our quick-reference guide shows what Dendrobaena worms can eat, what to feed sparingly, and what is best avoided.
💡 Downswood Tip
Freeze your food scraps before feeding
Freezing and then defrosting fruit and vegetable scraps can make them easier for worms and microorganisms to process.
As the food freezes, ice crystals disrupt the plant cells and cell structure. Once thawed, the food becomes softer and its internal contents are more exposed, giving microorganisms an easier starting point for decomposition.
This simple technique can be useful when vermicomposting at home, helping food scraps break down more readily once they are added to the worm bedding.
Simply freeze your scraps, allow them to thaw fully, and then add them to the worm bedding. It’s also a handy way to store scraps until you’re ready to feed them.
Foods to Feed in Moderation
Some foods are suitable for Dendrobaena worms but are best offered in small amounts. This is particularly true of foods that are very watery, highly acidic, or break down quickly.
⚠️ Feed sparingly
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- Pineapple
- Very watery fruits and vegetables
- Onion and garlic
- Bread, pasta and other starchy foods
- Very soft or wet cooked vegetables
- Coffee grounds
The key is quantity. Small amounts are unlikely to cause problems in a well-maintained worm bin, but adding too much of any one food can upset the conditions in the bedding.
If you’re unsure, start with a small amount and see how quickly it is processed before adding more.
💡 Downswood Tip
Let food break down before adding it to your worm bin.
If you regularly produce more kitchen scraps than your worms can eat, you can keep a separate food-preparation bucket. Add suitable scraps to the bucket and allow them to start breaking down before feeding them to the worms.
Pre-breaking food down makes it easier for the worms and microorganisms to process and means you can feed smaller amounts at a time without overwhelming the worm bin.
You don’t need to turn it into a full composting system — the aim is simply to let the food soften and begin decomposing before it reaches the worms.
Foods to Avoid
Some foods are best kept out of your worm bedding altogether. They can cause problems with salt levels, unpleasant smells, excess oil, pests or other unwanted changes to the conditions in the bin.
❌ Avoid feeding
- Meat and fish
- Dairy products
- Oily or greasy foods
- Salty foods
- Highly processed foods
- Spicy foods
- Foods containing large amounts of added sugar
- Pet food
- Cat litter or dog waste
- Anything containing chemicals, cleaning products or other contaminants
When in doubt, leave it out. A healthy worm bin doesn’t need to accept every type of kitchen waste. Stick to suitable organic material and keep anything potentially harmful or heavily processed away from the worms.
💡 Downswood Tip
Bury food beneath the surface of the bedding.
When adding kitchen scraps, place them just below the surface rather than leaving them exposed. This helps the worms find the food while reducing smells, fruit flies and other unwanted pests.
If you can still see a lot of the previous food, give the worms more time before adding another feed.
How Much Should I Feed?
There is no single feeding amount that works for every worm bin. The right amount depends on the number of worms, the type of food, temperature and how quickly the previous feed is being consumed.
Start with a small amount and increase gradually as you learn how quickly your worms process their food.
🪱 A simple rule
Feed the worms, not the bin.
If food is still clearly visible or uneaten when you are ready to feed again, reduce the amount or give them more time. If the previous feed has been consumed quickly and the bedding remains healthy, you can gradually increase the next feed.
For worms kept for breeding or as live food, a consistent complete worm food can make feeding much easier because you can control the quantity and provide a more predictable diet.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Adding lots of wet food without enough dry bedding.
Fruit and vegetable scraps contain a lot of water. As they break down, that moisture is released into the surrounding bedding and can leave it too wet and poorly aerated.
Adding dry bedding alongside wetter foods helps absorb excess moisture and keeps the bedding open and well-structured.
Good examples of dry bedding include:
- Shredded cardboard
- Torn-up plain paper
- Unbleached corrugated cardboard
- Dry, shredded egg cartons
- Coconut coir
If you’re adding wetter foods, add some dry bedding with them rather than allowing moisture to build up in the bin.
✓ Key Takeaways
- 🪱 Dendrobaena worms feed on decomposing organic material and the microorganisms associated with it.
- 🥕 Most fruit and vegetable scraps are suitable, but some are better fed in moderation.
- 💧 Balance wet foods with dry bedding such as shredded cardboard.
- ⚠️ Avoid foods that are salty, oily, heavily processed or likely to cause problems in the worm bin.
- 🪱 A complete worm food can provide a consistent, balanced diet.
- 🍽️ Start with small amounts and increase feeding gradually as you learn how quickly your worms process their food.