Seeds, sterility & a hearty humbug!

What is the one thing you're not supposed to feed your vermicomposting worms? Sure, there are several things which aren't beneficial to the system, but what item can actually be quite damaging to your worm farm? Papaya seeds. Worms love the flesh and the rinds, but the seeds can cause them to become sterile. The seeds don't decompose for a very long time and continually leech a toxin into the bin which causes the worms to lose their virility. Which means, if you're not careful, your worm population could die off.

So the next time you throw your papaya into the bin, be sure to remove those seeds first. Incidentally, if you live in the right climate, they can be quite easy to sprout and grow trees from.

One more tidbit to remember, when feeding your worms, be sure to mix up the type of food you give them, if you constantly give them a lot of wet, fleshy foods, it is possible that the bin will become too wet which makes it all to susceptible to unfriendly conditions for your trusty little red friends. Include scraps of dryer items regularly as well to help keep a balanced moisture level in your bin.