Turn Your Fall Leaves Into a Worm Bin Superfood, by Sunnyside Soil on YouTube. 10 min 32 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 32 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Rake leaves from maple, ash, elm, honey locust or fruit trees. These are safe and break down well in a worm bin.
Skip black walnut leaves, leaves from sprayed lawns and street leaves. They can carry juglone, chemicals or trash into your bin.
Shred the leaves by running a lawn mower over a thin layer on the grass or driveway. Smaller pieces break down faster and mix better with food scraps.
Set up two storage piles or bins. Keep one for dry shredded bedding and one for leaves left to break down into leaf mold.
Store the dry shredded leaves in a lidded bin so they stay loose and dry until you need them.
Before adding leaves to the worm bin, moisten them until they feel like a damp wrung-out sponge.
Mix the damp leaves into the existing bedding and food scraps. Aim for a roughly even mix of carbon bedding and kitchen scraps.
Check the bin after a few days. Add dry leaves if it smells sour or looks wet, and add water if it feels dry.
Tips and common mistakes
Leaves are carbon-rich, so balance them with nitrogen-rich food scraps to keep the bin working.
Never put leaves from sprayed lawns or busy roadsides into a worm bin, since residues can harm the worms.
Shred leaves before storing them so they pack down less and break down faster.
Keep a dry leaf stash on hand to soak up excess moisture when the bin gets too wet.
Questions
Can I put whole leaves in a worm bin?
Yes, but shredded leaves break down much faster and mix more evenly with food scraps. Run them over with a mower first if you can.
Are oak leaves safe for worms?
Oak leaves are fine in small amounts but break down slowly because they are acidic and tough. Mix them with faster leaves like maple or ash.
How long do stored leaves last?
Dry shredded leaves kept in a lidded bin stay usable for many months. Keep them dry and add them to the bin as needed.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
