Feed worms leftover strawberries by adding them to your worm farm. Worms will eat the flesh, stems and the bacteria that break down the strawberries. Cut up the whole strawberries to add more surface area which helps the worms to break them down quicker.
How worms eat strawberries
Worms will eat the bacteria and fungi that eat the strawberries as well as the strawberry flesh. When you add the strawberries to your worm farm, they will look the same for a day or two. You will then start to see fungi, that usually looks like blue or gray fluff on the outside. The worms will then eat the fungi and bacteria on the surface and the strawberry itself.
19 Fruits that worms love
Earthworms love fruit here are some fruit that worms will love when you add them to your worm farm.
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Banana skin
- Apples (cut them up)
- Orange peel
- Lemon peel
- Lime peel
- Mandarin skin
- Whole bananas
- Kiwi fruit and skin
- Watermelon flesh and skin
- Cantaloupe
- Mango
- Honeydew melon
- Pineapple skin
- Grapes
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Pears
Fruit that should not be put in a worm farm
There are not any fruits that you should not feed your worms. They feed on the bacteria and fungi that are breaking down the fruit, like in a compost bin. Although all fruit will be eaten in your worm farm, some will take longer.
Citrus Peel – Orange, lemon, mandarin and lime peel will take longer to break down than most other fruit. It is best not to add too much in one go as it may end up attracting flies to your compost bin.
Best way to put strawberries in a worm farm
The best way to prepare strawberries for your worm farm is to cut them up into thin slices. I know that I have forgotten about a punnet of strawberries in the bottom of my fridge which have started to go moldy. I just cut these up and add them to my worm farm.
Don’t worry if you see a bit of mold on the strawberries before they are eaten by the bacteria, fungi and your worms. This is all part of the process and will help them to break down.
How many strawberries to put in a worm farm
I have put a full punnet or 8 strawberries in my worm farm at a time. These were broken down over 2 weeks and the worms loved them. If you have a bigger worm farm, you may be able to add more strawberries at a time. Ideally, your family would eat the strawberries and you would only need to put the strawberry stems in the worm farm.
Do strawberries do any harm to worm farms?
Strawberries do not do any harm to worm farms. The only problem may be if you add too many and the worm farm can become too wet. This should not be too much of a problem as your worm farm should drain the excess water through the drainage hole.
If you add too many strawberries and they are not broken down quick enough, you may find that you attract small vinegar flies to your worm farm and it may begin to smell. Find the happy balance of strawberries depending on how big your worm farm is. Mine will happily break down 4 or 5 strawberries or strawberry stems per week if needed.
Feeding Worms – FAQ’s
Worms love vegetable and fruit scraps from your kitchen. This can include pumpkin peel, salads, fruit skins, and any other vegetable and fruit scraps you have left over. You can also add herbs and herb stems to your worm farm.
Worms will eat the bacteria and fungi that break down orange peels. The trick is to find out how many peels you can add before your worm farm starts to get too full and the worms can’t keep up. Adding too many orange peels may attract small vinegar flies to your worm farm.
It is best not to add coffee grounds to your worm farm. Studies have shown that coffee grounds can increase death rates in your worm farm. This can be reduced if you mix the coffee grounds with shredded paper or cardboard. I don’t add coffee grounds to my worm farm because I don’t want to risk the death of any of my worms.
Worms will break down corn husks eventually. The best thing to do is to shred the corn husks as small as possible using kitchen scissors. That way the worms can break down the corn husks quicker. The bacteria and fungi in your worm farm will form on the outside of the corn husks and the worms will eat them, breaking them down over time.
Worms love to break down tomatoes, eating the fungi and bacteria that form on the surface when you place them in your worm farm. Tomatoes are one of worms favorite foods and are a great addition to your worm farm. Just make sure you find balance and don’t add too many tomatoes for the size of your worm farm. They can attract flies and bugs if they are not broken down quick enough.
Worms also love potato peels. They have a lot of surface area and break down quickly. Potato peels are a great addition to your worm farm.
Worms can eat capsicum, or the bacteria and fungi that break down capsicum. Capsicum is a great food for your worm farm and will break down quickly if you cut it up small for your worms.
You can add crushed egg shells to your worm farm and the worms will love it. Crush the egg shells up in a mortar and pestle or with a can or rolling pin. Adding eggshells to your worm farm will add extra calcium to the worm castings and be a great addition to your garden beds or vegetable patch.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.
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