Worms will eat apples in worm farms or bins quickly if they are cut into small pieces. This will eat fresh or moldy apples, peels and apple cores. Composting worms will eat apples after have started to break down. Cover the apples with mulch to keep flies, ants and bees away.
This article will explore all you need to know about feeding worms apples. This includes the best ways to help them to eat them quickly and what to add to keep ants and flies away from your bin.
Composting worms including red wigglers love any food scraps but particularly apples. I have added whole apples to my worm farm and they will eventually break them down. It is much better to add smaller pieces of apple to increase the surface area and allow the worms and soil bacteria to break it down quicker.
Apples can go brown, rot or grow mold in the worm farm but this won’t matter. The worms will break the apple down over time. Larger worm farms will be able to break down 2-3 apples every 2 weeks. My small worm farm will break 1-2 apples down over around 3-4 weeks.
I always mix other fruit and vegetable scraps in my worm bin with apples. This helps to balance the moisture content and gives the worms a choice of foods to eat. They love apples and will often eat apple peels before anything else.
How to feed fresh apples to worms
The best way to feed fresh apples to worms is to cut them into small slices. If you have excess apples or if they are no good for your family to eat then feed them to your worms. Cut them into slices or even cubes to allow the worms to reach more of the surface.
Soil bacteria will move in to break down the apple pieces as well. The worms will eat both the apple and soil bacteria breaking it all down to worm castings. The worm castings will contain the nutrients from the apple and the bacteria making a perfect mix to improve your soil.
You can add whole fresh apples to your worm farm but expect it to take up to a month or even more for them to break down completely. Worms love whole apples and you will often see them group around to eat all sides of the apple.
Whole fresh apples will add a lot of water to your worm farm so balance it out with some dry, brown material. Add some straw or hay or even fall leaves to help to absorb the extra water and stop your worm farm from becoming too wet.
How to feed apple cores to apples
You can safely feed apple cores to your worms. It is easy just to throw the whole apple core in with the seeds and the stem. The worms will break it all down turning it into worm castings. You can cut the apple core into pieces if you like but they are usually small enough to break down without doing this.
Throwing apple cores in your worm farm is a great way to recycle them and avoid them ending up in the garbage. If your worm farm is getting full, just throw the apple in your compost and mix it through instead.
How to stop rats and mice eating apples in your worm bin
Apples are a favorite food of rats and mice so it is important to take steps to keep them out of your worm farm. The best way to stop rats and mice from getting in your worm farm is to first hide the apples.
Slightly cover the apples with worm castings or old potting soil. Cover it with a layer of mulch like straw, hay or sugar cane. Then you can cover this with a worm blanket. Use thick cardboard or at least 7 layers of newspaper.
It is very important to put a lid on your worm farm if you have mice and rats nearby. Pre-made worm farms are specially made with tight fitting lids to keep rodent out. Make sure you always put the lid on the worm farm even if you are using a worm blanket.
The best defense against rats and mice is a well fitting lid. If you have made your worm farm at home with Styrofoam, make sure you keep the lid. Put some holes in the top of the lid to let air flow but keep them small so mice can’t squeeze through.
Feeding apple peel to worms
Apple peels are perfect for worms because they are thin and have a high surface area. Apple peels contain loads of nutrients which the worms will digest and capture in their castings. These casting are like gold for your soil and a small amount can be great for your plants.
Sprinkle worm castings over the top of your soil around established plants or mix it through your vegetable garden before planting your next crop.
Feeding Worms Apples | Summary
Apples are a fantastic food for worms that they can eat quickly and turn into worm castings. Cutting apples into small pieces, around half and inch square will help the worms to break them down quickly. Add fresh, moldy or cooked apples to your worm farm. Avoid adding apples that have added sugar because this will quickly attract ants.
Happy worm farming.
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.