Worms can break down onion peelings as part of a mixed and balanced diet. Adding large amounts of onions can throw out the balance of your worm farm so make sure peelings only make up a maximum of 10% of the food mix for worms. Cut onion peels into smaller pieces to make it easier for worms to break them down.
Worms will eat small amounts of onions and their peels. Cut them up with kitchen scissors to put them into your worm farm. Onion peels are light and can blow around your worm farm if they are not covered. Always put a worm blanket on top of the worm castings.
Onion skins are also a dry, brown material that pairs well with vegetable scraps that contain moisture. Mix in carrot, potato and apple peelings to add water and give the worms a variety of foods to choose from.
This article will explore my top tips for feeding onion peel to worms to keep your worm bin in balance.
Always mix other vegetables with onion peels
If you are adding onion peels to the worm farm it is important that they only make up a small percentage of the food mix. A good ratio is around 1:10 onion peelings to other food scraps. If you already have plenty of food in your worm farm like me, simply sprinkle small pieces of onion peel on the surface.
If your worm farm is looking empty of food then wait until you have other food scraps ready before adding the onion peelings. Mix them together with moist food scraps like carrot peelings, fruit skins like banana or watermelon and mix them all together.
Cut the food pieces into 1 inch pieces if you have time to make it easier for the worms to break them down. The more surface are that is on the food, the quicker the worms will be able to break it down.
Onion peelings are generally dry but if you have onion pieces in the mix too, it is even more important that they are cut in small pieces. Healthy worm farms can break down pieces of onion stems and leaves. They can break down the onion itself but only add small amounts at a time.
Add small amounts of onion peelings to your worm farm
Keeping the balance in your worm farm is essential to help the worms to grow and breed. When adding worm peelings it is essential to only add a small amount at a time to avoid overloading the worm bin and causing it to smell.
Add a small handful of cut up peelings and wait for a week to see how quickly the worms are able to break it down. Don’t add more until you see that the peelings have broken down. Worms will break down food quicker in warmer weather and when the worm farm is kept moist.
This is why it is essential to add other food scraps that contain water when you add onion peelings. This will add moisture making the worms happy and give them something else to feed on.
Soil bacteria love to eat the food scraps put into your worm bin. They will create a balanced ecosystem with the worms when the worm bin is healthy. Soil bacteria will break down the onion peelings as well and the worms will feed on the bacteria.
The carbon from the onion peelings will be released into the worm castings. This organic matter is great for mixing into garden beds and potting soil once it has broken down.
Cover the onion peelings in your worm bin
After adding onion peelings to your worm bin it is essential to cover them to avoid attracting ants or flies. I like to cover all of my food scraps with brown materials like fall leaves, straw or sugar cane mulch. This will help to hid the food and stop flies directly landing on it.
This stops flies from coming in and laying their eggs in my worm bin.
The next step is to cover the contents with a worm blanket. Worm blankets made from natural materials that stay moist and that the worms can eat are perfect. I like the pre-made worm blankets that you can buy. Mine for around 6 months before the worms break them down.
You can also make one yourself out of free material. Just make sure that it is not treated with chemicals or unnatural dies. I like to use plain cardboard or even newspaper. An old shirt or sheets work well too. Grab some old hessian if you have some and it makes the perfect worm blanket.
Feeding worms onions and other alternatives
If you are planning on adding onions themselves to your worm farm it is essential that only small amounts are added at a time. Onion flesh will contain more water than the skins but take care to only add a small amount to begin with. Worms will wait for the onion to start to break down before eating it.
A healthy worm bin can digest onion but it is best to start small and aim for a maximum of 10% of the food to be made up of onion pieces.
Onions can smell quickly in worm bins and they are not worms favorite foods. Onions can be added to your compost instead and mixed through the contents to hide the smell. Onions can also be buried in your soil to break down naturally.
Dig a hole around 1 foot deep away from other plants and throw the onions in. Cover with soil and over time they will break down into compost.
Feeding worms onion peel | Summary
Worms will eat onion peels in small amounts. If your worm bin is healthy and thriving then add onion peels cut into small pieces with other food scraps. Aim for onion peels to make up a maximum of 10% of the food mix and wait for it to break down before adding more. Cover the onion peelings with dry mulch and a worm blanket and the worms will break them down quickly.
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.