Worms & Dirt: The Dream Team

When it comes to composting, worms and dirt are the real MVPs. But here’s the thing...not just any worm will do. If you’re setting up your Hungry Bin (or thinking about it), choosing the right compost worm is the secret sauce to turning your kitchen scraps into rich, crumbly, nutrient-packed “black gold.”

And no, the little wrigglers in your backyard aren’t up for the job. Your average earthworm loves to burrow deep underground, far away from the moist, top-level environment inside a worm bin. They’re more like underground introverts (same!) not the lively, surface-partying worms we’re after.

For Hungry Bin, we need social, surface-dwelling, compost-loving worms that eat, breed, and wiggle around right near the top layer. These are called epigeic worms, and trust us, they’re the life of the compost party.

Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) 

MVP Status: Red wigglers are fast eaters, prolific breeders, and thrive in shallow, decomposing organic matter, exactly the environment Hungry Bin is designed for.
Plus: Tough, adaptable, and excellent at producing both solid worm castings and liquid “worm tea.”
Verdict: The #1 choice for Hungry Bin users, hands down. 

 European Nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis)

Good for: Larger outdoor compost setups.
Pros: Tolerates cooler temperatures and makes great fishing bait.
Cons: Slower to process scraps compared to red wigglers.
Verdict: A solid backup, but not the high-speed composting champs we’re after.

African Nightcrawlers (Eudrilus eugeniae)

Good for: Producing top-quality castings and growing to impressive sizes.
Pros: Thrive in warm climates and work fast.
Cons: Sensitive to cold and harder to find in the U.S.
Verdict: Perfect for warm regions, but a little more high-maintenance than red wigglers.

The right worms make all the difference. Hungry Bin’s unique continuous-flow design is basically a five-star hotel for red wigglers which means keeping them happy, productive, and working around the clock. Feed them your kitchen scraps, and they’ll reward you with two incredible fertilizers:

• Worm castings – The nutrient-rich soil booster gardeners call “black gold.”

• Liquid worm tea – A powerful, all-natural liquid fertilizer for plants.

And the best part? You get all of this without the mess, smell, or hassle of traditional composting.

Ready to roll up your sleeves, feed some worms, and watch nature work its magic? All you need is your Hungry Bin and a batch of the best worms for the job. We recommend ordering red wigglers from our friends at Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm and letting them settle into their new compost palace.

Grab your Hungry Bin, add the worms, feed them your scraps and before you know it, you’ll be making your own black gold, right in your backyard, café, or business.

Because when the right worms meet the right bin, composting becomes effortless. And that’s exactly how we like it.