How to Make a Red Worm Bed

Open and clean out your wooden crate, plastic tub or wooden box if it had previously been used. Flip the container over so the bottom is up. Drill 15 to 20 evenly-spaced holes in the bottom using a 1/4-inch drill bit. These holes will be for drainage. Remove the 1/4-inch bit from your drill and replace it with the 1/16-inch bit. Flip the container right-side up. Drill holes near the top on all four sides, approximately 1 inch apart, for ventilation. Place the lid on the bin. Drill similar ventilation holes in the lid.

Remove the lid from the container. Shred the newspaper into strips an inch to two inches wide, making enough strips to fill the bin halfway. Dip the paper strips in the bowl of water to make them damp. Squeeze out any excess water.

Fluff the newspaper strips and line the bottom of the bin with them, making a bedding that fills the bin at least halfway. Fluff and overlap the strips as you go so all areas of the bin are covered. Add a few handfuls of soil to the top of the paper bedding.

Place the worms atop the newspaper bedding. Cut a piece of cardoard to fit loosely inside the bin using the scissors. Dampen the cardboard and place it atop the bedding once the worms have wriggled into the bedding. Place the lid on the worm bed container and keep the container in a cool place, such as a garage or shady area near a shed.

Open the bin after a couple days and add a handful of compostable table scraps such as vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and fruit scraps. Replace the lid on the worm bed.