Coco fiber block 9L

First, place a piece of cardboard at the bottom of the first tray, then fill this tray halfway with rehydrated coconut coir. Next, add the worms and the bedding they were shipped in. For their first meal, a few coffee grounds and one or two apple or banana peels are plenty. Cover everything with the hemp mat.

One block makes about 2.4 gallons (9 liters) of bedding. You start with just one tray. When you add more trays later, there's no need to put coir in them: any leftover coir can be used as carbon-rich material.

All our tips: How to start your worm composter, step by step

When you're setting up a worm composter, the coir block makes a cozy home for your composting worms: fill the first tray halfway with rehydrated coir, then add your worms along with the bedding they were shipped in. Cover everything with a hemp mat to keep the surface moist.

For potted plants, seedlings, or herbs, mix the coir with potting soil, compost, or our vermicompost. The mix stays light and airy and holds water well. Coir also works as bedding for raising bait worms and for terrariums.

Our coconut coir comes from India, since it isn't produced in France. Each block is washed and desalinated and guaranteed free of fungi, germs, added fertilizers, and any additives, so it's safe for worms, plants, and animals alike.

Its pH ranges from 5.5 to 7. The product is not certified organic. Rated 5/5 from 15 reviews, it's a customer favorite for getting a new worm composter up and running.

Place the coir block in a bucket and add no more than 2.6 quarts (2.5 liters) of lukewarm water. Let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then crumble any remaining compact pieces by hand.

You'll end up with about 2.4 gallons (9 liters) of soft, fluffy bedding. Check the moisture: when you squeeze a handful, only a few drops should come out. If it's too dry, add a little water; if it's too wet, mix in some dry cardboard.

No. Coir is mainly used to prepare the starter bedding in the first tray. After that, the worms slowly eat it and migrate from one tray to the next, so there's no need to add more with each new tray.

Once rehydrated, the rest of the block keeps well and can replace cardboard as a carbon-rich material, dry out a worm composter that's too wet, or serve as bedding if you need to restart your bin. It's also handy to keep a spare block on hand.