TinyWorm Worm Composter

Yes, the TinyWorm works just as well indoors as on a balcony or patio, as long as you protect the worms from extreme temperatures.

• Keep it out of the rain, which would waterlog the bedding.
• Keep it in the shade, never in full sun; during a heat wave, move it somewhere cool.
• Below about 23 °F (-5 °C), cover it with a blanket or bring it indoors.

Worms are comfortable between 59 and 77 °F (15–25 °C). The TinyWorm's compact size is a real plus: it's easy to move, and its 3.3 ft (1 m) hose drains the worm tea into a bottle, wherever you place it.

All our tips: How do you protect your worm composter from cold and heat?

For the TinyWorm, 8.8 oz (250 g) of worms is generally enough for a household of 1 to 2 people; plan on 1.1 lb (500 g), or about 1,000 worms, for 3 to 4 people.

There's no need to add too many to a compact worm composter like the TinyWorm: worms breed naturally and adjust their population to the space and food available. Settle them in the first tray on moist bedding, then watch how quickly they work. If the food scraps are disappearing well, feed a little more; if they're piling up, cut back.

All our tips: How do you start your worm composter, step by step?

The TinyWorm comes with a self-supporting lid, 3 trays, a leachate tray with a harvesting drawer, an adjustable 3.3 ft (1 m) hose, wooden or plastic legs depending on the version, our vermicomposting guide with detailed instructions, and a video training session.

Don't forget the worms if they aren't part of your order, plus some bedding (coconut coir or cardboard) and a square hemp mat, the right size for its small trays. Made in Australia from mostly recycled materials, the TinyWorm worm composter comes with a 2-year warranty. Extra trays are available in our store.

In the TinyWorm, your worms eat about half their own weight in food scraps every day, sometimes as much as their full weight. That means 1.1 lb (500 g) of worms digest about 8.8 oz (250 g) of scraps a day. Their population doubles every 3 to 4 months, then adjusts to the space available. Compact, with its 3 trays of 1.6 gallons (6 liters) each, the TinyWorm worm composter is designed for a small household. If you start producing more food scraps, it takes up to 6 trays.

Bonus: your cardboard, paper, and egg cartons get recycled too, in equal parts with your peels, and it's this balance that prevents odors. Depending on the household, that means 30 to 50% less organic waste in the trash can.

All our tips: What can you feed the worms in your worm composter?

To get your TinyWorm off to a great start, we recommend:

• our Eisenia composting worms: 8.8 oz (250 g) for 1 to 2 people, 1.1 lb (500 g) for 3 to 4 people;
• a 2.4-gallon (9L) coir block, as starter bedding;
• our square hemp mat, sized to fit the TinyWorm, placed on the active tray;
• extra TinyWorm trays, up to 6 in total;
• our mini mixing rake, with rounded tines, to aerate the active tray once a week.

To get everything at once, our Pack of 5 essential accessories includes 2 square mats, WormFood, RegulaWorm, WORMboost, and a mini rake.

All our tips: Which accessories for your worm composter?

Add a tray on top as soon as the active tray is three-quarters full, and put your new food scraps in it: the worms will move up on their own. The TinyWorm holds up to 6 trays.

What sets the TinyWorm worm composter apart: the micro-perforated drawer in the base collects vermicompost that you can retrieve even before rotating the trays. When all the trays are full, harvest the bottom one: place it on top under a light, with the lid off, and scrape off the compost in thin layers. Then rinse the empty tray before putting it back into use.

All our tips: How and when should you harvest vermicompost and worm tea?

The TinyWorm worm composter produces two natural fertilizers for your plants:

• compost tea (worm tea), after about 2 to 3 months: the TinyWorm's 3.3 ft (1 m) flexible hose carries it continuously into a bottle, and its drawer already collects a little vermicompost. Dilute 1 part tea to 9 parts water;
• vermicompost: first harvest after 3 to 6 months, then roughly every 1 to 2 months. Use 30% vermicompost to 70% potting soil; it keeps for 2 years.

All our tips are in our guide: How and when should you harvest vermicompost and compost tea?