Worms need moisture, air, food, darkness, and warm (but not hot) temperatures. Bedding made of newspaper strips or leaves will hold moisture and contain air spaces essential to worms. Worms like red wigglers need a damp, but not wet, environment to thrive. The ideal amount of water in a worm bin is just enough to produce 1-2 drops of water when you squeeze a handful of bedding. Like people, worms need air to live so be sure to have sufficiently ventilated. Some people also prefer to drill about 10 holes (1/4- to 1/2- inches each) in the bottom for aeration and drainage. A plastic bin may need more drainage if contents get too wet, drill more holes. Earthworms eat soil! Their nutrition comes from things in soil, such as decaying roots and leaves. Animal manures are an important food source for earthworms. They eat living organisms such as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria, fungi in soil. They grow sex organs within the first two or three months of life and reach full size in about a year. They may live up to eight years, though one to two is more likely. Full size for an earthworm varies among species, ranging from less than half an inch long to nearly 10 feet

Earthworms and their relatives live anywhere there is moist soil and dead plant material. Earthworms are most abundant in rainy forest areas, but can be found in many habitats on land and in freshwater. All earthworm species need moist soil conditions to survive. Worms need air to live so be sure to have your bin sufficiently ventilated. Some people also prefer to drill about 10 holes (1/4- to 1/2- inches each) in the bottom for aeration and drainage. A plastic bin may need more drainage if contents get too wet, drill more holes. Earthworms do not have lungs; instead, they breathe through their skin. Their skin needs to stay moist to allow the passage of dissolved oxygen into their bloodstream. Earthworm skin is coated with mucus, and they need to live in a humid, moist environment. One of the main things all worms need to survive is their preferred habitat! The deep, dark soil offers worms everything they need for survival including warmth, darkness, moisture, oxygen, protection from predators, and oodles of organic material to eat. Red worms and humans are able to react physically to a number of changes in the environment, their responses are limited to the stimuli each is able to sense. Harmful stimuli are usually avoided, but only if an organism can sense deleterious changes in the environment. Because aquatic earthworms can breathe in low oxygen conditions and eat detritus, they can be found in virtually all aquatic habitats. Aquatic earthworms have an important influence on the bottom sediment where they live. Worms want an environment that is about 75 percent water. Newspapers should only take a few minutes to take up enough water to make proper bedding. Allow cardboard, such as toilet paper rolls and tissue boxes, to soak overnight. Don't use garden soil or mix fresh cow, horse, or chicken manure into the bedding.

Worms are very sensitive to drying out as their skin is designed to be constantly moist. Too little moisture will kill earthworms but they also need to be breathing, so too much moisture will cause them to drown. 85% of the weight of a worm is water and they can lose 70% of their body weight without dying. Worms love an environment with moisture content of 70% or more. Food wastes usually contain about 80 per cent water and this will be released as the worms break down the food scraps. However, it will remain in the bedding for a long time before eventually draining out, so it's important to add water as well. The problem is, earthworms need to stay moist. Most of the time, they would dehydrate if they were above ground. But when it rains, the surface is moist enough for worms to survive and remain hydrated. For a few species, they can more easily move about and find mates. Worms can survive a wide variety of temperatures, but they thrive best at temperatures between 55 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit (13–25 degrees Celsius). They need a moist, organic substrate or “bedding” in which to live. They will eat the bedding and convert it into castings along with other feed. All earthworm species need moist soil conditions to survive. Most earthworms’ species live in the top meter or so of soil, and spend much of their time just below the surface where there is plenty of decomposing plant material. Some species emerge onto the surface at night when it is damp enough. Worms like red wigglers need a damp, but not wet, environment to thrive. The ideal amount of water in a worm bin is just enough to produce 1-2 drops of water when you squeeze a handful of bedding. Worms need moisture, air, food, darkness, and warm (but not hot) temperatures. Bedding made of newspaper strips or leaves will hold moisture and contain air spaces essential to worms. You should use red worms or red wigglers in the worm bin, which can be ordered from a worm farm and mailed to your school. Worms love lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, to name a few of these vegetables. Be sure to cut these scraps down into small pieces or even food processes them. Composting worms will absolutely love eating any members of the cucurbitaceous plant family like pumpkins, squash, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, etc. These fruits break down very quickly, are high in sugar, and lack the sinewy nature of plants like broccoli, so worms are quick to swarm them in your worm bin.