Cheese Worm Farm

Homegrown in King George, Virginia

Cheese Worm Farm

We Got Worms!

Hard-working compost worms and rich worm castings, raised in small batches on our homestead. Supervised (loosely) by Cheese the French bulldog.

Order Worms How Many Do I Need?
Vintage-style poster of Cheese in overalls standing in a garden by a red barn and windmill, titled Cheese's Farm, captioned Just Dig It
  • 20,000 compost worms to start
  • 14 ft heated greenhouse
  • 3 flow-through bins by spring 2027

Our story

Meet the farm (and the boss)

Cheese Worm Farm started in October 2026 on our homestead in King George County with about 20,000 composting worms, a stack of 27-gallon totes, and a dog who was very curious about all of it.

Our herd is red wigglers (Eisenia fetida), the classic composting worm. They live in a heated 14-foot greenhouse and eat a steady diet of cardboard, fallen leaves, and well-aged chicken manure. In return they turn it all into worm castings, the black gold gardeners swear by.

Next up: continuous flow-through (CFT) bins, so we can harvest castings without disturbing the herd. We're aiming for three running by spring 2027.

And Cheese? Our French bulldog, mascot, and self-appointed Chief Barking Officer. Cheese has never touched a worm on purpose.

Portrait of Cheese, our French bulldog, sitting up tall in warm evening light with ears straight up
The real Cheese.
Illustration of Cheese in a suit and tie at an office desk, next to a mug that reads Chief Barking Officer
Chief Barking Officer.

Why worms?

Tiny livestock, big garden payoff

Worms turn kitchen scraps, cardboard, and leaves into one of the best soil amendments around. It's composting that fits in a tote, keeps food waste out of the landfill, and doesn't smell when it's done right.

  • Better soil structure. Castings loosen heavy clay and help sandy soil hold together.
  • Holds water. Castings help soil keep its moisture, so you water less.
  • Gentle on plants. Nutrients release slowly, so castings won't burn roots like strong fertilizers can.
  • Feeds soil life. Castings are packed with the beneficial microbes healthy soil runs on.
Illustration of Cheese in a straw hat and overalls at a harvest stand full of pumpkins, apples and potatoes, with chickens in the background
Dreaming about harvest season.

What we sell

Fresh from the bins

Small batches, raised right here. All orders are local pickup.

  • Composting Worms

    Email for current pricing

    Lively, well-fed compost worms ready to start or boost your bin: red wigglers (Eisenia fetida), the go-to worm for home composting. Roughly 800 to 1,000 worms per pound. Not sure how many you need? Try the calculator.

    How to order

  • Coming spring 2027

    Worm Castings

    Pricing announced at launch

    Pure worm castings from our flow-through bins: a gentle, slow-release soil booster for gardens, raised beds, and houseplants.

    Get on the waitlist

Free worm tools

Plan your bin like a pro

Worm calculator

How many worms does your household need?

Start with 1.5 lb of worms

  • About 5 lb of food scraps a week
  • Needs 5 sq ft of bin surface, about 2 totes like ours

Rule of thumb: worms eat roughly half their weight a day, and each pound of weekly scraps wants about 1 sq ft of bin surface. Your mileage may vary; worms don't read guidelines.

Order worms

Can worms eat this?

  • YesBanana peels A worm favorite. Chop them up to speed things along.
  • YesApple cores Great food. Seeds are fine.
  • YesCoffee grounds & paper filters Good in moderation, mixed with other food.
  • YesTea leaves Loose leaf is great. Many tea bags contain plastic; tear those open.
  • YesEggshells Rinsed and crushed. They add grit and balance acidity.
  • YesLettuce & leafy greens Break down fast. Worms love them.
  • YesCarrot peels & tops Easy, everyday worm food.
  • YesSquash & pumpkin Excellent, especially after Halloween.
  • YesMelon rinds Juicy and popular. Cut into small pieces.
  • YesCucumber & zucchini Watery; balance with extra cardboard.
  • YesTomatoes Fine to feed. Seeds may sprout, which is harmless.
  • YesShredded cardboard Bedding and food in one. Ours eat lots of it.
  • YesPlain newspaper Shredded. Skip glossy inserts.
  • YesPaper towels & napkins Fine if they weren't used with cleaners or grease.
  • YesFallen leaves Classic bedding. Shred them if you can.
  • YesAged manure (chicken, horse, rabbit) Well-aged only, like the broken-down chicken manure our worms get.
  • SometimesCitrus peels Small amounts only. Too much makes the bin acidic.
  • SometimesBread, pasta & rice Small, plain amounts. Can mold and attract mites.
  • SometimesPotato peels Fine, but they may sprout. Chop them up.
  • SometimesAvocado skins Very slow to break down. Skip the pit.
  • SometimesCorn cobs Take months. Fine if you're patient.
  • SometimesPizza boxes Plain parts are great bedding. Tear off greasy, cheesy bits.
  • SometimesFresh manure Let it age first. Fresh manure can heat up and harm worms.
  • NoMeat & fish Rots, smells, and attracts pests.
  • NoDairy (cheese, milk, yogurt) Smells and attracts pests. Yes, cheese is on the no list.
  • NoOily or greasy food Coats bedding and cuts off air.
  • NoOnions & garlic Strong and acidic. Worms avoid them.
  • NoHot peppers Irritating to worms.
  • NoSalty or heavily seasoned food Salt dries worms out.
  • NoDog & cat poop Can carry parasites and pathogens. Keep it out.
  • NoGlossy or coated paper Inks and coatings don't belong in castings.
  • NoPlastic-lined cups & cartons The paper breaks down; the plastic film doesn't.
  • NoCheese (the dog) Cheese is not worm food. Cheese is the boss.

How it works

Ordering is easy

  1. Email us

    Tell us what you'd like and roughly how much. Start an order email.

  2. We confirm

    Availability, your total, and a pickup time that works for you.

  3. Pick up

    In the King George area. We send pickup details by email once your order is confirmed.

  4. Worms go home

    Into their new bin the same day. Our care tips below cover the basics.

Local pickup only for now. We serve King George and the surrounding area. Shipping may come later; ask us if you're farther out.

Cheese in a black harness, sitting on a gray rug and giving the camera a suspicious squint
Head of Security. Supervises every pickup.

Worm care

Five rules for happy worms

Get these right and the worms do the rest.

  1. Keep them comfy

    Compost worms like roughly 55 to 77°F. Keep bins out of direct summer sun and somewhere protected in winter.

  2. Damp, not soggy

    Bedding should feel like a wrung-out sponge. Too wet and they'll try to leave; too dry and they can't breathe.

  3. Bedding matters

    Shredded cardboard and leaves make great bedding and food. Add more when it starts looking like dirt.

  4. Feed the right stuff

    Fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells. Not sure? Check the food list.

  5. Don't overfeed

    Add more only when the last batch is mostly gone. Leftovers rot, smell, and attract pests. (Cheese disagrees with this rule.)

Illustration of a very round, overfed Cheese sitting on a bed next to an empty treat bag
Exhibit A: why we don't overfeed.

Farm Log

News from the bins

  1. Coming up

    Flow-through bins come online

    We're building continuous flow-through bins, aiming for three running by spring. That's when castings go on sale. Join the waitlist.

  2. Two new flow-through bins under construction

    While the worms settle in and breed through the winter, we've started building two more continuous flow-through bins, each 2 feet by 8 feet. Food and bedding go in on top; finished castings come out the bottom, so the worms are never disturbed. That puts us on track for three running bins by spring. Read the full post.

  3. We're online!

    Cheese Worm Farm now has a website. Cheese reviewed it and approved, mostly because the review came with a treat.

  4. The worms move in

    About 20,000 compost worms settled into 27-gallon totes in our heated 14-foot greenhouse, on a diet of cardboard, leaves, and broken-down chicken manure.

Read the blog

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How many worms are in a pound?

Roughly 800 to 1,000 adult red wigglers, depending on their size. A pound is a great start for a small household bin. Use the calculator for your home.

What kind of worms do you sell?

Red wigglers (Eisenia fetida). They're the classic composting worm: they live in the top few inches of rich, decaying material, eat a lot, breed quickly, and thrive in bins and totes.

Can I put compost worms in my garden soil?

They do best in a bin or a compost pile. Compost worms live in rich, decaying material near the surface, not in regular garden soil like earthworms. For the garden itself, castings are the way to go.

Do you ship?

Not yet. Right now it's local pickup in King George and the surrounding area. If you're farther out, email us; we're keeping a list for when shipping makes sense.

Where do I pick up?

In the King George area. We share exact pickup details by email once your order is confirmed.

How do I keep worms alive through winter?

Keep the bin somewhere that stays above freezing, like a garage, basement, or shed, and avoid big temperature swings. Ours spend winter in a heated greenhouse.

When will castings be available?

We're aiming for spring 2027, once our flow-through bins are producing. Email us to get on the waitlist.

Cheese sitting on a rug, looking up at the camera as if waiting for your email

Let's talk worms

Orders, questions, or just want to show us your bin? Send us an email.

hello@cheesewormfarm.com