In the Bin: Newspaper vs. Cardboard

I got a great idea for a bin experiment this week from the Vermicomposters Forum.  (If you are doing any type of worm composting, you are missing out if you haven't visited Vermicomposters yet!)

The conversation on the forum was about which the worms preferred or devoured faster- newspaper or cardboard in the bin.

Only one way to find out first hand, and timing was perfect: I just bought a new pair of shoes that came with a cardboard shoebox AND the Sunday paper was in the driveway.

Here's the experimental materials after I cut/tore them up:

I wet them down and added them to the top of the bin as a "dressing":

In the past, I've had a lot of success using wet newspaper not only to maintain the moisture in the bin (which I've found doesn't need to be as high as I first read it did anyway), but also to sustain the bin between feedings.

Now that my feedings are frequent with all the scraps I have access to and the moisture level has proved not to be an issue, I'm interested to see which the worms will actually get through first.

I'll take some pics in this week to track the progress- updates on the way!