How to Create a Small Worm Farm for a Compost Pile

Worm composting farms require little maintenance once established, and provide a rich source of compost for your garden. Worms require a composting bin, food, moisture and good drainage to work and reproduce efficiently.

Worm compost can be added as a top-dressing around garden or potted plants or can be used as an ingredient in potting mixtures. The liquid excreted from worm composting activities can be drained off and added to the compost heap, or diluted and used to feed your plants.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic garbage bin or two wooden crates
• Straw or hay
• Newspaper
• Plastic garbage bag
• Kitchen scraps
• Worms

Instructions

Selecting Worms

1. According to the Henry Doubleday Research Association's "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening," common garden worms are not suited to working in farms or compost bins. The best worms for turning kitchen waste into compost are Brandling or red worms (Eisenia foetida).

   Red worms are not only efficient recyclers, they also reproduce quickly inside a worm farm, providing a continuing source of free composting equipment.

2. Extract red worms from compost piles and manure, or purchase them from garden centers or via mail order. The "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" recommends that you start your worm farm with at least 1,000 worms, which is roughly 18 ounces or 500 grams.

3. Keep the worms moist and warm until placed in their new farm. Temperatures between 50 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for composting worms.

Housing and Feeding

1. Use an old plastic dustbin with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Crumple newspaper, add the worms and their food and cover tightly.

2. Make a worm farm from two wooden crates, one slightly smaller than the other. Remove the bottoms from both crates to ensure good drainage, leaving only the sides and tops. Place the smaller crate inside the larger crate and stuff hay between the two to provide insulation. Layer plastic garbage bags along the inside of the smaller crate to help retain moisture. Cover the worms and their food with damp newspaper to keep the worms moist.

   If the crates don't have tops, you can create one from wooden planks or sturdy plastic. The farm needs to be covered to protect the worms from cold weather and to protect their food from scavengers.

3. Feed the red worms kitchen scraps. Worms can only process small quantities of food, so feeding them kitchen waste periodically suits them well. Include small amounts of shredded paper to help absorb excess moisture, and avoid meat or dairy products.

4. If the worm farm begins to smell, it means that food has been added faster than the worms can process it or that too much moisture is present. Stop feeding the worms for a few days and add moisture-absorbing materials such as shredded paper or egg carton.

5. Keep worm farms out of direct sunlight in the summer to avoid overheating, and move the farm to a sheltered location such as a shed in the winter for insulation.

6. To remove small quantities of compost, pull back the damp newspaper and top layer of uneaten food and remove the dark material beneath.

7. To remove larger quantities of compost, select a dry, sunny day and spread the compost on a hard surface. Place a layer of wet newspaper over roughly half of the compost and wait several hours. The red worms will migrate to the newspaper, and you can shovel them back into your worm farm.

References

• The Henry Doubleday Research Association's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening; Pauline Pears, Editor-in-Chief; 2001.

Resources

• Shop for composting worms at The Worm Farm
• Shop for worm farm equipment at Worms Wrangler