How to Maintain a Worm Farm

Worms make a useful addition to the garden.

Worm farms are growing in popularity as a way to turn household waste into rich compost to feed garden plants. Worms digest their own body weight in food every day and their waste has a neutral pH of 7.0. The compost from worm farms is ideal for giving plants a nutrient burst. Worm farms are simple to maintain and can be left for up to six weeks without any maintenance.

Things You'll Need

• Organic compost
• Shredded newspaper
• Pet waste (optional)
• Wormery box
• Soil

Instructions

1. Set up the wormery box for the worm farm. A wormery box is generally made of three compartments filled with soil, a lid and an additional compartment at the bottom where the liquid compost filters. You will need at least 1,000 worms to start your wormery and should divide the worms among the three compartments.

2. Feed the worms a diet of shredded newspaper for the first week until they become acclimatized to the new soil.

3. Add small amounts of organic waste from your home in the form of vegetable and fruit peelings, egg shells, leftover cereal and bread, used tissues, and pieces of cardboard. Do not add cooked food, overly processed and sugary foot, meat, bones or citrus fruit.

4. Make sure the soil is draining properly and is moist but not overly wet. The worms could drown in overly wet soil and will not reproduce in soil that is too dry or acidic.

5. Add less organic waste if the worm farm starts to smell bad. This means the worms have more food then they can digest.

6. Empty the liquid compost at the bottom of the tray every two to three weeks and dilute it with one part compost to 10 parts water. Use the liquid compost to feed the plants in your garden.

Tips & Warnings

• Worms can live on shredded newspaper bits for up to six weeks.

• Ants and other bugs will not harm the worms. If you would rather not have other bugs living in the worm farm, place a lid on top of the farm and rub petroleum jelly over the legs of the farm.

References

• Penrith City Worm Farm Guide