Do it yourself worm farming - City of Onkaparinga.

Do it yourself worm farming
Worm farms are simple structures that
you can easily and affordably do yourself.
They consist of 3-4 stackable layers made
up of plastic, wood or any other
lightweight material. (Polystyrene boxes
are perfect and can be obtained from
your local fruit and vegetable shop).
The worms live in the layers and simply
wriggle up from the lower level to the one
above feeding on the food and veggie
scraps that might have otherwise gone to
waste.
The base layer should have a solid floor to
catch the liquid fertilizer that percolates
down from the living and feeding layers.
Ideally it is great to have a tap, although
a hole that you can plug will certainly
make do. Simply tilt the stack to allow the
liquid to run through and collect.
The upper layers will need to be
perforated to allow the worms to move
through to reach the food supplies on the
next level. These layers need to lock into
each other and need to be deep enough to
leave enough room without being
squashed.
1. On the top layer fit an upper (holey) bin 1
and line with newspaper or cardboard (as per
diagram).
2. Purchase a block of peat or coconut oil from
local hardware store and pre-soak to create
bedding for your new friends.
3. Purchase red or tiger worms from Council or
local supplier (1 - 2000) and place in the
bedding.
4. Give the worms a small amount of food
scraps and cover to keep dark and protect
from sunlight with hessian, carpet or a thick
layer of newspaper.
5. Allow worms to settle a couple of weeks
before lifting the cover and adding the next
layer, bin 2 (as per diagram).
6. Start placing food in bin 2 making sure not
to over feed. Only ever have half the tray
filled with food and then cover as before to
keep dark.
The worms will move up to the next layer
to feed and eventually fill bin #1 with
castings which you can then put out on
the garden and start the process again.

Do it yourself mulch
Mulch is a terrific water and garden saver,
helps to reduce weeds and most importantly
improves the quality of sandy and clay like
soils by improving the amount of organic
matter and encouraging earth worms. You
can recycle your would be waste at home to
save money and benefit both your garden
and the environment.
Mulching materials found at home
• Grass and leaves can be used for mulch,
but its best if they are dried first or
mixed with coarse materials like twigs to
prevent them from forming a waterproof
layer when they are tightly packed
together. Lawn clippings are actually best
left on the lawn (but that is dependant on
how you like the appearance of your lawn
to be). Fallen leaves are also useful. If you
have problems with them decomposing too
slowly, run the lawnmower over the top
and mix with cut grass or twigs.
• Compost and manure are some of the best
materials that you can use. These will
decay quickly and provide lots of nutrients
for the soil. Mix manure with other
mulches especially when fresh.
• Newspaper makes a perfect weed mat
when soaked and layered in the garden,
newspaper works best when combined with
another mulch that is heavier to go on top
and prevent the newspaper from flying
away. Woodchips, pine-bark and even peastraw
are ideal to do this.
How to go about it
Clear away any weeds from around your
plants, break up the soil crust, and water
the area. Spread the mulch evenly around
the plants until it is approximately 7cm deep.
Always remember to leave a space around
the plant stem to prevent stem rot. Top up
every season, as most mulches will break
down quickly to become part of the soil.
When to apply mulch
The time of application depends on what you
hope to achieve by mulching. Mulches, by
providing an insulating barrier between the
soil and the air, moderate the soil
temperature. This means that a mulched soil
in the summer will be cooler than an
adjacent unmulched soil. However, since
mulch acts as an insulating layer, mulched
soils tend to warm up more slowly in the
spring and cool down more slowly in autumn
than unmulched soils.
Please contact Tess Sapia, Waste and
recycling Education Officer on 8384 0128
for further information.