Composting and Worm Farming - Northland Regional Council

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A home for your wormsMaking a worm binYou can recycle or make a suitablecontainer from wood, plastic or metal.Old tyres or baths make great worm binstoo. The container should ideally be 20-40cm deep with a relatively large surfacearea (about 40 x 40-60cm) becauseworms like to work near the surface.Worms need air to live, so put a fewholes in the bottom of the container foraeration and drainage. If the contentsget too wet, then drill some more holes.Bins should be raised up on bricks orblocks to aid air circulation anddrainage.You can place a tray under the bin tocapture excess liquid. This makes anexcellent plant fertiliser. Use diluted at arate of one part liquid to 10 parts water.Setting up your wormeryOld carpet and canvas are ideal forcovering a ground-based worm farm.Place moist bedding (shredded paperor similar) in the worm bin, plus oneor two handfuls of coarse sand ortopsoil.Add tiger worms (1000 or so). Youcan buy these locally or via mailorder. Alternatively, you can sourcethem yourself as worms livewherever a good supply of organicmaterial is available. Check yourfriends’ compost bins for worms or afarmer with a mature manure heapand collect the worms. Kids willlove this!Bury kitchen scraps just below thesurface of the bedding.Cover with sacking or a loose fittinglid that will keep the material fromdrying out and provide a darkenvironment for the worms.Additional fresh bedding should beadded at least every two months.Harvesting your compostHarvest the compost (worm castings)after three to four months and feed toyour plants.The easiest method is to use a hand forkto remove the top 150mm layer and setit aside for starting the next bin. Theremaining contents can then be removedfor either immediate use or stored untilrequired. Put the top layer back into thebin with some fresh bedding to start theprocess again.Alternatively, tip the entire contents ofthe bin onto a tarpaulin or plastic sheet.Spread the compost to form a layerapproximately 100mm thick. The wormsdislike light and burrow deeper. Over aperiod of about an hour, you can removethe compost in layers as they movedeeper and you will be left with a massof worms which can be added back intothe worm bin with new bedding.You may prefer to simply move thefinished compost over to one side of thebin, place fresh bedding into the spacecreated and add food waste to the newbedding only. The worms will graduallymove over and the compost can beremoved.Top up the bin with fresh bedding toreplace the compost removed. Theworms require bedding in which to liveand lay their eggs.
From this…… to thisSuitable bedding includes newspapertorn into 25cm wide strips (avoidcoloured print), cardboard, peat, straw,aged manure or compost. Sawdust isnot recommended as it contains resinand similarly, chicken manure should beavoided as it is too acidic.It’s as simple as that.What to feed your wormsFeed worms left-over food scraps,vegetables and non-citrus fruitpeelings, tea and coffee bags, coffeegrounds and eggshells.Meat, fish and dairy products maybe fed in moderation. Make sure youbury them in the bedding (not toodeeply) to avoid odours and flies. Ifodours are a problem, then leavethese products out.Don’t feed your worms onions, oil,fats or oily foods, citrus peelings oracidic fruit, peppers, or spicy foods.Garden waste is generally notsuitable for these worms. Materialssuch as grass clippings heat upquickly, which can kill the worms.Garden waste is best dealt with byconventional composting.Top tipsPut your worm bin in a sheltered, shadyarea, away from wind and sun.To prevent odours, slimy conditions andattracting flies, add food regularly ratherthan in large quantities. Food in excesswill sour and rot before the worms candeal with it.Odours generally occur because thesystem has been overfed, allowed tobecome too moist or the bedding hasbecome packed, limiting airflow. It isimportant to fix this, otherwise theconditions may kill the worms.Chopping or mincing up food scrapshelps speed up the process.Add crushed eggshells or a lightsprinkling of dolomite or garden limeonce a month to ensure a goodenvironment for the worms, who don’tlike acidic conditionsWorms need to be kept moist, but notsoggy. If they dry out too much theywill die; but if things are too wet theywill drown.Be aware, that as worm farming doesn’tgenerate heat, any seeds included withthe food (eg pumpkin or tomato) maystill germinate!Using the worm compostFinished worm compost is rich innutrients. It can be used for pottedplants or in the garden. Use in smallamounts (a handful mixed into the soilwhen transplanting plants gives plants agood start).Compost used as part of a potting mixor as a topdressing around potted plantsshould not contain worms.
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