Worm farming

So what is worm farming?

It is a form of composting, using worms to eat your fruit and vegetable scraps.

Compost worms ingest a large volume of food and create castings. These castings have high nutrient levels and as such are an excellent fertiliser. The liquid residue also makes an excellent fertiliser. It needs to be diluted with water to the colour of weak tea and can be poured directly onto your plants.

Worm farms are ideal for people living in flats, units or houses with small backyards, since little area is needed.

The difference between a regular compost and a worm composting system is that worm castings are the finished product: the nutrients in vermicast are completely plant-soluble (directly absorbed into the plant) as it is aerobic (oxygenated). Regular, anaerobic (non-oxygenated) compost is a nutrient-rich product, but before it can be absorbed by the plants it needs to be further processed by other organisms within the garden.

Compost worms are used in worm farms. These are quite different from garden worms as they move quickly over longer distances in search of food, whereas garden worms hardly leave their tunnel, except during mating season or when flushed out by rain or lack of food.

Three types of compost worms commonly bred for composting are tigers, reds and blues.

Composting with earthworms is called vermiculture.

Facts about the worm

Knowing a few basics about worms and how they make a compost work will ensure you have a successful system that will keep you recycling at top efficiency indefinitely.

• Worms are cold-blooded invertebrates – meaning they rely on environmental sources for heat and have no backbone.
• Worms breathe through their skin, extracting oxygen from moisture in the soil. A constant supply of fresh water will keep your worms healthy, but don’t overwater as this will cause stagnancy in the farm and will drown the worms.
• Light kills worms. Two or more hours' exposure is fatal. Thus the importance of providing a cover such as hessian, carpet or newspaper (needs to be replaced regularly) and this will also protect them from predators and evaporation.
• Soil disturbance of any kind is detrimental to worms. “Turning” a worm compost system will disturb the many thousands of baby worms, destroy the burrows and interrupt mating, slowing the rate dramatically. Worms do all the work themselves, very efficiently.
• Fresh air is another major requirement. An air-tight lid will suffocate and/or overheat worms. Ensure the system is placed in a shady place in your backyard or in a low light area on your balcony – or inside the garage/garden shed.
• Worms are hermaphrodites (both male and female in one). They only mate with their own species. They have an innate ability to sustain the optimum population according to the available food supply and space.
• Happy worms will chomp (or rather suck) their way through about ½ their own weight in food each day. That means that 1kg of worms will go through 500g of food once they have adapted to their new environment and food source. This will take up to one week – taking about 3 weeks for the bin to settle in properly.

Setting up the worm farm

1. Select a container for keeping worms. The instructions refer to the three tiered Worm Factory from Reln.
2. This system comes with a coir fibre block which acts as the bedding material for the worms. Follow the instructions on the wrapper.
3. Place the cardboard colour display in the bottom of the first working tray to prevent the coir bedding material from falling through. The worms will eat this in time.
4. Spread the prepared coir bedding on the cardboard display.
5. Spread your worms and the contents of their package over the coir bedding. Leave the lid off for a short time whilst the worms enter their new habitat.
6. Add a small amount of food to begin with until they adapt to their home. Ideally, place two centimetres of food over half the surface area. DO NOT OVER FEED.
7. Cover the worms and bedding with a moist hessian bag/carpet or wet newspaper. This keeps moisture in, light out and encourages worms to come to the surface to feed. Replace the lid.
8. Liquid fertiliser drains through the system and into the collector tray. Check and empty regularly, once a week.

Once established

1. Feed your worms in the First Working Tray and they will produce castings which look like rich dark soil. When the level of castings is 2cm above the moulded line half way up the inside of the first working tray, it is time to move upstairs.
2. Stop feeding worms for at least one week to allow them to finish off the food in the First Working Tray.
3. Remove hessian and add the Second Working Tray. Make sure it sits firmly – any gaps and the worms will be unable to move up to the food.
4. Then place food scraps in the Second Working Tray and cover with hessian and replace the lid. The worms will make their way up towards the food. No need to add further coir for bedding as the worms will make their own bedding as they eat the food now in the Second Working Tray.
5. Continue feeding worms in this way. When the level of castings reaches 2cm above the line, the majority of the worms will have moved out of the First Working Tray which will be full of rich castings and ready for use.
6. Empty first working tray and place on top of second working tray. In this way, one working tray replaces the other, and so on.

Overall this should take several months.

Using castings and the liquid

Worm castings and liquid are useful additives to the garden with a neutral pH level of 7.

Questions and answers

Q) How can I help my worms eat more?

A) Worms will feed at a faster rate once they have adapted to any new food source. Mash, blend or food-process. Control temperature to around 24°C.

Q) What do I feed my worms?

A) Fruit peelings (watermelon, banana, mango, peach, nectarine, pear and grapes, apple cores) NO CITRUS – too acidic.

Vegetable scraps and peelings (carrot, potato, pumpkin, beans, zucchini, corn cobs, avocado skin, celery, broccoli) LIMITED ONION PEEL OR GARLIC – too acidic;

Plate scrapings (cooked vegies, stewed fruit left overs, cereal) hair, shredded soaked newspaper, egg cartons, non-waxed cardboard packaging;

Cake, biscuits and bread (sparingly, as high in sugar – acidic);

Crushed egg shells;

Seaweed;

Vacuum cleaner dust (pure wool carpet – synthetic leaves fluff balls everywhere);

Coffee grounds, tea bags;

Pasta;

Leaves, lawn clippings, flowers - wet through to reduce heat;

NO MEAT and DAIRY PRODUCTS as these can attract vermin and flies causing bad smells.

Q) How moist should the worm farm be?

A) The texture of the material in the bin should only be moist enough to produce a few drops of water when squeezed. Lightly spray and keep the surface moist if it is drying out too much. Ants are a tell-tale sign if it is too dry.

Q) What are the tiny white worms on the food in the worm farm?

These are called “White Worms”. They are composters too, and help neutralise the system, but their presence could indicate that the bin is slightly acidic. Keeping a few broken egg shells in the bind at all times will help prevent this.

Q) What are the red and brown mites in the worm farm?

A) They do not harm the worms and are composters too, they help to break down the fibrous materials. If present in large proportions – leave the lid off the farm and expose the surface of the bedding to sunlight.

Q) My farm attracts those little white flies. What can I do to get rid of them?

A) Keep your food waste covered at all times. Use a good layer of shredded paper on the top of the bin, or add a layer of “finished” worm castings.

Q) I’ve got ants!

A) This is an indication that the farm is dry and acidic. Add water to get to a wet sponge consistency, as well as lime to where the ants are gathering. Avoid highly acidic food such as citrus, onion, garlic. To prevent reinfestation either smear Vaseline around the legs or stand each leg in a container of water to isolate the system.

Q) What about holidays?

A)A soaked newspaper placed on top of the hessian will give added protection against the bedding drying out.

Q) I’ve got cockroaches!

A) Bait with bread soaked in milk and remove.

Q) Why does my worm farm smell?

A) It shouldn’t smell at all. It usually has a nice earthy, rainforest smell when operating correctly. Factors can be:

• overfeeding the worms. Take out the unprocessed food and turn the bedding lightly to let some air back in. Resume feeding when smell gone.
• no air – a combination of too much waste and too much water. Using chopped straw as part of the bedding will create air pockets and assist drainage.

Sprinkling a small handful of Agricultural lime over the surface will help sweeten the bedding again.

Q) The bedding appears like mud. How do I fix this?

A) Stir some dry shredded paper or chopped cardboard through the bedding – this will help absorb the excess moisture.

Q) The worms are leaving!

A) Worms may leave if the farm is too dry or too wet. It is important to maintain moisture to the consistency of a wet sponge and leave the bottom tap open. Fresh food is too acidic – rest the system. Let the white worms do their work, add lime as a last resort. Too much light getting in – check if the carpet/hessian has been eaten to a threadbare state. Temperature is too hot or too cold – in summer, cool by shading and winter, add more food to create more anaerobic heat.

Q) Will I get too many worms?

A) Worm concentration should reach 10,000-15,000 worms after 2-5 years.

Q) Where can I buy a worm farm?

A) There are many places that you can buy worm farms, including: nurseries, hardware stores and major department stores.

Worm farms are also available for purchase at Kiama Council.  To purchase:

1. Go to Kiama Council Customer Service Counter, Main Administration Building, 11 Manning Street, Kiama to pay for your worm farm.
2. Present your receipt of purchase to Kiama Council’s Works Depot, Belvedere Street, Kiama to collect your worm farm.

Q) Where can I buy worms?

A) Worms are available for purchase from Max Norden, Wormifert,
Ph 0414 733 823.

For more information read the Easy Worm Farming Guide or call Council’s Waste Minimisation Officer on (02) 4232 0553.