Some Tips on Wormeries, Worm Composting (Vermicomposting) and Vermiculture

• About a third of household waste
  is organic, so if this is recycled as compost (by using a wormery
  or otherwise), you are reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
• A wormery not only produces top quality, fine compost, but it also generates concentrated liquid fertiliser. This can be used as a liquid feed (usually diluted with water) for outdoor and indoor plants, thus reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.
• You can run a wormery whatever the size of your garden, even if you don’t have a garden
• Some wormeries are suitable for indoor use.
• Wormeries are clean and odourless (due to the rapid digestion process)
• They are flexible in use since they can be purchased in a range of sizes to suit your needs.
• Because it is so rich, normally the worm compost is mixed with other materials and consequently can be used in many different ways in the garden or special containers.
  For example you can:
  * mix it with other ingredients to make your own potting compost;
  * use it in the ground, in planting holes for flowers, shrubs etc.;
  * mix it with other compost, in hanging baskets, tubs and pots outside in your garden, on the patio, in your front or back porch, in window boxes etc;
  * mix it with other compost for potting indoor plants;
  * add it to poor soil to improve it’s quality.

What’s good
You can put most types of organic kitchen waste in a wormery, for example:

• many kinds of fruit and vegetables, peelings, cores (as long as they’re not too big and hard), but see below for some exceptions;
• tea leaves and tea bags, coffee grounds;
• flower heads and soft leaves (not the stems or hard leaves);
• torn up paper and cardboard (but not shiny), and it should be moistened first; this provides fibre and roughage and helps prevent the compost becoming slimy. If you’ve got a paper-shredder, this is ideal to cut up paper;
• pasta, cereal, bread, so we’ve read but have not tried yet;
• small quantities of straw, leaves or grass cuttings, well distributed;
• hair; human or animal;
• lime mix, every couple of weeks or so (commercially available) or fire ashes;
• worm treats (commercially available).

• all citrus fruit and skins, for example oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, clementines, satsumas, mandarins etc (they are acidic);
• onions and garlic;
• we have read you shouldn't put potato peelings in;
• food containing fat (a little bit of vegetable oil won’t hurt) or vinegar;
• meat;
• animal manure, unless you are certain that it does not contain any vermicides (to kill parasitic worms in the animal) as this will kill your worms.

• Feed the worms the right sort of food, not too much at a time.
• Use a variety of foods, mixed to maintain a texture that is not too dense.
• Keep in mind that worms are most active between about 10 to 30 degrees C (that’s 50 to 86 degrees F). In ideal conditions they can double their population every three months or so. However, this is not an exact science so don't get put off by strict temperature control; you may find some of the following suggestions easy to implement.
• In the winter, the worms become fairly inactive below a few degrees C; you could move your wormery close to the house, into a shed or garage or cover it with a blanket. If it’s indoors, avoid siting it against a radiator.
• In the summer, it’s best to move your wormery into partial shade; worms will die if they become too hot. However, worm activity increases in warm weather. If the compost becomes dry, sprinkle or spray some water over the compost; don’t drench it, but some excess water won’t harm, it will run through and increase your supply of liquid fertiliser!
• Even if you go away on holiday, you don’t have to get family or friends in to feed the worms! It’s a good idea to make sure the wormery is in the shade if it’s summer, or protected from frost if it’s winter. Then put some fresh organic waste on top, not too much so that a thatch could form, and ensure the compost is covered with a damp felt mat, newspapers or old towel. The worms will survive a few weeks if they aren't disturbed.
• Ensure that a thatch does not form on the top of the compost; this could prevent air circulating, the worms could overheat (even die) and the compost could go slimy.
• You can buy lime mix from wormery specialists to sprinkle on the compost; this helps to neutralise acidic food which the worms hate (eg citruses, which really should be avoided)
• If you run into problems with your worm composting, some of the specialists listed on our main Wormeries and Shredders page may be able to help you.