Build your own Wormery
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wormery guide (2 pages, 36298kb)
Instructions
1) Using the corer drill bit, make a hole 5 cms up from the base of the bin and 5 drill 1cm air holes
2) Add gravel/sand to a depth of 5 cms
3) Place sticks or cardboard over the gravel.
4) Place bedding material on top of sticks or cardboard
5) Make bedding damp
6) Place worms on bedding (composting worms are available from angling shops)
7) Add a spadeful of compost
8) Add a small amount of kitchen waste
Looking After Your Worms
Now that you have your new wormery you need to make it nice for your worms.Getting the Worms Settled In
Worms like mild temperatures, place your bin in a shady location where it will not freeze or overheat.- Place you worm bin on top of a square of damp cardboard.
- Dampen the bedding material and add soil or compost.
- Place the worms in the bedding.
- Add a small amount of food and cover with damp cardboard.
The worms take a day to settle in and may try to escape over night. To prevent this make sure the lid is tight. The pre-positioned damp cardboard underneath the bin means that any worms that do escape can be picked in the morning.
Feeding Your Worms
Vegetable waste, stale bread, pasta rice, coffee grounds, and non-greasy leftovers are just some of the food worms love.
Do not add: meat, bones, fish, fats, dairy products, h4 foods such as garlic, dog/ cat faeces and greasy foods.
Begin feeding your worms only a little at a time. As they multiply, you can add larger quantities of food wastes.
Harvesting Your Worm Compost
After two weeks you can harvest the worm liquor from the tap. This can be given to plants mixed 10:1. Remember to drain your bin regularly so that the worms don’t drown.
After you have been feeding your worms for six months, you can begin harvesting the brown, crumbly worm compost. Harvesting the compost and adding fresh bedding at least twice a year is necessary to keep your worms healthy.
Spread a sheet of plastic or cardboard out under the sun. Dump the contents of the worm box into a number of piles on the sheet. The worms will crawl away from the light into the centre of each pile. Brush away the worm compost on the outside by hand. Put the worms back in their home. Add the compost to your plants but mix with soil as it is h4.
Trouble Shooting
My Worms have Died
It may be that they are not getting enough food, which means you should bury food into the bedding. They may be too dry, in which case you should moisten the box until it is slightly damp. They may be too wet, in which case you should add bedding/ripped newspaper. The worms may be too hot, in which case you should put the bin in the shade. Or, it could be the case that the food is eaten, and it is time to add more.
Be careful not to drown your worms. Siphon off the liquor regularly.
