Worm Composter– don`t waste your waste

Worm Composter – don’t waste your waste
A womery is a great thing for kids to make so they can learn about the wonderful work worms do. In a matter of weeks
they will see natures recycling system at work – veg and fruit peelings turned into rich organic compost to put back on the
garden to feed the growing vegetables, flower borders or pot plants.
4. Nutrient rich soil grows
healthy plants
3. Compost added to
crops / garden
1. Vegetable scraps go
into wormery
2. Worms break down waste &
turn it into rich compost
You don’t need to buy special kits, you can recycle old materials such as an old fish tank or plastic container, it doesn’t
have to be see through but it’s more fun if you can see what the worms are up to! Just make sure whatever you use it
either has a lid with holes in or if not drill holes in the sides (towards the top) so that air can get into the container –
worms need oxygen.
Worm Composter – don’t waste your waste
No thank you:
Yes please:
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Coffee grounds and tea bags
Fruit
Vegetable peelings
Any cooked vegetables
Cereals
Bread (small amounts)
Green leaves
Newspaper and damp cardboard
Annual weeds (not seed heads)
Horse manure
-
Orange or lemon peel
Onions
Meat and fish
Cheese
Baked beans
Rice or pasta
Cooked potatoes
Dairy products
large quantities of grass
Weed seeds
Wormery Conditions
We are composting worms (not earthworms) & we eat food waste
We are most active in dark, warm, moist conditions, ideally between 18-25ºC
We prefer a pH of between 6.5-7.0, and well-ventilated conditions to live in
We don’t like extreme acidity or being waterlogged because we can’t breathe!
Keep us in a shed or sheltered area where we don’t get too cold in the winter
or too hot in summer
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Wormery Feeding & Maintenance
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Please feed us (add waste) little and often
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Chop waste into smaller pieces so it can be eaten faster and place it on the top of the compost
If waste is not being eaten, stop feeding us for a few days until we are able to work through it
If the wormery seems dry add some soaked cardboard or a little water
Once established we can be left without food for up to four weeks
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Harvesting the worm compost – how to empty and use:
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Wormeries are usually emptied when they are full, this can take from 8 - 12 months
Please take us out before using the compost - we usually congregate just below the top layer of food
waste. Simply remove the top 20cm layer and use it to restart the wormery again
Once emptied the wormery can be filled with a new layer of bedding, then we can be returned
The worm compost can be used as a soil conditioner and dug into the soil or added to compost for planters.
It is generally rich in nitrogen and potassium – great to add to tomatoes and other veg in spring.
Making a new worm composter
or restarting after emptying
Lid to keep rain water out
Holes drilled in sides to
allow air in
Insulating layer for warmth
& dark e.g. damp newspaper
or cardboard
Food waste – add little & often
Composting worms –
e.g. Tiger worms
5cm layer of damp ‘bedding’
e.g. leaf mould or old compost
Holes drilled in base to allow
air to come in and excess
liquid to drain out