A wormery is a composting bin that contains a worm colony. It’s a sustainable way to produce nutrient rich soil that can help plants and vegetables to thrive. Worms break down organic waste and produce compost with higher concentrations of nitrates and sulfur, which are essential for crop growth. The main advantage of wormery compost is that it’s entirely sustainable, acting as plant food, and preventing food waste.
A wormery is easy both to start, and to maintain. Most of what you need to start a wormery, you’re likely to have already in your home. If you’re new to worm composting or are looking to start your own wormery for the first time, this post will tell you everything you need to know to get one up and running.
Your Wormery Starter Kit:
Here’s a list of all the equipment you need for your new wormery:
Large plastic box with lid
This is your wormery bin. It needs to not be see-through, to keep it as dark as possible for the worms. A recycling bin with a lid is ideal, as its size will give the worms plenty of room to move around and burrow.
Power drill
You’ll need a drill to put holes in the bottom of your wormery and in the lid. This is so that air can flow freely. Worms produce carbon dioxide, which will need to escape through the holes.
Two bricks or planks of wood
Bricks, wood, or anything that you can stand your bin on. Keeping it off the ground is important, as it allows air to flow upwards through the holes.
Newspaper or cardboard
Putting a protective layer of newspaper at the bottom of the box will stop the worms from falling out of the holes in the bottom.
Worm bedding
The best bedding for starting a wormery is soil from another wormery. However, soil from your garden and shop bought compost also works. Coir bedding adds absorbency. Half a bucket of bedding will give your worms room to burrow right from the start.
Worms
To start with, we recommend adding between 300 and 500 worms to your new wormery. The more the better, as the more worms you add, the quicker your wormery will start producing viable compost.
Maintaining your Wormery
You can store your new wormery indoors or outdoors, in a dark and sheltered location. When it comes to food, there are some things it’s best to avoid giving your worms, such as:
– Acidic foods such as citrus peels and onions
– Spicy leftovers
– Processed or packaged foods
Worms especially enjoy food such as
– Potato and vegetable peels
– Banana skins
– Cooked vegetable leftovers
– Cardboard and paper.
In the early days, it’s best to add food to the compost bin around once a week. Don’t put too much in at first, as uneaten food can rot and cause a horrible smell!
Keeping your wormery damp is important. If it gets too dry, water it lightly.
Here at Yorkshire Worms’ online store, you can find everything you need to start a new wormery, or keep your existing wormery healthy and thriving. Click here to discover our range of wormery starter packs.
