Worm farms are an excellent way to turn your waste products into nutrient rich, natural fuel for your garden. Almost half of the household waste we throw away is organic and therefore, ideal for a worm farm or composting.
This time of year, when the garden upkeep jobs aren’t quite so hectic as summer months, it’s a great time to figure out how to start a worm farm in your own backyard.
The benefits of starting a worm farm
Worm farms provide a very compact option for processing your food waste into fertiliser for the garden. Tiger worms eat food waste and other organic matter such as leaves and paper. They then output byproducts – such as castings and liquid tea – which can be collected and applied to your garden to boost plant and soil health.
It also keeps organic matter out of our landfills!
What you need to get started
First of all you need a worm farm structure. There are two types of worm farms – the stacked worm farm and the continuous flow barrel.
A stacked worm farm is different layers stacked on top of each other with a tap or outlet at the bottom for draining and collecting the worm “tea”.
A continuous flow barrel consists of one large container that has holes in it to allow for the worm tea to drain and for air circulation.
Off the shelf worm farm products
The Hungry Bin is a continuous flow barrel. It features a robust plastic barrel, vented lid, casting tray and tea collection drain/tray. This product is easy to get started, and manage over time. Price point – $350
The Tui Worm Farm is a stacked worm farm. It features two working plastic trays and a collection tray with a tap for tea. The top layer is where you put your food scraps, the middle layer is where you collect your castings and the bottom layer is where the “tea”collects and drains out. Price point – $109.
The Tui Worm Tower is a continuous flow option which you bury in-ground in your garden. These are designed to stay permanently in one place and once they’re filled up, you need to rest it for a few weeks and then dig out the castings to spread on the garden. That means it’s best to operate at least two towers at a time, so you always have somewhere to put your scraps, even when one tower is “resting”. Price point – $47.
Build your own worm farm
If you’re wanting to DIY your worm farm and save a bit of money getting started, it’s also really achievable!
You will need three stackable plastic bins which you can find at a hardware store.
Drill 15-20 drainage holes in the bottom of two of those bins, leaving the third undrilled for catching the worm juice.
Stack the undrilled bin at the bottom, with the two drilled bins on top, and cover with a sturdy lid and a brick to weigh it down and make sure it stays closed.
Bedding material
Gather up bedding materials such as shredded paper, egg cartons, corrugated cardboard, straw, corn husks, coconut fibre, and dead leaves, 1/2 bucket of mature compost and 3/4 bucket of sandy soil. Mix these together and spray a little water to moisten but not soak.
Each product above will instruct you on how much and where to place your bedding materials. If you’re using the DIY approach, half fill both of your drilled bins with bedding.
Worms
Once you’ve got your bin and bedding established, you’ll need to bring in the worms! Tiger worms are the best composting worms and are available to purchase from most garden centres and hardware stores.
Alternatively, if you know someone who already has a worm farm, or are part of worm farming facebook groups, you could ask about picking up a tub of worms from them. Once worm farms are established, the population of worms grows to a hearty level and you will have plenty to share with others who want to get started too!
Food
Finally, it’s time to feed your new little composting army of worms. The smaller or the softer the food you provide, the faster they will process it.
Worm farms love;
- Most fruits and vegetables
- Crushed eggshells
- Coffee grounds
- Paper towels, newspaper and shredded paper/cardboard
Worm farms don’t love;
- Citrus and acidic foods (like pineapple, kiwifruit)
- Spicy food, onion, garlic
- Meat and dairy products
- Bread and processed grains like pasta
- Shiny paper
- Fats/oils
Where to keep your worm farm
When choosing a spot to keep your worm farm, find somewhere that is relatively sheltered and shady.
Avoid extremes of temperature, particularly full sun in summer, as temperatures over 35’C may kill your worms. Contained worm farms can be kept on a balcony or in a garage if you don’t have space outside.
How to maintain a worm farm
Keep the lid closed to keep out hungry rodents or birds, and to keep in your worms.
If the worm farm looks to be drying out, cover the surface of your food with damp newspapers.
If the worm farm looks to be getting too moist, mix in dry shredded paper or cardboard.
Feed regularly. Smaller amounts more frequently is better than lots every now and again. If your food doesn’t seem to be disappearing, slow down the pace you are adding it. A new worm farm will take time to get an established population, so will take time to build speed processing food. If possible, whizz larger chunks through the blender before adding to speed up the process.
Further resources
Compost Collective run worm farming workshops locally, as do many other community organisations. Search for one in your area if you want hands on demonstration!