Earthworms provide a good method of dealing with household fruit and vegetable scraps. They thrive on organic matter and their presence indicates a healthy soil environment. Worm castings contain nitrogen and phosphorous which are excellent for plant growth. Worms also improve soil structure and drainage.

Ordinary garden earthworms do not do well in wormeries because of the high concentration of organic matter. Instead, special earthworms called compost worms are used, because they can tolerate the rich nutrient conditions of the wormery.

Starting a Wormery
What can I put in my wormery?
What cannot go in my wormery?
I've got some problems in my wormery - what can I do?
Worm farming brochure

Starting a wormery

The worm box

Getting started is easy. You can purchase ready-made stackable wormeries from a number of suppliers. A list of suppliers can be found in the Yellow Pages under 'worm farms'.

If you prefer to make one yourself, boxes made from wood are best as they are more absorbent and provide good insulation for the worms. You can also use styrofoam or other plastic material, but avoid metal containers. Even a simple hole in the ground will do.

A 60 x 90 centimetre box with a depth of 30 centimetres is sufficient to compost food scraps for a family of four people. Clean the box, and punch one-centimetre holes all over the sides and bottom for ventilation and drainage.

Setting up the box

Line the box with several sheets of newspaper and half-fill it with well-rotted moist compost. Other suitable materials are shredded dead leaves, straw, sawdust and peat moss. Bedding made up of various materials will provide more nutrients for the worms and a better end product.

You will require about 1,000 worms. Cover the top with a sheet of hessian or several pieces of newspaper to keep the light out and the environment moist. Close with a tight fitting lid to keep pests and rain out. Water well to keep moist but not soggy, and raise the box on bricks or wooden blocks. Place a tray beneath to catch excess liquid. This excess liquid can be collected and used as a liquid plant fertilizer.

Start with a small amount of fruit and vegetable scraps in the first week and gradually increase the amount weekly as the worms begin to multiply.

Maintaining the box

Every few days, add water if necessary to keep the wormery moist, but not waterlogged. The worms will die if it becomes too dry.

After about six months you may have up to 8,000 worms. You will need to remove some worms or start another box. The worms will stop breeding if the wormery is over-populated. Remove excess worms by giving them away to friends, releasing them in your garden or compost bin or using them as fish bait.

Remove the worm castings when both the bedding and food scraps have been fully composted, as the worms will die in their own castings. Castings can be recognised as tiny dark brown droppings with a sweet, rich earthy smell.
The worm castings or vermi-compost can be spread on your garden's soil surface or mixed in with the soil when digging or planting.

What can go in my wormery?

• Bread
• Coffee ground and filter
• Egg shells (crushed)
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Grains
• Pasta (plain and cooked)
• Peanut hulls (no nuts)
• Tea leaves and bags
• Paper

What cannot go in my wormery?

• Onion and orange peels
• Meat and dairy products
• Fats and oils
• Peanut butter
• Twigs
• Animal droppings
• Sawdust from chemically treated wood
• Paper with ink containing toxic chemicals
• Paper bleached with chlorine

I have some problems in my wormery. What can I do?

Worms dying or trying to escape

Bin smells rotten

Fruit flies

Ants

Worm farming brochure

For a colour brochure with pictures in PDF format, click on the link below.

•  Worm Composting (Vermiculture) (pdf 46kb)