Big fat juicy ones, small skinny slimy ones …

Despite a lifelong, shuddering aversion to worms, I’ve been oddly inspired to farm them. Why? Because by learning to make worms my friends, I can make the best compost there is, give my garden a treat and recycle up to 50% of my kitchen waste.

What is composting?
Composting is the biodegrading of plant matter into a fine crumbly soil conditioner. This is driven by the action of microorganisms and other creatures like worms. Anything that was once alive will naturally compost in the right conditions of air and moisture. And all that waste reduces to about a fifth of its original volume when finished.

What can be composted with worms?
Almost any food scraps and leftovers can be put into your worm bins – fruit and vegetable peelings, old flowers, coffee grounds, egg shells, saw dust, wood ash, paper, cardboard, and much more. It is best to avoid meats, cheeses or sauces. Also avoid citrus and onions. Large amounts of leaves will slow the composting down so consider a separate container to make leaf mulch.

Keeping your worms
Worm composting is ideal for people who don’t have room for a compost heap since they take up little room and don’t smell. I have a specialized worm bin for raising our worms, but you can easily build yourself an aerated box (20 gallon size) with a lid. If you want to keep them indoors, then opt for a specially made container. These are available pretty widely now. If you keep them outdoors it’s advisable to avoid extreme temperatures in the first month or so. I started mine in February and we needed to bring it indoors for a couple days, until the threat of frost had passed.
Red worms, eisenia fetida and lumbricus rubellus, are the best type for composting. I was lucky enough to get a starter batch from some friends and supplemented them with a hefty box from our local farmers market.

Looking after your worms
Worms in a bin of about 20”x16”x12” will be able to eat their way through about 2 to 3 pounds of garbage each week. Don’t overload your bin and the worms will stay healthy and shouldn’t smell. Start slowly with just a few handfuls of waste and build up the amount you give them over the first month. As they multiply they can handle more and more. Always add shredded newsprint and paper along with each feeding to help keep the mixture balanced. It shouldn’t be allowed to get too wet or too acidic. It should have the consistency of a wrung out sponge.

The Multiplication Question
It might surprise you to know that one end of a worm is male and the other is female. They mate throughout the year and when they’re attracted to each other (!) they lie entwined with their heads in opposite directions. They produce cocoons from which 3 or 4 worms will emerge. If worms have to compete for food the population will drop. So enough food will lead to a population explosion. Harvesting regularly is a must. Just think what a surprise gift they would make for friends and neighbours!

Harvesting
After about six months you can begin to harvest your compost. The worm castings are toxic to the worms so it is important to the health of your worm empire to do this. One way is to move the compost to one side and fill the other with soil and bedding. Start putting the scraps in that side for about a month to draw the worms over. Then you can harvest to other side. A variation on that with a larger box is to simply move your feeding zone around in a set route so you always know where the worms are concentrated.
Another way is to simply take about one third to half of the total volume out, worms and all, to use in your garden. Add shredded paper bedding to the remainder and carry on composting.
A third way is to dump the contents out onto a tarp in several piles. The worms will crawl away from light to the center of each pile. Pull away the edges with your hands at each pile until you have a ring of compost around a heap of mostly worms.

Using it
Worm compost is more concentrated than other composts. So use it sparingly in your garden to amend and improve soil. Use it with a third soil, a third worm castings and a third leaves. The mucus on the castings will dry too hard to use on their own. Use it also in potting mixes and add it to houseplants.
Even those of us that need a nudge to embrace the idea of worm farming can be converted and become enthusiastic devotees. I’ve learnt to nurture and love my worms and they really are devoted pets that work tirelessly for me. It feels good to be reducing my household waste, recycling and at the same time investing in the health of my garden. Try it – it’s great fun!