Helpful hints to get started ecovalleyworms.au Worm Farming is a fun way to recycle your organic/green waste into rich fertiliser for your garden(worm castings) .Worm farming is easy to do, the more you know about worms and worm farming, the more worm castings you can produce. If you’ve got a question about worm farming, chances are you’ll find the answer on our web page ecovalleyworms.au . If not, you can always ask Greg the worm farmer for help just email [email protected] .or post the question on Eco Valley Worms Facebook Page, the information could be useful to other worm farmers/recyclers around Australia! . Composting worms will recycle anything that once was living 1. Where should I set up my worm farm? Choose a shady place (100% shade in the Australian summer), near the house. It can sit on your balcony, down the side of your house, in the garage /carport 2. What do I do when the working tray is full? When the bottom tray which started as bedding is full or turned to castings (even the soil in this layer will be casting as the composting worms use it to grind the food) Take the bottom tray and tip it on a flat surface this may be a sheet of card board or plastic in full sun the worms will dive down away from the light, scrape away the castings and place in a bag or bucket, repeat this leaving sometime between for the worms to dive and you can harvest all the wonderful castings put the worms back into what was the working tray (asap as they really don’t like light) and add a little soil for bedding once again. When this layer is looking eaten out place the tray you emptied out on the top this maybe straight away or in a week or so. Get as many trays as you have working once your worm numbers have increased as you want to recycle as much as you can into the world’s best and safe worm castings (Fertiliser) You are now ready to start the process again 3. What can I feed my worms? Your compost worms will eat both raw and cooked food and vegetable scraps from your kitchen. Coffee grinds, tea bags, soaked paper and cardboard can all be added. Your worms will eat anything that once was living. Feeding meat and dairy may attract fly’s and vermin if you do feed these add some soil or dampened paper to cover so the worms can get into them but not fly’s. If you wish to add onions, citrus peel or tomatoes, small amounts can be added as long as they are decomposing and well mixed in with other food. Worm farmer hint: Start a scrap bucket for your worm food let the food decay a little then add to your farm the worms will be straight into the decaying food waste add a little paper and sprinkle with a teaspoon of dolomite you will never have an problems so long as you don’t over feed remember worms eat up to their own weight in food waste per day 4. How much water should I add to my worm farm? The content in your worm farm should feel like a damp sponge. If it is too dry, a spray of water on each layer should provide the moisture needed to keep worms in a stable environment. If your worm farm collects rain, your worms could drown. I think it’s a good idea to leave a bucket under the tap and leave it open. If you don’t wish to do this move it into a more sheltered position and add shredded newspaper / dry leaves (which worms love when damp) to absorb excess water Worm farmer hint: Don’t tip water through your farm it leaches the good bacteria out of the farm. It also makes the farm to wet the decomposing vegetables keep the farm damp enough of course if it is to dry spray with a little water. My rule of thumb if your blanket is damp your farm is damp enough Make worm compost teas from your worm castings instead of using the leachate (the liquid leaking from the farm) the worm cast teas are a lot more beneficial to your plants and soils (the best fertiliser you can get made from your recycled waste. 5. How many worms do I need in my worm farm? Eco Valley Worms recommend that you start off with at least 2,000 worms, Purchase your worms from a worm farmer or a reliable source, such as a reputable hardware store. Check that they come with an adequate amount of bedding mix or castings. Eco Valley Worms have fresh worms harvested and packed for post the same day. Eco Valley Worms also have great prices as they are farm direct and posted express post Australia wide weekly 6. How do I start my worm farm? The best bedding is a mix of garden soil and paper or coir fibre (worm castings if available) Add at least 2000 (5000grams) worms to the bedding material and cover it with a Worm Blanket. This can be an old towel or hessian or a purpose made blanket Allow your worms a few days to settle into their new home then add a handful of food scraps to the next layer and replace the Worm Blanket and the lid. Place your worm farm in a cool dry area away from the hot sun.(100%) in the Australian summer 7. How do I achieve the best environment for my worms? Your worms will produce the richest worm castings if they are kept in dark, warm, moist and aerated conditions. Of course they should also be fed regularly. Add organic waste to the top working tray of your worm farm and place a Worm Blanket on top. Keep the blanket moist. Ensure you keep the lid clipped in place to keep light and vermin out of your worm farm. You can sprinkle lime, wood ash or dolomite on your worm farm every few weeks. This helps to maintain optimum PH levels. Not acidic 8. What worms do I use in my worm farm? There are many varieties of worms but the ones used in worm farms are called compost worms or more specifically African night crawlers,(my worm of choice as it converts more waste than any other composting worm) European night crawlers reds ,blues and tigers. These worms have a hearty appetite and they breed quickly – which is important because you want your kitchen scraps to be eaten as quickly as possible Pests can sometimes occur in your worm farm. Solider fly larvae are a common pest that can enter worm farms these are maggot like larvae and have ridges along them The larvae won’t harm your worms but they heat up the decomposing food and drive the worms out The larvae are attracted to bread soaked in milk, place in the farm and remove and feed to the kookaburras, you then need to aerate the farm and put in some paper or dry leaves to dry it out a bit also sprinkle with dolomite and garden soil. Your farm should now be back to a healthy working environment for your worms if your worm numbers decrease you may need to purchase another batch Vinegar flies can also enter your farm this is a sign it is to damp and acidic sprinkle with dolomite and garden soil aerate again and add some paper leaves or a few handfuls of dry grass clippings. If ants enter your farm it is to dry add a sprinkle of water. A good way to keep ants from entering your worm farm is to wipe some Vaseline on the legs the ants don’t cross it. If you have any other questions or problems email [email protected] he is a hands on worm farmer with lots of practical experience with composting worms and he is please to help resolve your problems or answer your questions.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 02:20:20 +0000
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