Worm Farm

• Don’t add too much at once. Feed slowly and gradually build up the quantity. Place the scraps in a different spot each time to evenly distribute the food for the worms.

• Eggshells (crushed) will maintain the bedding at a safe pH level. Without them the bedding may become too acidic. A sprinkle of Lime every couple of weeks can also work.

• Cover the worm farm with newspaper or a piece of hessian. This will help keep a constant temperature in the worm farm.

• Add water to the box whenever it begins to get dry. It should be the consistency of a lightly squeezed sponge – if it is too wet the worms will die.

• Be sure to keep your worm farm out of hot sun and heavy rain.

Harvest the worm castings

After a few months, your worm farm will be ready to harvest. There should be little or no original bedding visible in the bin and the contents will be brown and earthy looking worm castings. To harvest your bin:

1. Move the contents of the bin to one side. Add fresh bedding and food to the vacant side. The worms will move from the finished compost in search of food. After a few days you should be able to remove the older, worm free compost.

2. Or dump the contents of the bin onto a large plastic sheet, and separate into small piles. Place a bright light above the sheet. The worms will move down away from the light allowing you to collect the compost.

3. Always mix in some good compost or worm compost in a new bin, if you have it — the bin starts decomposing food waste faster that way.

Do feed your worms

• Fruit (except citrus)
• Vegetables (except onions) • Coffee grounds and filter
• Tea bags
• Crushed egg shells
• Leaves
• Shredded paperDon’t feed your worms

• Citrus fruits
• Oily foods
• Meat, poultry, fish
• Dairy foods
• Vinegar or salad dressings
• Plants from the onion family (garlic, shallots, leek)