Did you know Victorians toss

the equivalent of one in every

fve bags of groceries they
buy? Instead of throwing
away your waste that will
end up in landfll, why not
consider starting your own
worm farm?
These wriggly, squiggly munching
machines will:
ingest most kitchen scraps (but avoid
meat, dairy, citrus fruit and onion)
provide you with an amazing fertiliser
and reduce your greenhouse gas
emissions.
What type of worm farm should
you get?
There are many suitable containers for
keeping worms, from ready made farms to
basic wooden boxes or plastic stackable
ones. If you are a beginner, polystyrene
foam fruit boxes are ideal for your frst
worm farm.
The most common composting worms
are Indian Blues, Red Wrigglers and
Tigers and you will fnd them at most
garden centres typically being sold as
composting worms. Or simply collect
them from an active compost bin.
Start with 1000-2000 to get your worm
farm going.
How to make your own worm
farm 101
Step 1
Ask for a couple of polystyrene boxes
with lids at your local fruit store.
At home, punch some holes evenly in
the base of one box about 10cm apart.
Line the base with shade cloth to keep
your worms from falling through.
Step 2
Store the lid of the second box as its
not needed for the worm farm
Punch a small hole in the side of the
second box, approximately 12cm from
the base.
The hole should ft a 13mm in-line
irrigation tap snuggly. These can be
purchased at a hardware store.
On the inside of the box, attach the end
of the inline tap to a 15cm length of 13
mm poly pipe. (This will allow you to
drain off your liquid worm fertiliser as
you need it.)
Step 3
Fill the top box (with holes) one quarter
full with bedding materials which can
include; shredded newspaper, fnished
compost or leaf matter that is moist but
not soggy.
Punch some holes 10cm below the rim
of this top box for aeration.
Place this box on top of the box with
the tap ftted and then pop both boxes
onto a couple bricks for good support.
Position your worm farm in a sheltered
spot.
Step 4
Place the worms into the top box and
cover with a layer of hessian or old
coir matting to regulate the worm farm
temperature.
Spray a little water to moisten the
matting and place the lid on top.
Wait a couple of days and then add
some food waste under the hessian
layer.
Starting a worm farm Waste not want not
City West Water
247-251 St Albans Road, Locked Bag 350, Sunshine Victoria 3020 Australia
E enquires@citywesywater.com.au W www.citywestwater.com.au T 131 691
Lid/Cover
Holes for air
Storage bin
Brick support
Tap for tea
Active area
garbage & worms
Bedding material
Worm castings
(compost)
Worm tea
collection
What to feed your worms
Scraps include:
vegetable and fruit peelings cut up
as fnely as possible
small amounts of left over cooked
vegetables
small amounts of grass clippings
and fresh leaves
small amounts of tea bags and
coffee grinds
small amounts of stale bread and cake.
What to avoid:
citrus, onion peelings and corn cobs.
Chop up everything beforehand and
feed your worms only small amounts as
needed once or twice a week.
Worm waste
In a couple of weeks, worm castings
will collect in the bottom of the top box,
making a terrifc fertiliser. Worm wee or
leachate will collect in the bottom box.
Dilute the leachate until it looks like weak
tea, one part leachate to eight parts
water in a nine litre watering can. This
can be used as a plant fertiliser and is
excellent for your veggie patch. Every now
and then, you can collect worm castings
from the top bin and scatter a walnut size
ball into your pots where it acts as an
excellent fertiliser.
To do this:
tip over the top box onto a hard surface
or pavement to expose the castings
that have collected at the bottom of
the box
scrape off the crumbly castings but
allow any worms exposed to wriggle
back into the centre of the mound
where the partially decomposed
materials are
if you fnd any worms have fallen out,
return them immediately as composting
worms will not survive in your garden
beds or pots.
General care of worm farms
Monitor moisture levels and add some
water when needed to avoid the worm
farm drying out.
Dont feed them meat or dairy as this
may attract vermin.
Worms like cool, moist and dark spaces
so in summer keep them in a shady
spot.
Dont over feed your worms.
On extremely hot days, to keep your
worm farm cool, cover with a moist
blanket.
When going on holidays put some
shredded newspaper soaked in water
under the hessian layer to keep your
worms going while you are away.
Starting a worm farm Waste not want not
City West Water
247-251 St Albans Road, Locked Bag 350, Sunshine Victoria 3020 Australia
E enquires@citywesywater.com.au W www.citywestwater.com.au T 131 691