How To Build a Wormery

Wormeries are enclosed containers that use special worms to break down organic matter. You can buy them or you can make your own as shown here.

Materials for a wormery

An old plastic compost bin is ideal, or any other large plastic container. You can also build them out of wood from recycled pallets (make sure the wood hasn't been treated though, as this can damage the worms)

Tiger/Brandling worms can be purchased or found in a mature compost heap or in another worm bin.

Making Your Wormery

Bore drainage holes around the bottom of the plastic dustbin, approx 5cm from the base., 25cm apart. Also drill a circle of air holes 5cm from the top of the bin.

Fill the bin with 8-10cm layer of coarse sand or gravel and on top of this place a circle of wood or polythene with holes drilled for drainage. Add a layer of moistened bedding material, such as mature compost, manure or leaf mould.

Put at least 100 worms into the bedding and add a litre of chopped food to one side of the bin. Cover this with a well soaked newspaper. Put the lid back on and leave for at least two weeks without disturbing it, to allow the worms time to settle.

Caring for your wormery

Worms will eat nearly anything that will decompose. Their main source of food should be kitchen scraps and waste, although this should be combined occasionally with garden waste and weeds, as worms do like variety in their diet. It's best to avoid feeding them meat, citrus peel or fish.

You can kill worms by overfeeding them, so don't fill the bin with waste until the previous batch has decomposed. Always keep your container covered to keep out fruit flies and never allow the bin to dry out or get too hot.

If your wormery begins to really smell, then it is probably too wet. Pull everything out and remix using brown (dry) material. If your heap doesn't seem to be decomposing then pull everything out and add green material (wet) as it is probably too dry.

Any compost that is produced can be put into sacks in a cool dry place and be stored ready for use.

Copyright Clipp.org