Grow your own worms
For a cheap, organic waste disposal system, grow your own worms.
Worms are not only a sure sign that all is well in the garden, they are also a great natural means of home organic waste disposal.
Some 20,000 worms will consume a kilogram of organic waste a day, more if the waste is pulped finely.
Best of all, it is possible to have a worm factory in your backyard, even if it is just an inner-city patio. There are only three rules you must follow.
- Your first step is to make sure your compost bin or factory is placed in a cool, shady position. If it is wood, it tolerates more heat than plastic, but a cool spot is best. Always keep it moist.
- Worms dislike acidity, so avoid adding citrus, onions, pineapple and so on. If the bin becomes too acidic, add a teaspoon or dessertspoon of dolomite. If you have a lot of insects or ants around your bin, the material is becoming too acidic or you are overfeeding the worms. It’s a good idea to use dolomite once a month, even if you are keeping acidic organic matter out.
- Do not add huge amounts of chicken manure or grass clippings that can create a lot of heat. If you do, your worms will leave or die.
Worm environment
You can create a good environment for worms almost anywhere and in anything - a compost heap or a worm factory. It is important to understand the difference between creating compost from waste and using worms to consume waste.
In compost bins, your aim is to create heat to break down any materials and eliminate any diseases.
In worm factories, your aim is to keep the area cool and moist so the worms can feed on the waste and then eliminate it in the form of rich castings. Worms purify the waste, so you do not need heat to stop diseases.
Breeding
Worms breed prolifically, are not susceptible to disease, do not smell and have a wonderful way of regulating numbers - they only breed if there is enough food and housing available. Once they reach capacity, they stop breeding.
Introducing worms
- The best way to introduce worms to your garden is to spread the castings around.
- The eggs are contained in the castings and they will hatch in the garden, if there is a lot of food and heavy mulching.
- Drying out is the biggest problem. If you’re going away for a week or two, place a thick cover of wet newspaper or old carpet on the top of the bin.
- Worms consume up to half their own body weight per day, and the softer and mushier the food you give them, the quicker they will eat.
- Worms are obsessed with gaining weight and the fatter your worms, the more food they eat, the quicker your castings develop.
Worm farmers
For your local worm supplier, look under "Worm Farms" in the Yellow Pages directory.
Related links
www.yucky.com/noflash/worm - a children's based website all about worms. Worms as recyclers, information about earthworms, worm farms and other worm related topics. Bright, fun and very colourful, a good site for primary schoolers.- Composting and worm farming workshops
