Worms Compost. Simple, Fun and Ecologically Sane by Warren Peters

The easiest way to get started on your own backyard worm farm is to buy a ready made plastic worm farm. Setup is very easy. Just a few steps to follow. The most important step in setting up a worm farm is selecting the right bedding material.

The very first step is to gather all of your materials.

A light spray of fresh water when the farm is first constructed will generally provide sufficient moisture for the farm.

Place it in a shady location. Make sure to have plenty of drainage. If you notice ordinary flies buzzing around, it usually means too much water.

Make sure that the worm farm is covered so that it doesn't get too wet in the rain.

Up to half of all household waste is compostable, so starting your own worm compost is a great way to reduce waste to landfill.

Worms compost is a fantastic way to help reduce the amount of waste that accumalates in your kitchen.

Using the worm farm is a fun and educational exercise the whole family can participate in.

Rubbish will generate it's own heat if piled too high, so make sure the layer put into your worm farm is a thin, manageable one.

The ideal size for a worm farm is 60cm [24 in.] wide by 90cm [35 in.] long by 30cm. [about 12 in.] If your worm farm is on legs, place each leg in a container of water to stop pests from getting in.

Ensuring that the temperature of your compost is around 24 degrees celcius [75 degrees] will also improve the overall performance of your system.

You will have a continual supply of free fertilizer once your farm is working properly. If the worm farm is covered to reduce moisture loss then the worms can be left up to three weeks.

The farm should be divided into two areas, the worm bed/waste receival area and the vermicast storage/ post processing area.

If it is too dry and has ants, then add vegetable matter that rots down and some water to ensure it isn't too dry.

A worm farm is odourless, requires very little maintenance and produces a rich fertilizer for your potted plants or balcony garden. If things start getting smelly, there may be too much food.

Maintenance is simple, but needs to be done regularly to keep your worms fed and happy. The only smell associated with a well maintained wormery is a pleasant earthy smell.

This is a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps and create rich, organic fertilizer for your garden.

If your worm farm is maintained correctly you should not have any problems, however occasionally things can go wrong. Too wet, too dry. One farm is enough to compost the kitchen scraps of an average sized family. Your worm farm is a very eco-friendly way of using up the vegetable scraps but what do you get - dirt. The best dirt you can get. Have fun.

Author Resource: Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

More information:
Worms Composting

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