How To Worm Farm

How to Worm Farm
There are many ways to have a successful

worm farm. You can keep worms in a
converted fridge or polystyrene box. These
instructions focus on how to use the standard
multi-tray systems.
What you will need: Essential set-up tips

Worm farm: available from most gardening
Choose a cool and shady site for your worm farm outside or
or hardware stores and some councils at a
discounted price.
1 you can even have your worms inside (eg, laundry,
classroom or balcony)
Bedding material: worm castings, shredded Assemble your worm farm (you won’t need your second
paper and/or coco coir block soaked in water.
2 working tray for several months). Tip: Prop up one end
slightly so the liquid can drain out easily.
Compost worms: at least one kilo or a
minimum of 1,000 worms available from some Place the cardboard packaging or newspaper on the
3
community gardens, specialist breeders or bottom of the first working tray (this has a perforated base).
Add prepared bedding and then the worms. Cover with a
hardware stores (make sure they are ‘fresh’)
2cm thick layer of damp shredded paper.
or take some from a friend's working worm
farm. Ensure the tap is fully opened with container underneath
A worm blanket: hessian bag, old towel, 4 and gently pour in half a litre of water. Keep the tap open
at all times to prevent worms drowning in the collection
bath mat or similar. tray.
Container: to catch the worm liquid, eg ice

cream container.
5 Cover bedding with a worm blanket.
6
Do not feed for one to two days to allow the worms to
settle in.
Adding a second tray

Add the second working tray when the first tray is full,
7 this may take several months. Ensure the bottom of the
new tray touches the castings in the first tray.
8
Add a 5 cm layer of bedding, worms and castings to the
new tray. Add food to tray 2. If you have 3 working trays,
repeat steps 7 & 8.
-Please recycle or compost this paper when finished-

Feeding your worms
To allow the worms easy access to the food and discourage pests, bury the food in the
bedding/castings. Do not leave food on top. Worms don’t have teeth so they ingest food
by 'sucking it in'. Worms can only consume their own body weight in food each day, so it is
very important not to over-feed. An easy guide to remember is: 1,000 worms will eat
approx. 1 cup of food per day.
Hot weather - gently pour a litre of water per week over your worm farm. The
castings should clump in your hands when squeezed, but not drip water.
Going on Holiday - don't panic! Worms can survive unfed for several weeks, provided conditions are right. Before
departing, make sure the bedding is wet, the drainage holes are working, and there is plenty of food in the worm
bin. The bin also needs to be positioned away from extremes of temperature. Worm will die in temperatures above
28 degrees.
Worms Love Worms can cope with but don't really like
Veggie scraps and leftovers (raw and cooked)
Citrus
Straw
Teabags/coffee grounds Onion and garlic
Damp paper products Meat
Non woody garden refuse Large amounts of very high nitrogen material
Natural fibre clothing like fresh lawn clippings, manure, coffee etc
Harvesting the Castings:

After several months the majority of worms will be in working tray 2 (or 3). When this tray is almost full you can remove
the first tray and use the castings. Or if you can’t wait for the second tray to be full of worms, try feeding your worms at
one end and harvest the castings from the opposite end. The worms will naturally stay with the food.
Trouble-shooting
Problem Likely cause Solution
Stop adding food until there is none visible, and
Smelly worm farm Too much uneaten food and not enough gently aerate. If the problem is serious sprinkle
aeration. some garden lime through the bedding.
These are harmless but may indicate an Cut back on how much fruit you are feeding them.
Vinegar flies
acidic environment caused by too much fruit Add shredded paper. If the problem is serious
scraps. sprinkle some garden lime through the bedding.
Add water and garden lime. Put worm farm legs in

Ants Bedding is too dry or acidic.
tubs of water with a few drops of kero / metho or
smear Vaseline around the legs. Bury the food.
On hot days add a layer of newspaper soaked in cool

Worms in the This is usually due to heat. water to the top of the bedding or place ice on the
liquid tray blanket. Avoid manures and grass clippings as these
will heat up as the break down.
Escaping worms Some worms will move up the sides and

Monitor the temperature, moisture level, food
onto the lid - this is fine. If there are masses
amounts. Gently aerate the bedding.
of them, there may be problems in the
bedding..
WMRC Recycling Hotline: (08) 9384 6711 / www.wmrc.wa.gov.au

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How to Worm Farm

There are many ways to have a successful

What you will need: Essential set-up tips

Container: to catch the worm liquid, eg ice

Adding a second tray

-Please recycle or compost this paper when finished-

Harvesting the Castings:

Add water and garden lime. Put worm farm legs in

On hot days add a layer of newspaper soaked in cool

Escaping worms Some worms will move up the sides and

WMRC Recycling Hotline: (08) 9384 6711 / www.wmrc.wa.gov.au

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