Create Compost With a Wormery

Time to Complete: 1-1/2 hours

Materials Needed:

• a wormery, with tigerworms included
• food waste
• soft "bedding" such as coir or shredded newspaper

Add the Worms

Place the tigerworms on the bedding, then start by adding a small amount of food waste (referring to the instructions). Worms take a week to settle in and get up to full speed. Do not add any more food during this time.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Feed Your Worms

After the settling in period, you should be able to use most of your food scraps, making sure you add some every day. It is best to use a variety of food and other ingredients, such as leaves and moist newspaper, to keep the texture from becoming too dense. Worms can cope with most foods, but they struggle with citrus fruits and meat.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Final Compost

Wormeries can become acidic, so occasionally add lime, such as calcified seaweed. When the compost is ready it will be dark, fairly soggy, and slightly spongy. The worms are just below the surface and can be easily removed. You can then use it on garden borders or mix it in with your other compost.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited