Worm farming at home is a simple yet hugely effective way to improve your supercharge your home garden, plant growth and soil health.
At Food2Soil, we know that worms are the unsung heroes of the gardening world. They're nature's regenerators and recyclers, doing their part to keep our planet green and our gardens thriving.
So, if you've been thinking about giving worm farming a go, now's the perfect time to start! 🪱👩🌾
Starting a worm farm at home is simpler than you might think. Let's break down why worm farming is so great, how easy it is to start, and where to source quality composting worms.
Why worm farming at home is worthwhile:
💩 Composting Power: Worms turn kitchen scraps, coffee, yard waste, and paper into nutrient-rich compost, perfect for gardens and plants.
♻️ Waste Reduction: Instead of throwing out organic waste, worms convert it into valuable compost, reducing landfill waste.
🌎 Eco-Friendly: Worm farming reduces the need for chemical fertilisers, promoting sustainability and soil health on poor Australian soils.
Worms are nature's recyclers, making composting easy and beneficial for both the environment and your home garden. Are you ready to give it a try?
How to start your own, simple worm farm:
Starting a worm farm is easy, here's your step-by-step Food2Soil guide:
- Source a Container: Source a container with drainage holes and a lid for your worm farm. It could be a special worm bin, a simple plastic tub or a wooden box.
- Prepare Bedding: Add a carbon layer to the base of your worm farm. Use shredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust, an old hessian sack, or coconut coir as bedding. Add moisture to make it damp, but not soaked.
- Add Worms: Buy or collect composting worms including red wigglers or redworms. Add worms to the bedding. Try our new Food2Soil worms here.
- Feed Worms: Feed your worms kitchen scraps like fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Avoid citrus fruits, onions, garlic, and oily/salty foods. The ideal mix of carbon and nitrogen in a healthy worm farm is 50/50. The easiest way to maintain the balance is to remember this: For every handful of nitrogen, add a handful of carbon (see Step 2 for a reminder of carbon sources you can use).
- Keep Conditions Right: Keep the bedding moist and the temperature between 13-25°C. It is recommended to relocate your worm farm to shade or cover on hot days over 30°C.
- Stir Things Up: Mix up the bedding now and then for airflow and to prevent clumping.
- Harvest Worm Castings: When the worms turn bedding and scraps into worm castings also known as ‘compost’, move to one side of the worm farm and add new bedding and food to the opposite side. Alternatively, use a light-harvesting method to scoop out the compost carefully, avoiding harming your precious worm friends!
- Use your Compost: Spread the nutrient-rich worm castings/ compost in your garden or on plants. It's a great natural fertiliser! And perfect to apply to soils in Autumn and Spring.
By following these steps, you'll have a thriving worm farm in no time.
Where to buy worms?
Did you know that you can buy composting worms directly from our Food2Soil website, with free express shipping offered Australia-wide?
We offer a variety of locally cultivated worms that will supercharge your gardening experience. These worms are champions at turning food waste into rich compost, helping your garden flourish. Plus, they're easy to take care of and reproduce quickly.
When you buy from Food2Soil, you're supporting ethical farming practices and nurturing soil health naturally. So go ahead, start composting with our amazing worms and watch your garden thrive!
Learn more about Food2Soil worms here.
Happy worm farming! 👩🌾