What is a wormery?
A worm bin, or wormery, is a purpose-built container which houses a colony of worms, who eat the kitchen and garden waste put into it, turning it into nutritious compost. A wormery usually consists of 3 to 4 compartments, placed on top of each other. As the worms consume the waste in the bottom compartment, they move up to the next one. You then simply remove the tray to access the worm compost, rinse it and place it on top, and continue to add fresh vegetable and garden waste.

As well as producing compost, wormeries produce a liquid fertiliser. This is the water produced by the vegetable waste, which drains down through the bin and can be collected by turning on a small tap at the bottom.

How do you set up a wormery?
You can buy ready-made wormeries, or you can make your own – like this one. Once you have your wormery, you need to place a single sheet of paper at the base of the top tray, and some coir compost to act as bedding for the worms. Place the worms on top of this, and add in vegetable peelings. You can then put a mat over this to keep the moisture in. Put the lid on, and place the worm bin in a warm and sheltered spot – you can put a blanket over it in the winter to keep the warmth in.

What type of worms live in a wormery?
When establishing a wormery, you need to purchase particular worms; you cannot simply put in earthworms from your garden. Earthworms live in soil, whereas composting worms live in decaying organic material. Composting worms may be known as brandling, manure, red or tiger worms.

What can you put in a wormery?
You can include raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, tea bags, coffee grinds, eggshells, limited amounts of shredded paper and card and small amounts of soft garden waste. Avoid cooked foods, dairy, meat and tough or woody garden waste.

What are the advantages of a wormery?
Wormeries are much more compact than traditional compost heaps, so are suitable for small spaces. They also produce compost more quickly than traditional systems. They generate minimal odor and produce high quality compost.

Earthworms: an introduction
Join us at the Growing Project on Saturday 15th June when we will welcome James Skillicorn for an informative and humorous discussion on earthworms. James will demonstrate how to set up and look after a wormery, and demonstrate how worms can turn household food waste into fabulous compost. He will talk about the environmental importance of earthworms and what we can do to help them. There will be a chance to get involved in some hands-on activities, and plenty of time for questions. Families are welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Book your free space on Eventbrite.