Getting Started with Worms part 1- (the container).

There's no reason why everyone shouldn't get started with worm composting or vermicomposting straight away, and yet people have any number of excuses why they haven't started yet...



Excuse number 1. I don't have a worm farm

Worms have been eating organic waste for longer than we have walked on earth. They managed fine before we invented fancy homes for them. All they need is somewhere they can live comfortably.

That can be as simple as a corner of your garden- Compost heap anybody? A mature or maturing compost heap will be full of composting worms. One of the simplest ways of harvesting the power of worms to break down your waste, is to bury your food waste in the middle of your compost heap. Burying the food will stop flies from laying eggs on it and prevent any larvae from eggs already on the waste food, from finding their way to the surface and developing into mature flies.
Larger pests, like mice, rats, foxes, crows and even cats and dogs, may need more robust deterrents, to keep them away from hidden food. Many commercially available garden compost bins will keep them at bay, and wrapping food waste in several sheets of newspaper can put pests of the scent. The worms will just wriggle their way past the paper, eat the food, and then finish off the paper for dessert.

If you don't have a compost heap, or you want to dispose of food separately from your garden waste, or manage a wider range of foods than you'd be comfortable composting, then you need a dedicated vermicomposting container.

Any container.
Seriously.

With a few simple adaptations almost any container you have lying around can be used to compost with worms. If you don't believe me, visit www.vermicomposters.ning.com, (or virtually any vermicomposting site on line) click on 'photos',and look at some of the containers that recycling-minded folk use there.

Your worms need air- so if you use a sealed container, make sure you add some ventilation holes.
They need moisture, but not too much- so your container needs to hold enough material to not dry out too quickly, and some way of getting rid of excess moisture. You can manage excess water by evaporation- leave the lid off; by drainage- drill some holes in the bottom or add a a spout or tap; or by adding extra dry material like cardboard or newspaper to balance out the wet.
Worms like to live and feed near the surface- so the best container is shallower than it is deep.
They don't like light (which can actually harm worms), so totally clear containers are best avoided.
They need to be protected from predators if outdoors: From above- this means a bird-proof lid - and below- a mole-proof bottom (if you're unlucky enough to have moles).
You need to be able to keep wandering worms in the container if you're composting indoors under your sink, so make sure any holes are small or covered with worm proof fabric (old nylon tights work well)
And obviously worms don't like nasty chemicals- so if you're using a recycled container- check what it used to contain, and clean it out well before the worms move in.




Next post I'll tell you what to put in your container. (Or wormery or worm farm as we can soon start calling it!)



A great in depth manual about worm farming- from beginning in the garden to expanding into worms for sale!