It has been over 3 months since we set up our Urbalive worm farm. We have put A LOT of green waste into it, almost every day and have not quite filled our first tray.
Watching the process is incredible. Seeing your kitchen scraps turn into lush, rich compost is a little mind-blowing – and all with the help of some wiggly worms!
We have kept our green nitrogen source to kitchen scraps and garden waste, adding in paper now and again as the carbon source. This helps to stop the wormery becoming too wet and unhealthy.
It has all been fairly easy to set up and establish the wormery. At one point we did have a few small gnat flies around the compost. However, due to the wormery being kept outside it was inevitable but not too much of a problem. We added in a handful of lime to neutralise the compost and thoroughly aerated it through. Flies are not a major problem and it is natural that they are attracted to decomposing food. The only time that you should be concerned is when bluebottles are found. These would lay maggots but it can be avoided by watching the type of waste you put into your wormery. Keep dairy and meat waste away.
We are now ready to start on a second tray as the first layer is filling up. By placing newspaper and kitchen scraps on the second tray, it will encourage the worms to travel up a level, leaving the original tray to rest and mature for around 1 month.
We have not had any problems with the worms escaping, but the weather is about to turn colder so we will move the worm farm to a more sheltered area. The only reason your worms will is to find warmth or food. If you provide these, then your worms will stay happy.
It is satisfying to know that even though this is a small effort to reduce your waste, you are still doing your part in creating more sustainable living practices. If everyone does their part, no matter how small, it can make a difference.
Composting is a labour of love and patience will reward you!
TOP TIP
If you find that the wormery is getting warm, it means that there is too much food for the worms and the food is starting to rot. Leave the lid off for a little while, aerate and spread the waste around, and remove some if necessary. Avoid adding any more scraps until the worms can cope with the amount of food and are happy, hungry worms again.
Discover our Urbalive worm farm products and get composting for yourself!
Read how to set-up and establish your own wormery