Your School Wormery

Management Of The Wormery:
WormeryWhilst this is one of the most advanced wormeries available, it is also one of the simplest. There are no large heavy trays to lift, no sweating plastic, and harvesting the vermicompost is simple; just a few simple pushes and pulls of the breaker bar. Your wormery is made from timber harvested from sustainably managed forests and with the total absence of stacked trays or the need to rotate and lift sections of the unit provides almost double the "working space" for your worms. This means more composting in a smaller space. This makes the unit a fast and efficient the way to compost food scraps and other organic material. The wormery has a capacity capable of taking approximately 8 –10 litres of organic waste per week.

Very Important Points:
The wormery comes complete with 1kg of worms – that’s approximately 2,500! These arrive in tubs complete with 60 litres of bedding. Please remember that it will take at least 1 month or more for the system to really commence working properly.

Setup Instructions:

  • Place your unit in a cool spot preferably totally shaded. The more shelter the unit receives the less environmental fluctuation there will be for the worms. If this cannot be achieved then at least place it where it can be in the afternoon shade. This is more important in summer as composting worms do not like heat and work best between 50° & 80° F. Worms work better in an environment that suits them!
  • Due to the excellent air circulation via the lid, it is recommended the unit is given protection from heavy rainfall, from above and sides if at all possible. Do not cover the gap and ensure that any air gaps remain between the lid and the unit, as this is a feature of the airflow system. People are putting units in garages, sheds and even their kitchen!
  • The unit has been primed with a coating of raw linseed oil inside and out. Do not use any oil-based paints or waxed finishes. Regular external coatings of linseed enhance the appearance.
  • Place pieces of slate underneath each wooden leg to keep them from being in contact with wet standing. After assembly, pull handle back and forth a few times to make sure it is working well. Push the handle so that it is fully inside the unit as far as it will go. Once this has been done place 3-5 sheets of wet newspaper on top of the breaker bar.

Then:

  • Place the plastic tray under the worm area on the floor beneath the unit. 
  • Pour the worms and bedding on top of the floor area which has already been covered with newspaper. The purpose of this is to allow the worms to have somewhere to live so they settle in. It also allows the worms to go directly into the food thus allowing faster waste reduction and solid castings production.
  • Spread the worms out and allow them to go down into the bedding naturally. You may like to give them a sprinkle of water to help them settle in. The bedding should be thoroughly moist from top to bottom. Excess water will be caught by the tray. 
  • Your unit is now ready for recycling your organic waste. Add your organic waste in small amounts when starting off. The amounts can increase as the worm numbers increase to consume greater volumes of waste. It is preferable that you mix your fruit and other vegetables with an equal amount of newspaper or cardboard every 2 weeks if this is not added at the time of feeding. This will provide your worms with a good mixture of Nitrogen and Carbon, which assists them to breed, stay healthy and be happy! 
  • After you have put your waste in, cover it with a piece of carpet, hessian, underfelt or shredded moistened paper to keep it moist and dark. A piece of black plastic can be used as long as it leaves approximately 5cm gap all around the edge to allow air to exchange. The lid excludes daylight & the cover keeps moisture in.

Feeding Worms Your Waste:

  • When you are feeding your worms you do not have to chop food scraps up but the smaller the food particles, the easier it is for the worms to consume. The faster the worms consume the waste, the more castings you will have available to use on your plants. If this is not an option then we would suggest you put no more then 50mm, of organic matter spread onto the surface at any one time. Otherwise the organic matter can become acidic and create an ammonia-enhanced environment, which the worms do not like. If this happens the organic waste will become smelly and anaerobic, becoming unattractive to the worms until it rots completely.
  • Citrus fruit peel or onions can be added in small amounts, (10% by volume). Never over fill any worm system with such material or it will turn the system anaerobic and smelly. Only when you can see your worms moving into the food waste on the top layers is it time to add another layer. As a guide, if you put a constant supply of material in daily try to ensure it is no more than the equivalent of 15 mm per day if spread in a full layer across the whole. The system works best.
  • Allow the worm castings to build up to 350mm or about 50mm from the top of your unit before removing your castings. By using the worms’ natural instincts to move up to each new layer of food they will be away from the bottom area where the castings are. Some worms may be harvested so return them to the food waste on top of the unit.
  • When you are ready to take your castings from the unit make sure your catch trays are empty of liquid then simply hold the handle of the breaker bar and pull it and push it back and forth two to three times. When you do this it breaks up the castings and allows them to fall into the tray. You can use your castings on your plants immediately.
  • Do not over harvest as you will deplete the worms resting and bedding area! Follow the directions above and your worms will break down your organic waste and produce castings for your use.
  • Once you have finished viewing the worms through the window, ensure you close the door. Worms do not like daylight.

Handy Hints:

  • The unit is designed to run reasonably dry. Do not put too much water through the unit at any one time, rather, add small amounts on a regular basis. This can be done with a spray bottle or a small rose headed watering can so that the surface and contents of the waste is moist at all times.
  • Timber has a tendency to warp if it is allowed to dry out too much. Try to moisten the whole unit regularly if you are keeping it under cover. This applies particularly when it is exposed to sun. In addition, keeping the unit moist helps to control the temperature inside the wormery.
  • Little and often is the secret for good vermicomposting.
  • Remember this is a system, a living ecosystem and as such other decomposers will arrive such as earwigs and woodlice. They will all work happily together decomposing your organic matter. They all have an important role to play.
  • DO NOT OVERFEED

Food They Can Eat:
WasteCooked or uncooked vegetable and fruit waste, salad waste, crushed egg shells, tea bags, tea leaves, coffee grinds, paper coffee filters, left over casseroles, mouldy cottage cheese, baked beans, spoiled food, bread, toast, biscuits, cake, pizza crusts, cardboard tubes, cereal boxes, cardboard egg boxes, shredded newspaper, computer paper, and dead leaves.


Food Best Avoided:
Do not feed your worms with meat or fish. No metal, plastics, nylon or tin foil please, they can’t chew it!

Using Your Black Gold:
Vermicompost is an extremely rich natural fertiliser. When you are growing plants, add a handful into the pot or tub you are using. The difference will be amazing! If your school also has a vegetable garden add a handful into the ground in and around your crops.

Why Do Composting Worms C-R-A-W-L Off?

  • C - Change of habitat. Nobody actually knows why this, on a rare occasion occurs. Air pressure and weather are two suggestions that have been put forward. The time it is most like to occur if at all, is when the unit is seeded with the new worms.
    Since worms are sensitive to light, they’ll stay in the bin to avoid the light. After being transported, sometimes they just want to wander around their new environment, just like us exploring the hotel when we arrive! As a precaution, during the first 3 weeks, place a piece of plastic under the unit and on top of that, moist cardboard or newspaper. Then any worms that do decide to wander will take refuge in the moist conditions and not dry out and die. They can then be returned into their new home. If you’ve had your system in operation for a while and the worms crawl off, perhaps you’ve changed their habitat by adding too much salty, oily or acidic material.  Crushed eggshells work very well to help balance your system and provide grit for the worm’s digestion.
  • R - Rain - Just before and during a thunderstorm or any low-pressure system, it is natural for worms to crawl up and around the lid worm bin. Worms are great natural barometers.
  • A - Absence of Air. Be sure there are enough ventilation and drainage holes in your system and aerate the bedding promptly if a bad smell occurs. Add cardboard to soak up excess moisture and aid air passage.
  • W - Water - Too much, or too little? Too much water can cause the bedding to become so compacted that there aren’t enough pockets of air for the worms to breathe. Putting wood chips, strips of cardboard, straw, etc, within the bedding can ensure that there is enough air throughout their environment. Not enough water can cause your worms to try to escape. Lack of water will cause your castings to dry out and harden. The population of important micro organisms is lower when the castings dry out, thus diminishing their effectiveness. In order to produce the most useful castings, be sure to manage the moisture carefully. In the warmer months regularly sprinkle water onto the contents using a watering can and rose, allow to soak and gradually sprinkle again, ensuring all the contents and bedding are moist. Remove the tray when undertaking this operation so as not to drown any worms that may be in it, unless you have the unit in the kitchen or school assembly hall!
    Also, if you don’t feed your worms regularly they may go looking elsewhere for much needed sustenance. But please DO NOT OVERFEED!!! 

Beneficial Creatures:
Please be aware that invertebrates and microbes will be present in a healthy wormery. These beneficial creatures that are harmless to you, your worms, and your plants.

  • Enchytraeids or pot worm
  • Bacteria (Aerobic)
  • Flies and their larvae.  
  • Fungi
  • Gnats and their larvae.
  • Millipedes.  
  • Molds (beware of allergies to spores).  
  • Mites.  
  • Nematodes.  
  • Protozoa.  
  • Spiders.  
  • Springtails.  
  • Woodlice.

Harmful Creatures:

  • Anaerobic bacteria – characterized by a bad smell, caused by too much moisture & or overfeeding (lack of oxygen) – aerate bedding ASAP.
  • Ants - bedding too dry.
  • Beetles – remove.
  • Centipedes - carefully remove.
  • Planarians or flatworms -remove & destroy.

Remember:

  • REMEMBER ALL THE CREATURES IN THE WORMERY NEED AIR AND LOTS OF IT!  CARDBOARD REGULARLY ADDED ASSISTS AIR FLOW.

  • KEEP ALL OF THE UNIT MOIST AT ALL TIMES.

  • FEED LITTLE AND OFTEN (FEED WHEN YOU SEE WORMS ON THE SURFACE OF THE FOOD) WORMS ARE LIVING CREATURES!! DO NOT NEGLECT THEM!

  • DO NOT HARVEST TILL THE BLACK VERMICOMPOST BEDDING REACHES APPROXIMATELY 10CM FROM THE TOP OF THE UNIT.