Question 1

What do worms do in the soil?

Accepted Answer

They can consume their own body weight per day in food and so this means that they are processing 90 kilos a year, and providing you with several centimetres of new topsoil. They bring up rich minerals and nutrients from the subsoil and deposit them as castings on the surface making them readily available to our plants.

Physically as they burrow into the soil the channels they leave behind channels which aerates and drains the soil. If you have a good population of earthworms 5% of your soil will be made up of aerating earthworm burrows

Question 2

When should I add the next tray to my Wormery?

Accepted Answer

Assuming you are adding your food scraps every couple of days as you lift the moisture mat you will see the worms working just below the surface. (If you have to dig down to find worms you need to ease up on the food addition as you don’t want waste building up without the worms having time to process it.) As the waste gets consumed by the worms the volume reduces and it’s processed into black gold (worm casts) and liquid (which you will use as liquid feed). This means as you fill each tray it sinks at quite a rate so the time to add a new tray on top is when the tray the worms are working on is just about full and when the bottom of the next tray will sit on the compost below. At this point you take off the moisture mat, add the next tray and some waste and replace the moisture mat which always sits on top of the freshest waste.

Don’t worry if the worms don’t appear to move up into the next tray for a few weeks – as long as there are no gaps between the trays and you can see flecks of compost on and around the top tray all will be well. After all worms do not know about trays so as long as they are working on the compost just below the surface all will be well. Just occasionally it’s worth checking that no gaps have occurred between the trays where the compost has sunk as this will mean the worms have more of a challenge to get up and down between trays. If there is a gap – add a bit of waste into it to fill it in.

Question 3

Why isn’t my wormery producing any liquid?

Accepted Answer

Unless you are in a heatwave which can cause real evaporation the usual reason for a worm bin failing to produce liquid is that there isn’t the volume of waste going into the kit in the first place.

Over 95% of veg waste is liquid so as long as plenty is going into the kit as it breaks down the liquid will percolate through the worm casts and end up in the sump where you can use it diluted (about 1 part liquid to 10 parts water) as a general liquid feed.

Question 4

Is The Wormery Composting Method Different At The Beginning From Later On?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it's very important to remember this. Give your worms enough time to settle and reproduce, don't swamp them with food from the get-go. You will know that the earthworms are well adjusted when they begin to process the food you give them more quickly and you will also be able to feed them more often.

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Question 5

What Are The Worms Favourite Foods?

Accepted Answer

A Worm’s Diet…

Question 6

How and when to harvest the compost/castings?

Accepted Answer

After 2-3 months or when your Subpod is full, you can harvest your Subpod compost.

Question 7

Is my garden a great place for garden birds?

Accepted Answer

It depends… most gardens aren’t ideal for birds as it is difficult to find a lot of natural food if the garden is a mixture of paving and lawn. The perfect garden will be a haven for wildlife and in particular an invertebrate paradise… Native hedging, wildflowers, a pond will all make a huge difference as will feeding live mealworms – they are of course natural food packed with liquids, protein and also fat which will help your birds in really cold weather.

Question 8

Are your wormeries rodent proof?

Accepted Answer

The great thing about a tray system wormery is that a: It's off the floor so very unlikely to be attacked by rodents and B: Worms compost waste as you add it so they really help to neutralise the odours. We have had no problems with rodents with Urbalive or other tray system worm composters.

Question 9

How much food can my worms eat?

Accepted Answer

The amount of food that worms can eat depends on the size of your worm bin and the number of worms you have. As a general rule, worms can consume about half their body weight in food per day.

For example, if you have 500g of worms, they can consume about 250g of food per day. However, it's important to keep in mind that the worms will not eat all the food you give them at once. You should start with small amounts of food and gradually increase as the worms begin to consume it.

It's also important to note that worms can only eat so much food based on the moisture and temperature conditions in the bin. If the bin is too dry or too hot, the worms will not be able to eat as much food. If you find that the worms are not consuming the food you're providing, you may need to adjust the moisture levels in the bin by adding water or reducing the amount of food you're adding.

For more help with your wormery and frequently asked questions pop on over to https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/pages/wormery-faqs. Or if you’re keen to get started or order a wormery please visit https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/collections/worm-composting

Question 10

What can I use the Bokashi Juice for?

Accepted Answer

Bokashi juice contains nutrients from the food waste and is packed with micro-organisms so it makes a great free fertiliser!

Pour the concentrated Bokashi juice directly into kitchen and bathroom drains, toilets and septic systems. It helps prevent algae build-up and control odour. And as a huge bonus, it contributes to cleaning up our waterways as the good bacteria compete with the bad bacteria! A win win.