This guide will show you how to set up and take care of your very own worm farm.

Worms like a constant temperature, so keep them out of full sun. Under a tree is great.

In winter they’ll need a worm blanket.

If the temperature looks set to drop below 10 degrees, you might want to move them to the garden shed or garage. Or add another old blanket on top.

There are a few different types of worm farms available, but they all operate on similar principles.

Assemble your worm farm as per its instructions.

Soak the coir peat brick. It takes about 20 - 30minutes and will turn into a peat-like fibrous texture.

The bottom of the worm farm is the worm tea trap. The container on top is where the organic matter and worms will go. Wearing a mask and gloves, add 2cm of the coir peat brick into this top container. Don’t use compost with fertiliser in it, as this will affect the worms.

Add worms

The worms used are Tiger Worms, which are very different to your average garden worm. These worms are very good at breaking down organic material, like rotting vegetation, compost, and manure.

You’ll need about 1kg of worms. Carefully tip the worms into the first container. Be gentle and spread them out evenly. Don’t be concerned if they’re not moving around much, as they’ve been in a semi-dormant state in the box.

Let them settle in for a couple of days, and then you can get them to work.

Feed worms

It will take a couple of weeks for your worms to start digesting at their full capacity, so start them off slowly.

Add a small amount of food at first and make sure to spread it evenly. Don’t add any more food until it is almost all gone.

Worms will eat around ½ their body weight daily, so that will give you a good indication of how much to feed them.

It will take about 3 – 6 months before you get your first harvest of worm castings. The castings are a mix of the soil and food scraps that have passed through your worms, and the garden loves it.

Keep an eye on the top container, and when you see that the worms have burrowed down to bottom this is when you add a new container.

Before you add the next container prepare it with another coir peat brick just like you did in the beginning.

Lift the old container out, put in the new one, and place the old container on top.

Add a layer of food only to the new bottom layer, and the worms will essentially move house from top to bottom to get to the food.

You can then harvest the top layer. These are worm castings and is excellent fertiliser. 1 tablespoon will feed a potted plant for about 2 months. You can apply this straight to the garden by mixing it in with the soil at the base of the plant.

At the very bottom of your worm farm is the worm tea. This is a liquid form of fertiliser similar to the castings. It’s really strong, so dilute it in a watering can with 1 part worm tea to 10 parts water before applying.

To get the full benefits, you need 1000 – 2000 worms – around a kg. And they need to be Tiger Worms.

Worm populations self-regulate, but if you have too many, try to pass onto another gardener because they won’t survive in the garden.

Add food in parallel strips each day so you can track their activity. Worms are less active in winter months, so feed them less.

Feed sparingly in the first few months, only adding more when the first lot of food is gone.

Add lime, wood ash or dolomite every couple of weeks to keep the PH level neutral. They don’t like acidic composting like citrus fertiliser.

Try and maintain the moisture levels – inside the farm should feel damp, not too wet, or too dry. Shredded newspaper is good for absorbing excess moisture. Worms will look fat and pale and come to the surface if they’re too wet.

If you get small white worms this could be from too much acid, try adding some lime.

Fruit flies may appear due to over-feeding, so cover the food with an old damp tea towel or newspaper, and add a bit more lime.

Worm farms shouldn’t smell bad, just earthy. If yours smells don’t add any more food until the smell dissipates.