Home, home on the range where the red wrigglers wriggle. . .

Note the word “farm”, in worm farm. If you start a worm “farm” you will need to take care of it! Much as you need to feed your pet dog, budgie or guinea pig. You can not leave your wormies and run away for weeks at a time (although they might survive 2 weeks at best which is more than can be said of our furry friends).

As we noted in the compost section you should be using tiger worms (Eisenia foetida) and not pasture worms. What you will need to farm worms is shelter + food.

Shelter - Worms don't like wet “feet”. We know this because we see them fleeing water logged lawns in a deluge only to drown on the great lake that is your footpath or get squished on the same. So first off we need a container with drainage. There are lots of constructions on various scales using just about anything. You may also want access to the worm wee (worm “tea”).

Bath system – old bath + frame with mesh (to raise from bath-floor for drainage) + bed + worms + food + blanky + roof. Raise at one end to drain. Run-off can run out plughole into container for collection. Using the bath system you feed starting from end and slowly move along a bit each day.

(Three) tyre system – High-rise worm tower = 3 x tyres stuffed with damp newspaper sitting on board. Board raised at one edge so run off can be collected in container (possibly set in depression or hole in front of worm tower). Don't leave your worm tower in a sunny spot or you will cook your worms and that is not quite the process we are going for. Also they may hibernate when it gets frosty over winter.

Pile-up – Yep. Just as it sounds. A pile of scraps and worms covered over with something like thick under-felt. Almost free range wormies.

Worm-beds – Worms don't need to doss down in a luxury posturepedic but they do like a nice bed and they do like their bedding to be changed at regular intervals. A lovely new bed for worms can be made out of (moistened) shredded paper + some corrugated cardboard + straw + compost. After harvesting, remove the worm poop (vermicast) and put in a new bed for the next batch of worms to live in. By the way what is a group of worms called? A herd?

Worm- roof –First feed your worms then cover with carpet and then a lid. Keep your worms moist, dark and cool. And keep out excess moisture and air.

Din-dins – don't feed your worms too much! 500g worms will eat 500g of scraps. If you add too much more it may putrify. That means get stinky. And usually the stinky comes with slimy and sometimes blacky. Add any excess foodscraps to a bokashi or compost heap. Your worm has a mostly vegetarian inclination and likes a bit of dung on the side.

So they like vegie peelings, fruit skins and cores, coffee grounds and tea bags, green weeds (but not the seed heads) and cow or horse manure . Treats – corn (cob and meal). Unlike small boys worms do like their brussel sprouts but there are some things they find Yucky. Like small boys they don't like raw onions but they will also turn up their noses at meat and fish, cheese, baked beans, rice or pasta, too much white bread, or cooked spuds. cooked potatoes, grass or cat and dog poo.

Visitors - always cover your worm-farm to discourage fruit fly. If you find slaters taking up residence then your environment has become too dry.

Vermicast – dilute to “tea”. Tea spray can help fight fungus on leaves as well as help increase soil vitality.