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Worm farms can be a fantastic way to deal with your daily food scraps. Cromwell worm breeder Robbie Dick at Wormworx ((03) 445 0263 or 021 132 2964) can supply you with healthy happy tiger worms to start your worm farm. There are a variety of worm farms available for purchase either at your local hardware store, on the internet, or from Wormworx. The rewards are awesome. Vermicast and vermiliquid are a gardeners best friend, a friend you can’t get enough of. The kids will love them too. Now just because worms are fantastic doesn’t make them easy to look after. Failed worm farms are one of the more common issues we come across on our rounds. Central Otago climate is a major issue; it is so dry and hot in summer and can drop to -1oC in winter. It may be that you have a worm farm complimented by a compost bin or Bokashi buckets as the worms hibernate somewhat in those really cold temps.
Tips for happy healthy worms
1. Feeding – when feeding, the smaller the food bits the better. Cut up or better still put the food scraps in a whizzer. Feed the worms in strips, tomorrow’s food placed next to today’s and so on. When you keep putting food on top of the last lot of food and so on there is a good chance it will turn putrid before the worms have a chance to get to it. 2. Covering – place some damp hessian/old towel/cardboard over the worms and food to keep them cosy 3. Extra help – a light sprinkle of lime or dolomite over the worm farm once a month or as you remember. 4. Winter – over winter they’re going to slow down. Insulate their home as best you can. Put the worm farm in the sun. Chuck an old duvet or blanket over the farm. Anything to keep them warm. 5. Overfeeding – don’t overfeed them till they’ve multiplied enough to cope with your food volumes. This may take 3 to 6 months. The more worms you kick off with the better. 6. The right worms – make sure you have Tiger Worms. Worms from the garden are different and dwell in the soil. Tiger worms generally reside in the compost heap, cow pattie, deep mulch. Here are some of the different types of worm farms you might see around:
Worm Cafe
Worm around