Composting Without A Garden
By HW Teague (Star)
For those with small spaces or a tiny back yard as I have, and no room for one of those huge Darlek-like composters, then a wormery could be the answer.
A wormery is a composter. It is much smaller in size, hence more practical for a small house; it doesn't need to go on the earth, so can be put in a corner out of the way, or in a small out-house or shed, and I know of someone who says it's fine in their kitchen, though I've not tried that myself. If you follow the instructions, then it will be free of flies and smells.
Space for landfill is limited, so it's of huge importance that everyone composts in order to protect our planet.
How To Use A Wormery
- The wormery has three trays which sit on top of each other.
- You start by placing your waste in the bottom tray, when that has been filled, fill the middle tray and finally the top tray.
- The worms will move up through the trays following the waste.
- By the time the top tray is full of kitchen scraps, the bottom tray will be full of compost.
- Once the top tray is full, simply remove the bottom tray, empty compost, and then place that tray on the top ready to receive your new kitchen waste, and thus the cycle continues.
- The tap in the raised base allows you to drain off liquid feed for plants.
Precautions
- Don't add worms from your garden; garden worms are Lob worms and will not survive in a wormery. The worms in a wormery are usually dendra worms and are supplied by wigglywigglers or similar companies.
- Don't rush things, it will take several months for the worms to produce their first tray of compost, therefore no worries about being inundated with too much compost .
- To prevent acidity, avoid adding acidic wastes such as citric fruits or onions.
- If you go away on holiday make sure you give your worms a good feed and leave the sump tap open to ensure it does not get water logged.
- Make sure wormery is situated in a sheltered position. If too cold, wrap with a blanket or move to a warmer place. Worm activity ceases below 5 degrees centigrade.
- Smells are kept at bay by the worms activity, but its also recommended you stir the contents gently now and again to allow oxygen to circulate as this also keeps the waste from smelling.
- Adding a little shredded paper or cardboard once a week helps create pockets of air which the worms need for healthy happy lives.
What To Put In A Wormery
- Cooked food scraps
- Vegetable peelings
- Shredded paper or cardboard
- Tea leaves, teabags, coffee grounds
- Hair
- Bread, pasta, rice
- Wool and cotton
- Dried and crushed egg shells (helps the worms digestion).
AVOID Plant seeds, Diseased Plant Material, Onions/Citric Fruits (causes acidic conditions) , Dog/Cat Droppings (carry human pathogens), Glossy Printed Paper (too many additives), Glass, Plastic & Metal, Anything in excess!
Wormeries cost around £89 but are worth it. I sold some items I did not need and raised most of the money that way.
Wormeries and info on composting can be found at: http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk
