PRESENTATION

Worm Farming Section 1

PRESENTATION

Get everything you need Assemble worm farm and put in shaded position

Put bucket or bottle under tap and turn tap on

Add worms and bedding Add damp hessian bag or newspaper on top

Feed the worms under the blanket

Keep the worm farm nice and damp

Put cardboard on the bottom of the working tray

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MAKE YOUR OWN WORM FARM IN A BROCCOLI BOX!

DIY!

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Worm farm feeding

Most fruit scraps

Most veggie scraps

Eggshells

Tea bags

Coffee grounds

Leaves (no eucalypt)

Grass

Vacuum dust

Hair

Torn up cardboard

Paper

× Meat

× Bones

× Citrus fruits

× Pineapple or papaya

× Garlic

× Onions

× Chilli

× Dairy

× Bread

× Biscuits

× Rice / pasta

Which items CAN go in? Which items CAN’T go in?

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What does worm farming produce?

Worm Castings

• Castings are worm faeces

• Smells like rich, healthy soil

• Rich with nutrients and minerals

• Can be used directly on plants without burning them

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Harvesting castingsMethod One

• Remove worms from castings by feeding one side of your worm farm

• If your worm farm has multiple trays / levels, place food and fresh bedding in a new tray (can go either above or below the old tray)

PRESENTATION

Harvesting castingsMethod Two

1. Dig out a section from your worm farm

2. Place on table in bright light

3. Push material into peaked mound

4. Worms will burrow to escape light

5. Scrape castings from the top and edges

6. Worms will continue to burrow during this process

PRESENTATION

What does worm farming produce?

Worm leachate

• The dark liquid that drains out of the bottom of a worm farm

• Contains plant nutrients, but is not rich in microorganisms like worm tea

• Only use on non-edible outdoor plants like flowers, trees and bushes

• Never use foul smelling worm leachate

• Dilute the leachate with water –approximately 1 part leachate to 10 parts water

Worm tea

• Made by soaking worm castings in water

• Nutrients and beneficial microbes diffuse into the water

• Powerful organic fertiliser

• Can provide nutrients to plants faster than worm castings

PRESENTATION

Simple worm tea recipe

Gather your materials

• A bag – this can be any porous, natural fibre bag (even an old t-shirt!)

• A 20 Litres bucket – however any size will work

• Dechlorinated water e.g. rainwater, pond, distilled or filtered

• Worm castings

Make your worm tea!

1. Fill your bag with worm castings and tie it at the top

2. Submerge the bag in the bucket of water

3. Let it sit overnight. It should be a light brown colour

4. For best results, water your garden as soon as it is ready

5. The leftover worm castings can be used on your garden

PRESENTATION

Troubleshooting

TOO DRYAdd water or wet food

scraps

SMELLY / LOTS OF VINEGAR FLIES = pH

imbalance, too much food/ water

Sprinkle dolomite, lime or wood ash and mix through, cover food scraps, add dry

material

TOO WETMix through dry leaves,

grass or torn up newspaper

NOT EATING FOOD QUICKLY ENOUGH = possible overfeeding

Stop feeding until worms have ‘caught up’. Worm activity may slow in winter months

VERMIN = wrong foodRemove breads, grains, meat or dairy products

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Tips and maintenance • Sheltered location – worms benefit from a stable temperature and

may die in extreme heat / cold

• Worms are less active in winter – feed less

• Blanket (hessian or newspaper) covering worms – helps regulate temperature

• Cut fruit and vegetables into small pieces

• Place food scraps under the worm blanket on top of the soil layer, then flip the soil layer – food can be immediately accessed by worms

• Don’t feed every day as a rule – allow time for worms to consume scraps

• Worms reproduce every 4-6 weeks – conditions may not be optimal if not breeding

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Composting Section 2

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Green – Nitrogen Brown – Carbon

• Fresh grass clippings & leaves

• Fruit & vegetable scraps

• Manure (herbivores)

• Weeds

• Tea leaves/coffee grounds

• Hair

• Vacuum cleaner dust

• Sticks and twigs

• Dry grass clippings

• Straw/sugarcane mulch

• Dry leaves

• Egg cartons

• Newspaper (shredded)

Neutralisers: Wood ash, lime, egg shells, dolomite, comfrey, yarrow

Activators: Manure, compost starter, compost accelerator, soil, composting worms

The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio is 25:1 – to achieve this, add twice as much brown as green

PRESENTATION

Compost ingredients

Fruits and vegetables

Onions, garlic, chilli

Citrus fruits

Leaves & small branches

Grass clippings

Garden weeds

Small bits of cotton

Hair and nails

Vacuum dust

Small bits of cardboard

Small bits of newspaper

Manure (herbivore)

× Meat

× Fish

× Chicken

× Dairy

× Large chunks of bread

× Biscuits/ cake

× Rice/ pasta

× Large cardboard boxes

× Tree stumps

× Building timber

× Animal droppings (non-herbivore)

Which items CAN go in? Which items CAN’T go in?

PRESENTATION

Aeration • Respiring organisms

provide essential heat

• Oxygen necessary for organism survival and odour control

Garden Fork Compost Turner PVC pipe core

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M = MoistureCompost ingredients

Grey water- washing up

Cooking water- boiled potatoes

Cooking water- washed rice

Hot water bottle

Tea pot

Coffee pot

Flower vase

Hose

X Too wet

X Too dry Just right

Squeeze

Your compost should be as moist as a wrung out sponge

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Warm sunny position Add a layer of twigs

to the bottom

Add a layer of green material Add a layer of brown material

Add some moisture Aerate the compost by stirring Put the lid on

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Harvesting your compost• Lift the compost bin away from heap

• Remove non-decomposed materials from the top

• Remaining pile should be rich compost

• Place non-decomposed materials back into compost bin

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Other important factors• Sunny position – inside should reach 60˚C

• Smaller bins may not reach this temperature

• Place weeds in black garbage bag in sun for 1-2 days

• Time will vary depending on season

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Using your compostMulch Potting mix Compost tea Soil amendment

• Spread around garden plants as a mulch (up to 4cm deep)

• Mix one-third sand with two-thirds compost

• The seedling mix should have a fine texture

• Mix one part compost to three parts water in a bucket or tub

• Leave for a few days, stirring occasionally

• Add to plants

• Dig through the top 30cm of soil and leave for a fortnight or so before planting

PRESENTATION

Troubleshooting

SMELLY = Too wet, not enough air, too acidic

Add dry material, turn heap, add dolomite

SLOW = Not enough air, too dry, no active ingredients

Turn heap, add water, add manure

EXCESSIVE SMALL FLIES = exposed fruit

Cover with soil or any brown material

VERMIN = wrong food or warm dry nest

Remove breads, grains, meat or dairy products, cover entry with wire, turn heap, moisten

PRESENTATION

Your food and garden waste bin