Wormeries: Composting with a Wiggle

 


Wormeries: Composting with a Wiggle

Because your food waste deserves a VIP (Very Important Pulveriser).

Why Worms?

Composting is great — but sometimes your garden (or nosey neighbours) won’t tolerate a big heap of rotting leftovers.

Enter: Wormeries.
Neat, compact, odour-free systems where a battalion of worms turns your food scraps into gorgeous, nutrient-rich compost.

They're the silent heroes of zero-waste living. And they're wriggly.

What Is a Wormery?

It’s a multi-layered bin, often with drainage taps and ventilation, filled with bedding material (like shredded paper or coir) and composting worms (usually tiger worms or red wigglers).

You feed it:

  • Fruit & veg scraps 🍎

  • Tea bags (plastic-free!)

  • Crushed eggshells

  • Coffee grounds ☕

They give you:

  • Vermicompost (a.k.a. worm poo gold)

  • Worm tea (nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser)

🛠️ Starting a Wormery — What You’ll Need

  1. A worm bin (stackable ones are best for airflow and harvest)

  2. Compost worms — not your average garden worm!

  3. Bedding material — moist shredded paper, coir or cardboard

  4. A shady, cool spot — a shed, garage, or even a balcony

🍌 What Worms Love (and Hate)

✅ Good worm snacks:

  • Soft fruit & veg

  • Coffee grounds

  • Tea leaves

  • Crushed eggshells

  • Cardboard & paper (shredded, no plastic or glossy bits)

❌ Avoid:

  • Citrus peels (too acidic)

  • Onion/garlic (too smelly)

  • Meat/dairy (attracts pests)

  • Too much wet food at once (causes rot)

🧪 The End Product

  • Worm castings: mix into soil or sprinkle on pots

  • Worm tea: dilute 10:1 and feed your plants

Your plants will say thank you. Loudly.

Final Thought

Wormeries are compact, smell-free, eco-friendly, and just weirdly satisfying to check in on.

Perfect for city flats, tiny gardens — and anyone who likes the idea of feeding yesterday’s banana skin to a worm named Nigel.

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