our little worm farm

It occurred to me this weekend that I have never mentioned our worm farm. We've had worms for quite some time and I think they are integral part of our urban gardening experience. They also lessen the feeling go guilt when I clear plates and see the food waste after a meal. With two little ones in the kitchen, there is always a bit more food waste than I am comfortable with but when I put scraps and peelings into the compost bin I don't quite feel so bad. 

 With our worm compost we are able to recycle our food waste into a rich, dark soil conditioner. We simple put the worms into the top layer of our compost bin with some special mulch and then add food scraps as they pile up. 

Worm compost provide nutrients to our vegetables and plants. We use it as mulch for potted plants; as a lawn conditioner; sprinkled directly in the veggie patch and herb garden and as a liquid fertiliser when mixed with water.

We don't feed our worms meat, citrus or too many onions but they love crushed eggshells, vegetable off-cuts and peelings, fruit skins and seeds and even sandwich scraps and left-over oatmeal on occasion. 

Here's a worm farm fact sheet from Sustainability Victoria if you're interested. 

Your farm can be bigger or smaller than ours and can even live inside under your kitchen sink if you live in an apartment building. They don't smell and provide a beautiful way to recycle your food scraps. They're also great fun for kids and provide many wonderfully hands on, experiential science lessons.