Worms are the equivalent to a composters pet and keeping worms is a great way to introduce children to this important part of the food cycle. Worms are not labour intensive and don't need to be looked after by the neighbours if you go on holiday. They need feeding and watering occasionally, keeping warm in winter and cool in summer. In exchange you will be provided with a good fertilising medium to grow your plants in and a liquid fertiliser. Worms don't need cleaning out or taking for a walk, although it has been known for them to take themselves for a walk! Fantastic!

Worms are extremely good at turning waste materials into worm compost. They appear in your compost bin, compost heap or compost pile, as if by magic, because they live in the soil working tirelessly in your garden every day fertilising and adding air to your soil. Some species of worm are very adaptable and if the conditions are right for them they will happily live in the artificial habitat of a wormery munching their way through all the things you would put in a compost bin plus a few of the things that are on the "don't go there" list. As long as the worms have oxygen, moisture, food and darkness they will turn your kitchen waste into vermicompost.

The main benefits to using a wormery include the production of worm tea, the production of a solid natural fertiliser, the ability to compost non meat processed food and the small amount of space required. These factors mean that keeping a wormery is best suited to

• those with a keen interest in growing fruit, vegetables and flowers
• those with an interest in producing compost from their own food waste
• keen composters with a limited area available to dedicate to composting

To produce worm compost you will need;

• A wormery.
• Composting worms
• About 1 square meter square of space in a sheltered place. N.B. A wormery can be located anywhere, not just on soil, in fact it doesn't need to be in contact with soil at all so it can stand on a patio, deck or hard standing.
• Kitchen wast
• Water

In this section we will;

• Look at which worms are best suited to living in a wormery
• Understand what a wormery is identify what food worms like best
• Explore how to manage a wormery through the seasons
• Look at ways to collect and use worm tea
• Understand the difference between ordinary compost and vermicompost
• Identify different styles of wormery
• Look at how to build your own wormery

If you have any questions about wormeries please ask me.