Make an Indoor Wormery 

Making an indoor wormery  makes a good introduction to worm composting and the role of composting worms in the garden. 

Materials Needed 

2 or 3 plastic 4 litre ice cream containers  or small buckets that fit inside each other – one with a lid, a drill, shredded paper, cardboard, vegetable leaves and peelings, soil or compost from a garden compost bin, Spray bottle with clean water and  composting  worms (these may be in the compost from the garden compost bin)

 Making the wormery

Ideally the  containers  should stack, rather than nest tightly into each other as the bottom container  will collect excess liquid (worm wee). However, if .they stack three spacers should be put in the bottom container to create a space to collect the worm wee. This can be diluted and added to the gardening.

Use the  drill to make  holes in the base of the upper container. The holes should allow the worm wee to drip down into the lower  reservoir but not so  big for the worms to travel down.

Small hoes should be made in the lid  to provide the worms with air  but not so big that the worms can escape. 

Adding Bedding

Mix shredded paper, vegetable leaves, and soil (or compost from a compost bin) to create a few inches of loose bedding.

Use a spray bottle to mist water to moisten the mix if it starts to dry out  to keep the worms hydrated. 

Add Worms

Collect worms from a compost bin or heap  and add them to the mix  in the container  and put the lid on. 

Feeding the Worms

Most uncooked kitchen scraps can be fed to the worms. Add an equal amount of kitchen scraps as shredded paper or cardboard. dehydrated. Do not add garlic or onion.Do not over feed the worms. When your container of worms is  full, another one complete with holes in the base can be added to create a stacking wormery.

It will take around 6-8 weeks for your compost to turn into vermicompost which can be used to top up  your indoor or patio plant pots.