What is a Wormery? A Wormery is a box system that contains composting worms that love to munch away on kitchen wastes. The bi-products produced consist of worm castings (worm poo or vermicompost) and Leachate (liquid fertilizer) these are excellent feeds for your indoor and outdoor plants.

Worm composting is an easy, convenient, environmentally-friendly and efficient way of turning your waste kitchen scraps into high quality super-rich compost all the year round. The compost, the worms produce, can be mixed into the soil when introducing new plants in the garden, added to houseplants and containers or used a top dressing (mulch)
Will the Wormery Smell ? A normal wormery should smell earthy. Bad smells arise when to much food (more than the worms can eat) is allowed to rot and becomes Anaerobic (bacteria that doesn't need oxygen to live).
Wormery Liquid Your wormery has a sump to collect any liquid residue. As the liquid passes through the bin it becomes charged with nutrients and therefore makes an excellent plant feed. It can take many months to get any liquid, as it is all dependent on what is placed in the wormery. Obviously vegetables will produce more water than bread. And if you use lots of paper, this will mop up any residues as well. Dilute any liquid with 10 parts water and use it to feed your plants for free.
What If I Go On Holiday ? Worm sitters will not be required when you go on holiday, as the worms will be happy munching away for a few weeks before they will need feeding again. If you are going away for a long time (or if you are a school and are worried about the long summer holidays) then add lots of damp shredded paper and cardboard, and mix it into wormery before you leave.
What is the best tip for starting a wormery ? Do not overfeed, and once a week put your rubber gloves on, and turn the compost and food over, this allows air to penetrate, and keeps the worms happy.
Do I have to keep buying worms? No, worms are prolific breeders and will expand their numbers to suit the conditions they find. Therefore you will not get too many.
Can I use worms from my garden Not all worms are 'composting' worms, Composting worms live and feed near the surface whereas garden worms are deep burrowers.
What Can I Feed Them ? Anything you eat, The best results our obtained from soft organic waste such as left over vegetable scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings, tea leaves/bags and coffee grounds, vacuum dust and hair (including animal) shredded newspaper, egg box type cardboard (pre-soaked), crushed egg shells and stale bread. The greater the variety of organic wastes the better the resultant worm castings will be.

Where Can I Keep My Wormery ? Worm composting can be carried out all year round, however worm activity ceases below 10 degrees centigrade. In the winter it will be beneficial to keep your wormery in a shed, utility room or garage The worms can be kept outside all year but the container should be insulated. This is easily done with old carpet or bubble wrap wrapped around your wormery. Using straw inside will also keep them snug. Worms can also be killed if the temperature goes too high - above 40 degrees C. Always site your wormery out of direct sunlight, away from strong winds, and in a place where children won't be able to knock it over. In the summer a North facing wall is ideal, as it's sunless.