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| link Look at those eyes... Couldn't start with a yucky picture!! |
It started off at school last year when our SOSE unit was about waste management, and our Science unit was about bugs. What else to do but make a DIY styrofoam box worm farm. It was more about keeping the worms alive-what living things need to survive, what they eat, how to treat them, similarities and differences with other bugs we studied, feeding them our food scraps and a bit of a sensory experience. We weren't using the castings or worm juice. At the end of the year I bought a proper worm farm from Bunnings, and brought them home.
They are so easy to care for, and actually give back too! We have a container in the fridge that fills up amazingly quickly for two people who are away all day! At the moment our worms are eating lots of egg shells, banana peel, strawberry ends, kale stalks, as well as all of our general vegetable waste-peelings and ends-carrots, lettuce, zucchini, beans, potato and sweet potato. Basically any fruits and veggie that isn't too acidic-so no citrus, tomato, kiwi fruit, onion and the like. We just chop them up so they are fairly small bits.
I feed them every 2-3 days, burying the food a little to stop mice and flies and the like, and give them a bit of a water if the 'blanket' on top is feeling a bit dry. Any excess water drains though to the bottom, and I collect the tea to use on our veggies, herbs and citrus and chilli bushes for some extra nutrients, diluted to about 1:10. I try to alternate worm tea and seasol.
I also used the worm castings (basically the soil and food waste they have chewed through) to mix in with potting mix when I plant, especially for our veggies and herbs. It also helps to bring the level of soil down in the farm (as you are constantly adding matter, and the worms are aerating the soil).
I'd really recommend a worm farm-it was great for the kids I taught, it's a fantastic use for all of that food waste that you create (and it's shocking how much you go through). I also don't feel as bad about getting rid of a rubbery carrot buried in the fridge when I can feed it to the worms.
Do you have a worm farm, or a compost bin? What happens with your food waste?
I'll post something pretty next!! Promise! :)
I'll post something pretty next!! Promise! :)
I'd love a worm farm - it's amazing how much vegetable waste goes in the bin, even for 1. Lisa xo
ReplyDeleteDefiantly get one! They are so easy! x
DeleteNow, but I'm thinking of getting one. I need a good supply of fertiliser for all the plants going in!
ReplyDeleteDo it-the kids will love it, and it's so good for the garden!
Deletewe have a compost heap in the back corner of the garden, I always had one growing up and felt strange when I didnt have one, living O/S and renting etc... so it was one of the first things we did when we moved in to our house. We have a bokashi bucket under the sink where we put our scraps daily and then it all goes into the heap with grass clippings. It makes tonnes of soil and I love seeing the worms! Strangely satisfying!
ReplyDeleteIt is satisfying isn't it? x
DeleteHi Ness, Just stumbled onto your blog, your house is gorgeous, sooo much potential. Very jealous of your lovely porch and living by the beach must be amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a compost bin, might add it to my future 'to do' list.
Libby x
Thanks for reading and commenting. We love our place-lots to do! x
DeleteYes I have a worm farm!! I love it. I keep a bowl on bench that I put all scraps into. Hubby empties it every night. Use it in the garden and we use the tap part to drain out and dilute it and water plants with it. Nothing goes to waste. I think my worms are living like kings with what I feed them LOL
ReplyDeleteMine too! They got lucky coming to us! x
DeleteOur worms miraculously survived five months without a blanket and very sporadic banana peels while the reno was on. So good to be home and filling the worm farm and compost again. Now you just need some chooks! mel x
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they survived! So happy to hear you are home! I would LOVE chooks! Home eggs are the best! x
DeleteI notice how much food waste (egg shells and peels) go into my bin each day... Never thought of getting a worm farm! I wonder if my dogs would knock it over? We are re doing our back yard soon so I will have to see what I can do... I would love one!
ReplyDeleteThey are quite solid-the one I have has 5 legs, and they get quite heavy being filled with soil. x
DeleteWarm farms are the best!
ReplyDeleteWe've just added the second layer. Do they like banana skins and egg shells?
They disappear. I crunch up the egg shells quite small (rater than putting in half a shell), and also chop up the banana skin as its quite thick, but they disappear. We don't put all of our egg shells in (we go through A LOT!) x
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