There are times when you want to rapidly build your population of earthworms. Consequently, there are some foods that are truly spectacular for helping our subterranean friends breed to their heart’s content. In my experience soft fruits that have begun to decay are absolutely irresistible and it is a truly exciting experience to lift the blanket in the top tray to reveal a mass of worms indulging in a feeding frenzy on what remains of a rotten piece of fruit.
-
Attack of the worms!
It is worth leaving the contents of your compost bucket for a few days so that it begins to break down. Organic matter that has begun the process of decomposition is better than fresh stuff for worms.
-
Worm buffet
Putting too much food into the worm farm will not make the worms eat faster. Worms can eat their own body weight in food each day, so if you have too many scraps at one time they may go uneaten until the worm population builds up. If you add to much fruit and vegetable waste the farm may become too wet, which worms don’t like. It can also create a nitrogen build up which is not good for worms. The solution is to always add some cardboard, paper, leaves or coco peat to the mix to create the right moisture balance, and to add carbon to balance out the nitrogen.
As mentioned above, apart from organic materials that are soft in texture, my other observation about what worms really like is that size really matters. If you have a material that is in big chunks like a whole apple it will take much longer to be digested by your worms than if you feed them the same apple chopped into small pieces. So if you can take the trouble to chop or blend your kitchen scraps into finer bits your worms will love you for it!
One more thing to know about worm food is that worms need some grit in their guts to help them grind up their dinner. A sprinkle of garden soil or sand is a great addition. A loose cover in the form of a worm blanket on top of the worm bed will also be helpful. Pull it aside to add the latest lot of scraps, and then recover, and it helps to keep the food moist for your little wriggly friends. Use any natural fibres such as cotton or wool, or a commercially available worm blanket which are open weave and let air in for your worms and keep things sweet.
-
A worm blanket helps to retain moisture
-
-
For lots of information on home growing vegies, worm farming and lots more, check out the book
“Grow Your Own”….buy it here>>>>