"tina" wrote in message
news
Hi,
I'm interested in composting and have been told that wormeries are a
good way to start.
I have looked on line but they cost between £60 & £100 for the starter
sets so cant afford this.

Has anyone got any ideas regarding making one.

Thanks

(I have a fishing tackle shop round the courner so have an easy source
of worms)

Thanks

If you have a garden, and room for a small compost heap, a wormery
isn't necessarily the best way to start composting. Normal compost
heaps are normally more flexible in the amount of material they'll
accept at any one time, and maybe more forgiving of beginners mistakes.
Except for people without access to a garden, wormeries are often
started in addition to existing compost heaps.

As far as the worms are concerned brandlings, or compost worms, or tiger
worms because they have red hoops around their bodies (not stripes)
will appear in almost any compost heap after a time. Even if you make
compost in a plastic dustbin providing there's a hole in the bottom.
They're different to earthworms and presumably they live among
any rotting vegetation in the soil.

Commercial wormeries are merely purpose designed plastic versions of what
you can make for yourself. The point about wormeries is that they bye-pass
all the normal bacterial processes involved in composting - i.e breaking
down the plant material and so there's guaranteed to be no smell.
The worms eat the vegetation before it has a chance to get attacked
by the bacteria. In theory. As in theory there should be no smell from
any properly made up compost heap in any case. Its just you wouldn't want
to try it under the sink in the kitchen just in case.

What you're paying £60 - £100 for basically is the kit which all fits
together neatly - and a set of detailed instructions - and the worms.
The point being maybe that wormeries can be used by people who may not
even have a garden, who have no ready supply of brandlings, and
no knowledge of fishing bait.

Here's a picture of one which is basically a plastic waste bin with the
addition of a tap on the side for drawing off liquid,

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/wormeries.htm

However whatever you decide on, this time of year is probably not the
best time to start. As compost worms like most other life forms
are less active in winter, as the small bulk of material in a wormery
is usually insufficient to build up any heat.


michael adams

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