A wormery at Audlem St James

Give nature a home in your garden.

We have an expert who has established a wormery at Audlem St James. The children in Pearl Class discovered that a wormery will recycle your waste food to make a superb fertiliser for your crops and a living soil in your containers. Wormeries are perfect for small spaces: they're small, don"t smell and make compost faster than conventional composters.

A common name for the worms you use in wormeries is Tiger worms. Various varieties are suitable. You only need one variety, but if you have more than one your wormery can be more efficient. Two common species used are: Dendrobaena venata and Eisenia fetida

The children found that a small supply of food: tea bags, banana skins, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, are all good to add. If you chop it up, the worms will be able to process it faster. You can also add processed and cooked food to a wormery — but avoid adding in any quantity, particularly until the wormery is well established. As well as food waste, you need to add about 20 — 30% carbon rich matter like cardboard, newspaper or wood chip.

Vegetable peel, banana skins, pea pods, tea and coffee grounds, a bit of pasta — all good food for worms.

The children enjoyed learning about the wormery and asked relevant questions.