Composting or Worm Farm  – which is best for me?  

Worms

If you don’t have much space a worm farm is a great option: A worm farm doesn't smell if looked after  properly and can fit on a balcony, garage or even inside.  The benefits of worm farms include they:  

• Produce liquid and solid castings, both of which can  be mixed with water to produce a liquid fertilizer  
• Take up very little space  
• Are great for using food scraps and kitchen waste  

The limitations can be they:  

• Can process a limited amount of waste which may  not be enough for large families  
• Are better for vegetable scraps and soft  vegetation, are not so good for garden waste  

Composting

Most composting requires more space than  worm farming, although rotating compost  tumblers can also be used in relatively small  spaces on any surface. Preferably set up composting on bare earth.

 Benefits of Composting Include:  

• A larger variety & volume of  materials can be used  including garden waste  
• If you have enough ‘waste’  go for both compost and worms!  
• If you have enough space consider getting chickens as well, as they can be an even faster converter of food waste - they also give you  healthy, home-grown, organic, free range eggs.  

Compost basics  

Composting is the aerobic (using oxygen) breakdown  of organic matter by beneficial micro-organisms like  bacteria and fungi.  What can we use to make compost? The rule of thumb is  ‘Anything that once lived can turn into compost’  

Use the A.D.A.M Principles  while composting 

• A - Aliveness – compost is a ‘living  organism’ full of worms & healthy  microbes 
• D - Diversity – mix in a variety of  ingredients: eg food scraps, dry  leaves, fine wood, mulch, grass, hair,  herbs etc. 
• A - Aeration – aerate your compost  regularly, with a spiral mixing tool 
• M- Moisture – keep compost moist  at all times 

 Setting up & MANAGING the bin/heap 

1.  Position the bin in a well drained  place (sun or shade is OK) 
2.  Put a layer in the base of the bin,  about 200-300mm (4”-6”) deep,  of high carbon material, i.e. finely  chopped woody mulch, leafy twiggy  materials or ‘forest fines.’ 
3.  Water this layer well 
4.  Add 2 or 3 shovel-fulls of rich  compost, or lovely black, alive soil  from your garden. This ‘seeds’ your  compost with the aliveness that does  all the work
5. For every addition of food scraps,  add the same amount of ‘forest fines’  or chopped small woody twigs and  leaves, ie 1 bucket of food scraps to  1 bucket of mulch  
6.  Mix with a spiral tool and check  that the entire heap is moist 
7.  Food scraps must not be left  exposed on the surface. Always  cover surface with a thin layer of  ‘forest fines’ or chopped small woody  twigs and leaves, this reduces  flies. Then cover the surface with a  ‘blanket’ (eg hessian sack) to keep  the heap moist & dark 
8.  Add other ingredients regularly  eg manures, vacuum contents, hair,  herbs, weeds, grass, soil 
9.  Add a teaspoon of dolomite  ( Worm Farm & Compost Conditioner)  weekly, to balance acidity 
10.  When your bin is full it needs to  mature for 6-8 weeks. Keep this  maturing bin moist & mix it and  add a little dolomite and pelletised  manure, weekly 
11.  You can start a new bin for your  continuing supply of fresh food  scraps once your old one is full. 

Compost problem solver

Below are three of the most common  problems people have with their compost: