When the people at Wiggly Wigglers offered to send me a new model of wormery to try out, I couldn't resist giving it a try: I've become a bit of a wormery enthusiast - it's an excellent way to deal with kitchen waste, and my daughter loves looking at the worms. Up until now, the Can'O'Worms was my wormery of choice: superior to all-in-one models in that the "tray" system made for easy harvesting of worm compost. I've had my Can'O'Worms for a year and a half and haven't had many complaints, but it does have a few shortcomings, which I have already written about: the legs can get a bit unstable when it's really full, the ventilation holes on the lid also let in a lot of rainwater if it's left outside, and I also had a problem with the drainage tap (although I understand this was a faulty batch of taps).
Anyway, I've been using the Worm Cafe for a couple of weeks now, and so far the best thing about it is its shape: while the C'O'W is round (and therefore awkward to fit in the corner of sheds, taking up more room than it should) the Worm Cafe is rectangular. That means it's more stable and takes up less space. The other huge bonus is the hinged lid - also made possible by the rectangular shape. With the C'O'W I am always juggling with the lid in one hand and a crock of kitchen waste in the other: "feeding" the Worm Cafe is far easier, the lid can be lifted at either end, and then it's held in place by hinge while you check on the worms or give them a feed.
There's one other big advance: the ventilation holes on the Worm Cafe are on the side and not in the lid, so you can leave it outside without the contents becoming soaked by the rain. In the winter the worms will stop eating if it gets too cold, so it's advisable to cut down on the amount of food waste you're adding (trench composting will handle any excess) and either move it to a shed or garage, or wrap around an old woollen blanket as insulation, making sure not to block the ventilation holes.
Any downsides? Not so far (I'll let you know if that changes), but my main quibble with the Worm Cafe and most other wormeries come to that is the price: most companies, Wiggly Wigglers included, sell them for between £80 and £100 for a kit including worms, bedding etc, which is big outlay for a "non-essential" item for lot of families* (although there's a special offer to save £10 on Worm Cafes at Wiggly Wigglers right now). I am still not sure why wormeries are so expensive - perhaps it's the fact that they're not sold in high volumes so the margins aren't that great - or perhaps the plastic box is expensive to manufacture. With a little bit of ingenuity and time, though, you can build one yourself from some cheap plastic boxes and just buy in the worms and bedding. There are some decent instructions on WikiHow.
While we're on the subject of wormeries, I got a great tip from Kathy Roach regarding the problem of ants in the wormery which I've blogged about before: a sprinkling of cinnamon apparently drives the ants awat, according to this post of the Wiggly Wigglers blog (which also identifies some of the other things you might find in your wormery).
*On a related theme, I just noticed that Recycle Now is no longer offering subsidised compost bins in England. It's a shame, but their argument, I think, is they've reached most people they were going to reach, and cheap bins are widely available now, so they're focusing on giving advice. Hmm... not so sure that's true, but what do you think?
Hi Jane
I have just read your great article in this months GYO magazine 'note perfect' some great tips and a reminder for me to finally start using my RHS Allotment Notebook that i've had for over a year. I took over my plot in Febuary 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I love blogging and looking at other garden/allotment blogs.
I hope that you will find a few minutes to visit 'Allotment Heaven'. Once again thanks for the great tips.
Posted by: Maureen | October 06, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Thanks Maureen, most kind - I'll certainly pop over to your blog.
Posted by: Jane Perrone | October 07, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Oh dear - that is expensive and I was kind of hoping to buy one for the pre-school garden. By the way, do you leave yours out in the winter? I don't want the worms to freeze, but I'm not sure where we could put it.
Posted by: Dawn/LittleGreenFingers | October 07, 2009 at 06:41 PM
The worms probably won't freeze, but they won't eat much below a certain temperature - can't remember precisely but I think it's about 10C.
My solution is to wrap the whole thing in an old woollen blanket - insulation, without stopping air getting in: against a wall they should be sheltered too. If money's an issue, I'd recommend making one yourself - there's a video on how to do it from Chris Beardshaw that'll help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS9N5so6iR8
Otherwise secondhand/unused wormeries sometimes come up on eBay ...
Posted by: Jane Perrone | October 07, 2009 at 09:18 PM
Wow - he even makes his wormery to the sound of Vivaldi's Four Seasons - classy!
Thanks for the link Jane - I think we might try something like that.
Posted by: Dawn/LittleGreenFingers | October 12, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Hi
I noticed the post above about the preschool wanting a wormery.
We do have offers available for schools if you would like to get in touch with us.....
On the other topic, its true that bubble wrap or an old blanket - even a few straw bales around the wormery will keep them snug and warm in the winter.
Ronnie
Posted by: Wormcity | November 10, 2009 at 06:13 PM
Does anyone know if the "worm cafe" is available in the US? Thank You.
Posted by: Sharon K | February 22, 2010 at 09:24 PM
Sharon,
The worm cafe is not available in the US, but 'worm factories' are for sale in the US. They look and are very similar. I sell them on my site, be sure to check them out.
Thanks!
Posted by: David | March 15, 2010 at 09:35 PM
The Worm Cafe is available in the U.S. I just bought one last month here in California.
Posted by: Roseradio365 | April 23, 2010 at 09:54 PM
Yup. Saw one in a Berkeley nursery last month which sparked my interest.
Funny, I was typing in my e-mail address and began typing compost rather than comcast.net
Posted by: Don McLeod | May 08, 2010 at 11:54 PM
My Worm Cafe is great except that the castings (and some worms)are falling through to the very bottom, where the liquid should collect, and so the level in the tray is dropping rather than rising. Any solutions would be welcome.
Posted by: Karen Macleod | May 23, 2010 at 07:34 AM
Hi All,
We also sell the Worm Cafe here in Hawaii. Check us out on the web and contact us. We would be happy to get you started on this wonderful system.
Posted by: Earthbuddies 101 | July 05, 2010 at 06:13 PM
Started my Worm Cafe. Followed the directions and the next day most of the "live and wiggling" worms were in the bottom tray with the water. I also noticed a lot of vinegar flies. So I took out the food, fished them out, dampened the top tray and waited another day or so. Still had some little flies, still smells a bit and had worms in the bottom tray again. This time I added another tray with burlap in it, dampened the top layer, added a little food, covered with shredded paper and the damp burlap.
What am I doing wrong???? :-(
Posted by: Johlin | August 19, 2010 at 05:55 PM