Our Philosophy

 

Our business is built on providing a quality service and helping our environment.

Hi - my name is Rob and I have been growing worms on the Sunshine Coast for 34 years and I still like to learn something new whenever opportunity arises !

​For people who wish to start their own worm farm to recycle their household scraps my philosophy is to start small and learn as you go. It is a long journey but a very rewarding and relatively simple one.

This is why we sell the minimum quantity to beginners and offer lots of free advice and support. Many customers have had a half hour tour and talk on the benefits and pitfalls as I see them. Sometimes I pick up snippets of gold from customers.

We believe worm farming need not be an expensive exercise, but an exercise that all the family can be involved in while doing something positive for the environment. It should be a relatively low maintenance activity.

You can check a Youtube video here delivered by an Australian gardening identity as to why and how growing worms is a simple activity.

We are also able to supply larger quantities to commercial projects.

We grow all of our own worms which is why we can keep our prices down. We pack our worms only when required and so we are able to guarantee the health of our worms (they are not sitting on shelves in confined spaces for lengthy time periods). Most worm suppliers state contents of containers are 1000 worms and do not explain how they arrive at the amount you get. For me I agree with the widely held statement that 1000 worms is 250 grams (4000 worms is a kilo) which is how ours are packed, although we always pack an extra 5-10% to ensure you are receiving what you pay for from us.

We also produce quantities of worm castings. The advantages of this material are many and are explained further throughout our website and resources section. We take considerable effort in preparing this product for sale including partially drying out to ensure you receive the highest quality product. We also brew a liquid vermicast when required which has a concentrated level of microorganisms. The advantages and acceptance of microbial brews is becoming widespread in recent years.

The advantages of using worm castings is further explained in this clip from a US company (coincidentally with the same name as us) which I discovered years after I set up my small business. While the US company is large and mechanised and we are not, the original food (cow manure) and the end product remain the same and hence the benefits to your plants remain the same.

There are lots of videos on Youtube (and on our resources page) that will show you how and why worm castings are gaining in popularity for use by anyone wishing to grow quality plants. There is increasing scientific evidence of how healthy soils will grow healthy plants and conversely the damage that chemical fertilisers and insecticides do to our soils.

 

A basic guide to worm farming.

 
 

FAQs

  • Remember worms are animals and like the rest of us, require food, water, oxygen and suitable temperatures to survive.

    Food: Anything that was once alive is potential food. Since they ingest bacteria and decaying matter, food is eaten quicker if it is in small bits (some people use blenders to break up kitchen scraps). Kitchen scraps, animal manures, cardboard, paper, grass clippings are all suitable. Do not use soil as a bedding material, use something organic. Your worms will not appreciate large quantities of citrus, meat bones, dairy products or hot spicy foods.

    Oxygen: If the worm beds become compacted, loosen up occasionally with a fork or your hands.

    Water: Worms need plenty of water but will drown or die of lack of oxygen if the bedding becomes waterlogged. All beds should allow excess water to drain off.

    Temperature: Compost worms are a mix of species and their preferred temperature varies slightly but in general 13 to 27 degrees C are tolerable with a preferred temperature of around 23C. This consideration should largely determine where you locate your beds.

  • For a household of 2-3 people with a Can-o-Worms size bed 1000 worms are a good starting point. Worms will breed to fill their space and the amount of food they have. In ideal conditions any mass of worms will double their population every 3 months approx. This quantity probably will not consume all your vege scraps immediately. Remember my philosophy start small and learn as you go. ie how much food, what types of food, moisture levels, location to ensure a good temperature range are all factors which will affect reproduction and growth rates.

    Many websites state that worms devour their own weight every 1 – 2 days but this does vary considerably according to the factors just mentioned which affect the worms activity levels. Spring is generally ideal and their reproduction is at their highest levels.

  • There are several commercial bins available and they all have several redeeming features to make your worming experiences enjoyable. They are easy to move, easy to add food, generally easy to remove castings and keep vermin at bay. However anywhere that you can contain worms while protecting them from the elements, keep tree roots out of the bed and keep vermin (rats and toads can be a problem) away is suitable. Many people use old bath tubs or boxes or construct box like containers. I can give you some tips to avoid potential pitfalls when you purchase as I prefer to see customers having success with their endeavors.

  • If cared for well, worm farms will not smell. Generally any smell means the bed/food is too wet. If so add some shredded newspaper or cardboard to absorb excess moisture and then the worms will eat this too. A sprinkling of lime or dolomite will reduce acidity. Zeolite can be sprinkled also to absorb nitrogenous smells. Note, there shouldn't be liquid dripping from your bed to collect, your bed is too wet for the worms liking.

  • We supply compost worms which are a mix of Reds (Eisenia Andrei), Tigers (Eisenia Fetida) and Blues (Perionix Excavatus - which is very similar to the Australian species Spenceralia).

    Generally none of them will do well in your garden unless it has a high level of organic materials. These 3 species prefer slightly different conditions ie temperature range and water content but generally co-exist very well and tend to complement each other as conditions change in your worm farm. There are now several systems on the market whereby containers with lots of holes in them are partly buried in a garden, the containers are food stations for worms who can venture back and forth.