Compost and Worm Farming

Composting and worm farming are good for your garden and good for our environment. Council runs composting and wormfarming workshops to encourage it.

Why Compost?

Over 50% of residential garbage can be composted. Instead of this material contributing to methane gas in the landfill, it can be better reused as a valuable soil conditioner replenishing nutrients in your garden.

An efficient hot compost pile can create useable compost in a few months. Most people use a lower maintenance composting method which may take 6 - 12 months. Insects and critters in your compost help to break down the material and often play a vital role in your garden.

How do I set up my compost?

• Choose a composting system that best suits you and your capacity (a compost bin, an enclosure, a bay system or an open heap).
• Start the pile or bin in a well drained area with a 10-15cm layer of leaves, loose soil or other coarse yard trimmings (for aeration and drainage).
• Begin your compost bin or heap with a mixture of carbon (dry) and nitrogen (wet) materials with a 3:1 ratio:
  • CARBON (DRY) = dry leaves, pieces of paper and cardboard, vacuum cleaner lint, hay and straw, dried out grass clippings (1-2 days in the sun)
  • NITROGEN (WET) = fresh grass clippings, tea bags, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, manure.
• DO NOT compost meats, dairy foods, or any fats, oil, or grease because they can attract pests.

What comes next?

• Keep adding material to your compost until the heap or bin is full. If you are going to compost food scraps, you should mix them with yard trimmings when adding them to the pile.
• In dry weather, sprinkle water on the pile, but don't let it get too soggy.
• Turn the pile every few weeks with a pitchfork to circulate air and distribute moisture evenly.
• Don't be surprised by the heat of the pile or if you see worms, both of which are part of the decomposition process.
• If you want to pamper your compost, add some manure - compost loves manure!
• Make sure children do not play in the composting pile or bin.

Why worm farm?

If you have very little or no garden space, a worm farm is a good way to compost your fruit and vegetable scraps. Compost worms turn organic matter into rich plant food, which can be used in the garden or to feed your pot plants. A worm farm is a container made up of plastic, wood or any other lightweight, waterproof material.

What can I put in my worm farm?

Worms love to eat: fruit and vegetable scraps, tea leaves/bags and coffee beans, crushed egg shells, vase flowers, vacuum cleaner dust.

They don't like: onions, garlic, shallots, citrus fruit and chillies, meat, dairy foods and fatty foods.

Where can I buy a compost bin or worm farm?

Compost bins and worm farms can be bought from most hardware stores, department stores and gardening stores.