Cool worms
Worms like to be cool and damp! They ‘breathe’ through their skin. They must be kept moist because they will quickly die if their skin dries out.
1. Cover them with cool, damp newspaper and they’ll love it.
2. Keep the wormery in a shady place.
Remember they need to be moist not soggy.
They need air and won’t get that if they’re sodden.


Growing worms
Worms hatch out of their cocoons [small eggs] after 3 weeks in the egg. They start as small as a pin head and will grow to about 2-3 cm in 2 or 3 months. They will then start to lay their own eggs, 1 every week or so. After another 6 months, they’ll be fully grown.



Hungry worms
*Worms grow best when they have a good supply of food, but not too much. If the wormery starts to smell, you are probably giving them too much food.
*They have tiny mouths and wait till the food has rotted slightly before they can eat it. If you chop up their food, they’ll find it easier to eat.
*Add any raw fruit and veg scraps, but not orange, grapefruit, lemon, leeks or onions. They love bananas!
*They like egg shells. The grit from the shell helps them eat and the skin inside the shell helps them produce eggs.

Rescued worms
Like us all, worms can get into trouble! The Can o’ Worms has a sump to collect all the liquid. That is very attractive to worms because it is cool and moist. If the sump becomes too full of water, they could drown. So

1. Check there isn’t too much water in the sump
2. Put the worms back in their basket.

With a little care and attention your worms will be healthy and happy and make lots of compost for you.

[This page is funded by Scottish Borders Council's Waste Aware Scottish Borders Campaign.]