GREAT GREEN SYSTEMS 2-Tier Worm Farm Owner’s Manual

: June 9, 2024
: GREAT GREEN SYSTEMS

Table of Contents

SETTING UP YOUR WORM FARM
Feeding your worms
Adding your second working tray
USING NATURE TO RECYCLE FOOD WASTE
Worm Farm maintenance
Worm Farm components
Worm Farm Accessories
Customer Service
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

GREAT GREEN SYSTEMS 2-Tier Worm Farm

SETTING UP YOUR WORM FARM

Soak coconut peat in around 1/3 bucket of water for 30 minutes. This will become the bedding for your worms.
Start with the base – Install legs if you have them (sold separately). Ensure worm saver tray and liquid collection tray are in place.
Put first working tray in place and line with 2-3 sheets of wet newspaper.
The second working tray won’t be needed until the first is full, so keep in a safe place.
Add wet coconut peat to the layer of wet newspaper, this becomes the bedding for your worms. Make sure it’s not too wet or too dry. The bedding should feel moist with minimal water dripping out when you squeeze it.
Now it’s time to add your worms (sold separately). Place them on top of the coconut peat with any bedding that came with them. Leave the worms a week before adding any food scraps. This allows the worms time to settle into their new home.
Ideally you should cover them with a worm blanket (not supplied). The worm blanket can be any fabric made from natural, non-synthetics such as hessian. Several sheets of newspaper or cardboard can also be used.
Place the lid on the Worm Farm and put it in a cool dry area away from the sun and rain.
When your first working tray is full you can then add your second. When two working trays are being used the worms will travel through the holes in the bottom to find new food scraps. When the second tray is full the first will be full of castings to use on your plants.

Feeding your worms

After a week you can start to add a small amount of food scraps, about a handful every few days. Gradually increase this as you notice the worms eating more. Once it’s established and the worms are breeding, they will consume more food scraps. Be careful not to overfeed them. Uneaten food will begin to smell and attract unwanted pests.
When adding food scraps it’s important not to spread them out covering the entire area. Start in a section and when you add new scraps put them in a different section working your way around the Worm Farm.
It’s a good idea to cover any new food scraps added with the worms’ bedding that is already in the Worm Farm or some compost from your compost bin.
Cut food into small pieces. This will make it easier for the worms to eat.
To keep your worms happy make sure you are giving them some diversity with their food.
Worms will change with the season, you may need to feed them more in the warmer months and less in winter.

THINGS I CAN ADD:

Fruit scraps
Vegetable scraps
Teabags
Coffee grounds
Crushed eggshells
Small amount of bread
Small amounts of cooked rice or pasta
Moist cardboard

THINGS I CAN’T ADD:

Onion
Garlic
Chilli
Dairy
Uncooked potato skins
Citrus fruit or peel
Meat, bones or fish
Oils or grease

Adding your second working tray

It’s time to add your second working tray once the first is full. Make sure the second tray comes in contact with the bedding in the first allowing the worms to travel freely into it.
You can add food scraps directly into the second working tray but it will speed up the process by adding a small amount of organic soil, compost or existing bedding first.
Stop feeding your worms for a week before adding the second working tray to make the worms nice and hungry. This will entice them to go into the second tray once added.

USING NATURE TO RECYCLE FOOD WASTE

Harvesting
You will get 2 types of fertiliser from your Worm Farm; Worm ‘tea’ and castings

Worm ‘Tea’

This accumulates in the liquid collection tray at the bottom of your Warm Farm. This Worm Farm is designed to be free draining. This eliminates the risk of the liquid building up and potentially drowning your worms. It can be diluted 1 part liquid to 9 parts water for use on non-edible plants.
Harvesting

Castings

You will find some casting on the pullout worm saver tray, but the bulk of this will be found on the bottom working tray.
When the second tray is full the first will be full of castings to use on your plants.

Worm Farm maintenance

It is important to protect your Worm Farm against extremes of temperature. If possible, make sure that it is placed in a sheltered spot out of direct sun and rain – a garage or shed would be ideal. It is crucial that your entire Worm Farm stays moist. In hot weather you can flush your Worm Farm with half a small bucket of water (5L) once a week. On very hot days this may need to be done every day or two to ensure the Worm Farm remains moist. When doing this make sure to replace the liquid collection tray with a vessel that will hold the sudden influx of water.
In cold weather make sure the Worm Farm is out of the rain and a thick worm blanket or covering is being used. You could also add additional bedding of compost and worm castings. Worms will generally work a lot slower in cold weather so you may need to feed them less.
A healthy Worm Farm should smell earthy. If your Worm Farm smells rotten and vinegary, then acidity may be too high. This can be fixed by gently aerating the Worm Farm, and adding some crushed egg shells (it’s a good idea to dry them out first), dolomite lime or garden lime (a dusting over the top is a sufficient amount).

Worm Farm components

(Depending on your order)
Worm Farm components

Worm Farm Accessories

The 2 Tier Shelf for the Worm Farm by Maze

Recycle more waste by adding another Maze Worm Farm on the same footprint with this two shelf metal unit.

The 3 Tier Worm Farm Bundle by Maze

Optimize your Worm Farm project with our three-shelf metal unit, including three complete wormeries.
Our ultimate package for the most ambitious Worm Farm projects.